My story

A woman without nationality, with her roots in Slovakia and a borderline life - Elizabeth Ozdincová. Together with her husband she has got 7 children and 12 grand-children. She has lived in Jerusalem for 47 years.

I was born in Ludwigsburg, Germany, after my parents fled from Czechoslovakia in 1948.

My father worked for the Democratic Party and covered an important position; when the Communists took power, his life was in danger and the whole family was forced to flee to Germany. And I was born in Germany in a refugee camp.

I was their second child. I had a two-year old brother who remained in Slovakia with our grand-parents, in the town of Lučenec. It wasn’t so safe to take him with us. My parents’ escaped from Czechoslovakia was risky and they didn’t want to expose their little son to possible danger. They hoped he would rejoin them somewhere after the situation in the country will return to normal.

Later, my parents managed to move to America, where they settled and got their American citizenship. I was 16 and I didn’t have any citizenship. As a teenager I was full of rebellion and I had several different interests. I did not care about these things and I did not want to waste my time in getting my citizenship. Then, I flew to Israel with a simple passport and when I got back I lost my right to become a US citizen. Today I do have an American passport.

I was born in a Christian family. My parents were believers since their childhood, but they did not have personal experience of Jesus and their Christianity was rather formal and traditional. When they were staying at the refugee camp in Germany, they experience something like a new birth. They decided to offer their lives to God, to live for Him, and be guided by Him in all their activities and decisions. 

Our life in America was the typical life of a family from Eastern Europe. I wanted to be a typical American girl – free and independent. My parents were quite “Europeans”.

They imposed a lot of rules and restrictions. I did not like it. I wanted to live my way, travel the world, far away from home.

When I was 18 I had a chance to fly to Israel for holidays. I stayed there for 10 days and I fell in love with the country. It was shortly after the end of the 6-day war. The state of Israel had turned 18, just like me. Almost all the Israeli soldiers were 18… It was an extraordinary epoch. The whole country was in feast because of the victory that God had given them. In 6 days they managed to defeat all their neighbouring countries that attacked Israel. I fell in love with Israel and wanted to stay there. I liked the adrenalin, difficulties, and risks – a border-line life… It was actually my creed and still today it is – if you don’t live close to the borders, it means that you are taking too much place. Israel was also a beautiful country, where you simply feel the desire of living and seeing what God makes through people. I decided to remain in this beautiful land and here I met my husband. We fell in love with each other. One year later, we got married. We’ve lived together for 47 years.

My road of faith was not the same as my parents’. My parents tried to educate me according to Christian principles, but God doesn’t have grand-children. Every one of us must find their own way to God – our way of faith.

My story if full of rebellion and rage against the Church and all things I didn’t like – e.g. phariseism – something very common in certain environments; those things disgusted not just me, but also many other children living in similar families.

Even for this reason, I wanted to leave America and go to Israel, in order to be as far as possible from religious life.

Unfortunately, or fortunately , when we met in Israel my husband was working for the Church. So after our marriage I experienced an internal conflict: Do I want to be part of all that or do I want to live my own life? We got married in Chicago and had our honey moon in Europe. We also visited Czechoslovakia and I first met my relatives I never saw before. What a wonderful time! I met all my aunts, uncles, and cousins living in Martin, Lučenec, and Mučín. Then, we left Czechoslovakia by car. I was driving. I was tired and excited. I was thinking about my family. I just met them and soon left them. I was thinking about my future in Israel and I thought: “I know what I want to do… My husband will work for the church and I will find a rock band, where I will sing and play.”  All these thoughts were whirling in my mind. I was driving in a completely dark night and I did not notice that there was a curve on the bridge. The car crashed against the guardrail and precipitated down from the bridge. Nobody knows the exact duration and distance of our fall. It was shortly after midnight. Darkness was everywhere. I realised I was alive and soon had a flash-thought in my mind: O Lord, if I have to meet You now, I am not prepared. In that very short time interval I hoped that my good deeds were heavier than my bad deeds and that I can resist and survive before God’s judgement.

I woke up in a ditch, something like a dry riverbed. There was an impact between the car and a rock. The car was upside down. I didn’t have my seatbelt fastened and I fell down from the broken window. I had blood on my head and a broken leg.

When I reflected about the whole situation, I realised that it was not a chance that I was still alive on planet Earth, but everything depended on God’s will. I was overwhelmed by His love. He didn’t let me die. He left me in this world alive so that I can come to Him.

I immediately realised that God had given me another chance in my life. It was the beginning of my way back to God and the end of my rebellion.

I started a new exciting life. This time it was life with the Lord. I surrendered and offered everything to the Lord of my life.

I often asked God – Lord, you left me alive. What do you want me to do? So, every day he showed His power on me, His guidance and care. His goodness accompanies me in every moment of my life.

E.g. I got an aneurism of cerebral vessels and I survived without any consequences. It was another miracle, one more chance for life.

I believe that God wants us to know Him the way He is. He wants us to worship Him and be open to whatever He will bring to our life. Life with Him became adventurous and marvellous.

Together with my husband we have got 7 children. They were all born in Jerusalem where we live and work today. Four of our children live in Jerusalem as well. The other three are in Africa and in Italy. The most important thing is that all of them love the Lord and work in Christian organisations. 

In Israel, my husband and I started ministry for both sides – Jews and Arabs.

We founded the Jerusalem Cornerstone foundation, to help finance different aid projects for people in need. We don’t “collect” people. We help people in need, wherever it is possible. We have a wonderful opportunity to serve everybody without differences between people on earth. For example, children from Jordan and Iraq and many other Muslim countries are coming to Israel for heart transplantation. Medicine is at a very high level in Israel. Israeli doctors save lives of children from several world countries through transplantations; and this has a very good and positive influence for their whole families. Many people go back home with a totally different idea about the State of Israel. Their impression is the reverse of what is commonly spread by mass-media and by anti-Israel propaganda. They go back home and spread positive news about Israel, because they receive high-level medical treatment and sensitive human approach. They become little ambassadors of Israel in their countries. And we are part of it all. We collect and provide financial aid to children for expensive transplantations they could not afford in any other way.

Here I remark that many people are desperate because they do not see any perspective of improvement of their situation. But there are many people who still have hope – even thanks to the high number of Christians who arrive from different countries to bless Israel and express their love to the people living in this land.

People in Israel are touched by the love of thousands and thousands of people from all world countries. It is a great motivation for them. Nations are praying for them and are supporting them in different ways. God did not abandon them and still has a great plan for Israel.

I love living in Israel. It is the centre of the world. All eyes are turned to this country and I believe God has a special plan for Israel and we shall still see marvellous things.