The Persecutor by Sergei Kourdakov

 

I suspect that before Sergei even dreamed of writing his book, The Persecutor, he was told over and over by many people that he needed to write about his life – that when people heard his story they were spell bound.  His job with the KGB in Russia was to inflict terror on Christians.  He became disillusioned with Communism and defected to Canada in September 1971.  During his stay in Canada he converted to Christianity, and eventually moved to California where he became a member of Underground Evangelism (now known as Mission Without Borders).  Several articles about Sergei have suggested that he seemed eager to tell his story and he was only interested in writing a book for the money.  However, in writing his book he knew he was putting his life in jeopardy.  It was his decision; he knew the consequences, and he was willing to take that risk.  He was eager to write a book, but for the right reasons.

He wanted to make a difference . . . and he made all the difference in the world.  

 

 * * *
 

“You really need to write a book!”  Suzanna said.  I heard those words from her many times over the past ten years.  “Why?” I would ask each time.  “Because it’s a really good story,” was Suzanna’s reply.  Suzanna was my friend and co-worker, smart and pretty, young enough to be my daughter, and wise beyond her years.  She was only one of a handful of friends who knew about me and Sergei, possibly because she was a compassionate listener.  “I wouldn’t even know where to begin to write a book about Sergei,” I finally admitted one day.  “You start with . . . , that’s where you need to start,” Suzanna confidently told me.  Her words stayed with me over the years.

I started to write A Rose for Sergei exactly where Suzanna had suggested. 

 

 

 A brief account of Sergei’s life can be found at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kourdakov

 

 

An online version of The Persecutor is available at:

http://www.ccel.us/sergei.toc.html