175: Andre the Deliverer Tells his Conversion Story and Talks about Self-Reliance

On February 24, 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine in an attempt to take over the country, but for the past three and a half months, Ukrainians have fought back in a David and Goliath effort to stand their ground and preserve their beloved country. Right when the war started, I discovered on Instagram, and became friends with, a Ukrainian man named Andre Zinkovsky who was sharing about his testimony of food storage and how he was prepared to deal with the war because his church leaders had instructed him to have a supply on-hand of food and cash and to be self-reliant. Andre started just by serving his neighbors but quickly ended up turning his once profitable food delivery business into a full-blown charitable effort to feed those who were left behind in his hometown of Kharkov Ukraine with food, hygiene, and medical supplies for the past several months. We've been able to take a small part in this by gathering donations and sending them to Andre weekly, and in the process, he has become a dear friend to us. Andre does weekly live reporting sessions on Instagram where he reports on the hundreds if not thousands of people he's fed each week, and then takes questions, and each week he's inevitably asked to share his conversion story to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has also faced some really challenging conversations with the people he's been serving for the past few months about whether they truly NEED the food he's delivering or if they're able to be self-reliant at this point in the war. So today we got to talk all about both of these things. Andre's pure testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ is so touching and this was such a blessing to me to hear him tell the full story, and I know it will be to anyone else who listens to it too.   This week’s episode is brought to you by Aura Frames. From now until Father’s Day you can save on the perfect gift and visit auraframes.com. Last year Aura completely sold out for Father’s Day, so don’t wait! Listeners can use code mintarrow and get up to $20 off while supplies last. Terms and conditions apply.   Time Stamps: [01:45] - Andre Polonski is back for another episode. What changed since the last time we talked? [03:52] - Andre’s past experiences are all being used in his current mission. It’s as if God prepared him for this. [06:16] - What inspired Andre to deliver food to others? [08:58] - What is self-reliance, as taught by the church? [11:42] - Andre’s understanding of what it’s like to be “in need” helps him encourage others to be more proactive. People are more capable than they think. [14:39] - Self-reliance gives hope and assurance that you can persevere. [16:15] - Corrine and Andre talk about the self-reliance courses. What are their thoughts? [18:37] - Andre shares a story about missionaries helping his sick mom. PART 1 [21:33] - Andre shares a story about missionaries helping his sick mom. PART 2 [23:34] - Andre talks about how his life changed after joining the church. [27:02] - What would Andre do instead if he was not in his current profession? [28:41] - Andre gives a sweet update about his mom and gives his tips for staying grounded during hard times. [31:01] - Andre shares tips for staying positive and opens up about his relationship with his father. [33:57] - Andre explores how he feels towards marriage. [36:56] - What does Andre imagine doing after the war? [39:24] - We live in an uncertain world, so be kind to each other. [41:44] - Use everyday to share appreciation with your loved ones.   Supporting Resources: Andre’s Instagram @andrepolonski