Марія Микитка

«They knocked. And the children were little; they began crying, because it was at night. But my mother-in-law said, ''I won’t leave you. I'm going with you. Where the children will be, I will be there too.'' Ah, yes. She got a bad attack then and we didn’t know what to do whether to dress the little children or to rescue her, because she was dying. And what should be taken along? We were very confused. But we managed to rescue the mum. She went to Siberia with us and there she could live a little longer yet. And also the children were little. They were three at that time. My son was nearly died as we were being taken out to Siberia. They said that the child had already died. – Do you remember how you travelled, the way to Siberia? What did you go by? – We went by goods train for 5 weeks. We sat on the plank beds. Some child even seems to have fallen down from them there. And there was the small window there. And at the other station already in Siberia the other train arrived. The prisoners were taken in it. So those prisoners wondered,'' Who is taken in this train?'' They could see little children, old people through that small window. They wondered, '' Who are they taking in it - such little children and elderly people?'' – When did you arrive there? Can you recall and describe your impressions of all that? – We were dropped out and then were taken into a boat (or so- called barge) and transported by sea into taiga. It seemed that from there we would never get out. There were the people who had been brought before ... we were dropped out ashore. And the people taken before had already had some houses built like cottages. And there one family took us into their small room. There were 11 people in that small room. There was one family and here another was. And there was no room for us there, and that’s why we put the boards between the two beds at night and lay there. We were the third family to spend the night there. And then we were taken into the barracks, we lived in those barracks. We had a small room in the barracks. [] – In the barracks the winter was severe; the ice was on the walls. We bought a goat, because the children needed milk. They were still little. When it was too cold and frosty outside we brought that goat in that small room as well, because it could be frozen outside anyway. We kept some hens, only a few, there. And the potatoes were kept there in the corner. We stocked with thick woods. And they were burning and burning, but it was still cold there. But somehow we managed to get over that severe winter in taiga. – My husband came home once or twice a week from the taiga. And I was with the kids in the barrack. Also, my husband's mother died there, in Siberia. So then I was left alone with the children. What can you tell about the spiritual life in exile? – He worshipped in the house. When he was at home, he served Liturgies there. And there, in taiga, I don’t remember if he was able to pray the Liturgy or not, because he was as a guest at home. All the time he stayed there, in taiga. He was evicted and they didn’t want to discharge him yet... To go to taiga, valyanky were needed and they didn’t want to give them out. You could be frozen there in boots. A quilted jacket was needed as well there ... They said,'' We brought you here to die, and so we won’t give any out to you.'' So my husband's mother worried so much about it and because of that she died []»

«- Tell us how the Liturgies were served? How did you help your husband serve them? Mrs. M. - I and my little children remained in the house, I couldn’t go with my husband ... We had five children. It was hard and I had to cook for them. I was very overtired... He also had to get to work early... At dawn he served the Liturgy and I helped him. Then, after the Liturgy he went to his work and came back late at night, it was already dark. [] My husband would be summoned to the KGB about 20 times. Every time he said goodbye to us. Out two daughters were still little then. He gave an icon to them. He said goodbye as if forever, he didn’t know if he would return. So it was 20 times or so. As usual, it was at night that he was summoned to go there. They released him at night too. So, we said goodbye to each other as if it was for the last time. He was very haunted anyway. He risked too much. He paid no regard to his wife and little children and everything. He went where it was necessary to go and risked much. [] I listened to the radio station “Vatican”. As I could, I listened to all the Liturgies. My husband dying said, it was his will – to listen to the Liturgies on the radio. It was that time when we could only listened to the Liturgy on the radio. Our children listened to it too. So when my husband was absent, when he went somewhere out of the village to work, we listened to the Liturgy on the radio. Dying, he said, and it was his will '' Don’t forget about the radio.'' He meant to listen to Liturgies on the radio, not to miss them. Not to miss the Divine Liturgy in any case. It was such a will of his []»