We met Marina last spring when she was here for a conference and she was here again this week, attending a conference on Anabaptist history. Last spring while work in the library I noticed this woman, reading, studying and taking notes. When not attending one of the conference sessions she spent hours in the library. I asked someone, "Who is that lady." "She is Marina, from St. Petersburg," was the reply. "She is the living legend, walking encyclopedia on Anabaptists and their history in Russia." Marina was born in St. Petersburg almost 80 years ago. My, the changes she has seen, not just in Russia, but in the entire world. I wish I knew more of her story, more of how she survived the Second World War as well as the purges and persecutions of Christians
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