Raisa's Perseverance

After the tragic murder of her four children, an MTS student rebuilds her life

Raisa Totieva, her husband and their five children lived a relatively ordinary life in Beslan, Russia until September 1, 2004. On that day, a terrorist group stormed her children’s school and took hostage of more than 1,100 people. The takeover ended tragically three days later with the deaths of more than 300 people. Raisa sent all five of her children to school that day; four of them never returned.

After the tragedy, Raisa’s once vibrant and happy life took a turn. Physically, her health began to diminish. Her vision and hearing began to fade more and more each day and she experienced serious bouts of memory loss. Through it all, she fervently asked God to help her family through this unfathomably difficult time.

Hope came in the form of a suggestion from a friend, “Perhaps studying at MTS affiliate school North Caucasus Bible Institute will help you return to a normal life.” Raisa had heard of the work of NCBI.“When I began teaching Sunday school at my church,” she explains,“others advised that I study at NCBI to learn how to be most effective in my ministry. However, I had five children to raise and didn’t have the time.”

Heeding her friend’s suggestion she enrolled in the Christian education program. The first session was incredibly difficult. “I felt like my body was sitting in class, but not my soul,” she explains.

Despite the challenges, she chose to persevere and now says it was worth it. As time went on, she began to enjoy her classes and engage with her fellow students and professors. “Today, each session is like a treasure,” she exclaims. “The only thing I have to complain about is that my brain is not some kind of hard drive that can download and save everything I learn here!”

Now in her third year, Raisa is developing curriculum for a children’s camp that ministers largely to children from non-Christian homes. She also leads Bible studies for teens and women in her church.

Although she’ll always carry the heartbreak of losing her four children, Raisa longs to share the love she was not able to share with them with the other children God brings into her life. She shares, “I am so grateful for NCBI which helps me to identify, enhance and live out God’s vision for my life, my family and my church.”

Thank you for your support of our students, including Raisa.