Varia Ostrovscky

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Varia grew up in a house of faith—congregations, weekly meetings, and life with the local body of Christ. When she was six years old, she prayed a prayer and asked God to speak into her heart. Something—or rather Someone—lifted her hands and filled her mouth with praise that wasn’t her own. She was excited, bewildered, and in awe. She knew God was real. She knew He was supernatural. And she wanted more. She learned early that God speaks when we search for Him.

Then came Varia’s teenage years—and with them, a pretty severe wet eczema that covered my face, neck, arms, and legs. Waking up with bloody fingernails and constant pain wasn’t even the hardest part. It was the kids at school who were too disgusted to look at her. Mistreatment followed, and one day after school, she cried out to God: “How can You do this to me? What could I possibly have done to deserve this?” God, of course, could have done anything, but she felt prompted to open her Bible. Her fingers landed on Psalm 20. Reading Scripture was hard for her even then, but that day it was as if the words glowed: “May He send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.” A wave of gracious relief washed over me. She wasn’t alone. She wasn’t forsaken. She didn’t need to understand why this was happening—God was with her, showing mercy in the middle of trouble.

When Varia was 17, she felt ready to be baptised. She chose to do it in a bathtub at home—a funny, unorthodox decision, but there was a reason. Baptisms were turning into social events, and she wanted her choice to be about God alone, not about anyone else’s expectations. So, into the bath she went.

As she turned 18, doubts started to creep in. First about her own salvation, then about God’s very existence. For nearly six months, she prayed all the “right” prayers, but only out of habit. In a way, it was a test—would anyone notice she was faking? No one did. Eventually, she decided to give God one more chance. Her draft date for military service was set for July 31st, and she was desperate to delay it. She set a condition: If God is real, He’ll postpone my draft. Months passed. Then, on a sunny Friday morning, as she was making butter cookies, a military envelope arrived—her draft date had been officially postponed. Varia sat down shaking, knowing full well that the hand of God was on her life. There was no turning back. That was the day her belief in the permanence of salvation settled deep in her heart.

Varia spent the months before the draft serving as a counsellor at youth camps—her first taste of ministry. She persevered through her military service, spending every vacation and day off with the kids, and eventually became the camp coordinator.

In the army, Varia served in the Education Corps, teaching Hebrew to newly drafted olim. She loved teaching and guiding, and before long, she was sent to officer school. She had hoped for one position but was assigned to a very different, far less hands-on role. Moving from direct teaching to a desk job felt . . . insulting to her. She wrestled with God for a month until she was unexpectedly offered a chance to leave the position. She prayed and fasted, desperate to know if this was God’s way of opening a door. At first—silence. Then she sensed a question: Would I stay where He placed me, even if I was unhappy? Or would I chase the job I wanted and disobey Him? After much prayer, Varia chose to stay. Four months later, Benny Gantz (yes, that Benny Gantz) was appointed Chief of Staff, restructured finances, and redefined her role. Suddenly, her job became everything she had hoped for—and more. She learned that she didn’t need to lean on her own understanding. God knows best, even when He gives us a choice.

After completing her service, Varia joined the Lech L’cha discipleship program, then enrolled at Ben Gurion University. There, she discovered a surprising talent for debate, eventually ranking 6th in Israel and 9th in Europe. She was ecstatic—but quietly, she drifted from fellowship, Scripture, and the church. She began replacing faith with clever arguments, poking holes in religion and pointing out logical flaws that, in her mind, centuries of Christian tradition had somehow missed. When Varia brought questions to church leaders, she was often met with dismissive answers, such as, “That’s why we don’t endorse studying philosophy.” But God, in His wisdom, sent friends—dear friends—who offered grace, understanding, and thoughtful, satisfying answers to her doubts.

At 27, God spoke to Varia again. He laid His hand on her and whispered, “I’ve got you.” Her soul finally rested, knowing my God could handle any question and meet every doubt with truth.

From there, her life took many turns. After eight years as a debate coach, Varia moved into the nonprofit education world, then into a SaaS startup, eventually becoming a CS operations manager specialising in long-term projects and automation. Yet through it all, youth ministry kept tugging at her heart. What started with three kids visiting her home grew—kids kept coming, and they stayed. Seven years later, the youth group has 30 participants and a team of four counsellors, two of whom grew up in the group themselves.

At 34, God called Varia into full-time ministry. His work had outgrown every spare minute she had. And God’s story in her life is still unfolding.