Check out my new book The New Exodus: Escaping One Man’s War.
This is a second edition of this novel originally published under the title The New Exodus: Escaping Putin’s War. It is based on the true story of two Russian families who fled Russia on the brink of mandatory conscription announced by Putin on September 21, 2022.
They didn’t want to participate in the war with Ukraine. They didn’t want their 20-year-old sons to kill Ukrainians. They didn’t want to listen to propaganda day in and day out. So, they slipped out of Russia in the nick of time.
Their incredible odyssey lasted four months, marked by unbelievable twists and turns, sacrifices and triumphs, gains and losses.
They left behind their jobs, their homes, and their friends in Saint Petersburg.
They didn’t have any money beyond the first two weeks of their journey.
They didn’t have any work or a place to stay. Only one of the nine spoke English.
They traveled over 20,000 miles across the globe without knowing what the next day would bring.
They were stranded in Istanbul for two months and for two months in Mexico.
They learned to take one day at a time, trusting God moment by moment through many troubles and tribulations.
They lost all hope and found it again. They died and rose again.
They faced the depths of despair and learned to soar above it.
They trod the earth but ended up entering Fairyland.
They met God in the wind, they heard Him in the cry of the gulls, and they saw His face in the eyes of others.
They met with angels and demons. They received signs and visions.
They turned into deer and escaped their persecutors like St. Patrick.
They made friends with trees and touched God’s peace with their hands.
They were homeless and penniless, yet they were treated like royalty.
They were chased by police and saved by ice cream.
They felt lost but were never abandoned.
They died to all their desires but found them all fulfilled on the other side of death.
