Biography
In Birobidzhan, more than 20 criminal cases were initiated for their faith. Yelena Reyno-Chernyshova was among the accused of extremism. The investigation lasted more than 5 months, and then the believer was forced to defend her good name in court for almost a year. In February 2021, Yelena was found guilty and sentenced to a monetary fine, and on April 22, the appellate court toughened the sentence, replacing it with 2.5 years of probation and 1 year of restraint of liberty.
Elena was born in the village of Maloy (Irkutsk region) in 1968. She has an elder sister and younger twin brothers. Parents are full orphans. Grandfather was shot in 1938 as an enemy, and later rehabilitated. “They called us fascists, set the house on fire, threatened to kill my father, so we had to change several places of residence,” says Yelena. For the same reason, in 1985, the family had to leave for the Far East.
Music was always heard in Yelena’s house, parents from childhood instilled in children a love of creativity, sports and work. Yelena was an active pioneer and Komsomol member, studied well at school. In 1986, in Khabarovsk, she received the profession of a tailor, a year later she got married and gave birth to a son. She served in the army under a contract. Later she received two more diplomas - an accountant-economist and a manager of the state municipal service. She worked as an accountant at a state farm and chief accountant of the administration of a rural settlement.
In 2007, Yelena and her family moved to Birobidzhan, where she received the position of deputy head of the financial department and chief accountant of the district administration. Later she worked in the financial department of the Government of the Jewish Autonomous Region. In both cases, employers terminated contracts with her at the insistence of the FSB. Since February 2017, Yelena has been working as a leading accountant and part-time as a sports administrator in the department of physical culture and sports.
In the 90s, while serving in the army, Yelena got acquainted with the Bible. She found out God's point of view on military service and divorce, so she broke off the contract with the military unit and registered a marriage with her ex-husband, with whom she had divorced by that time. Today it is a happy family, the couple have been together for more than one decade. “When I began to deeply study the Bible, I was amazed that in it one could find answers to absolutely all vital questions,” Yelena recalls. - And the promise of Jesus: “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” was a great relief for me. Everything that burdened me like a stone fell from my shoulders! "
The husband supports his wife in her life choice , although he is not a Christian himself. He acknowledges that the Bible gave his son a good upbringing. “The situation in which I found myself because of my faith affected my husband's health - he had a third heart attack,” says Yelena. - Mom also has serious heart problems. She lives alone in the village, and there is no one else to take care of her except me. " Despite the difficulties, Yelena remains optimistic. She enjoys playing football and volleyball and doing manual labor.
Yelena values very much her friends and colleagues who support her and are ready to help her in difficult times. In her appeal to the court, Yelena quoted the words of Henry Brooks Adams, a poet-historian: “One friend for life is already a lot; two friends are a lot; three friends is hardly possible. " The believer noted: “Through the Bible's counsel and friendship with Jehovah, [I] have made many friends, and all over the world. […] My friends support me and pray for me so that I can withstand all unfair persecution with honor, that I remain joyful, have a positive attitude, no matter what. And I am very grateful to them for that! "