Facing a Giant: Triumph of Faith over Evil

Have you ever stood eye-to-eye with a problem bigger than your ability to solve it? 
Virginia Prodan, a Romanian attorney, did just that as she stood before a giant with a gun who was sent by a dictator to murder her.
Her memoir, "Saving My Assassin," is a riveting account of her life under communist Romania, and a remarkabler story of faith, obedience and God's provision.
Host Helen Todd talks to Virginia about her transformation from a disenchanted lawyer to a fervent believer willing to suffer persecution for her faith, including the harrowing tale of an assassin sent to end her life. Through divine intervention, this very assassin's life took an unexpected turn—culminating in redemption and a shared mission in Christ. Virginia's journey serves as an inspiration to anyone facing adversity, persecution or struggling to stand firm in their convictions.
Order your autographed copy(s) of Saving MyAssassin by Virginia Prodan - directly here: https://virginiaprodanbooks.com/product/book/
Book Virginia Prodan to speak at your events -: https://virginiaprodanbooks.com/invite-virginia/ Follow Virginia Prodan on: Twitter : https://twitter.com/VirginiaProdan FB: https://www.facebook.com/virginia.prodan.1 LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginia-prodan-0244581b/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virginiaprodan/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/VirginiaProd Courageous Leadership with Virginia Prodan Podcast - On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7kHPeoAgbkAHCg2C6RApEZ 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Limitless Spirit, a weekly podcast with host Helen Todd, where she interviews guests about pursuing spiritual growth, discovering life's purpose through serving others and developing a deeper faith in Christ.

Speaker 2: 0:15

Thank you for joining this episode of the Limitless Spirit. I'm your host, helen Todd. I have a very special guest in the studio today. Her story reminds me of a plot of a Hollywood thriller. Attorney Virginia Perdon captured her incredible testimony in her book Saving my Assassin, and I felt this interview will be a tremendous blessing to you in a week before we celebrate the wonderful miracle of Christ's resurrection. If you're going through a trial that is bigger than you, or perhaps you're questioning whether you're worthy of the call that God has on your life, this interview contains wonderful glimpses of this great and loving God working on behalf of those who put their trust in Him. Virginia, welcome to the Limitless Spirit podcast. How are you today?

Speaker 3: 1:09

I am doing fine. Thank you so very much, Helen, for having me on your podcast.

Speaker 2: 1:14

Well, this is interesting how this interview came about. So a couple of months ago, a good friend of mine who lives in the state of Georgia sent me your book as a gift and with a note Helen, you just absolutely must read this book and I think he, knowing that I grew up in the Soviet Union myself and I can somewhat relate to the situation where you grew up, he thought it would be very interesting for me. And he was absolutely right. And I was so fascinated and then I thought my goodness, I have to have this brave woman on my podcast. So thank you for agreeing to do this interview. I know you're very busy, but I think our listeners will definitely benefit from hearing from you.

Speaker 3: 2:08

So thank you so very much. I appreciate the fact that you read my book. You're referring to my memoir Saving my Assassin. It was published by Tyndale House Publisher and I hope that your audience will go and buy the book and read. You can find the book at virginiaprodanbookscom slash product, slash book. And, like Helen said, I know this book is going to change your life because it will encourage you to trust God even more in your life.

Speaker 2: 2:44

I have no doubt, because it almost sounds like it belongs in Hollywood. I'm sure maybe someday someone will make a movie out of this, but you know, for people our interview is not a video interview. For people who don't encounter you personally in life, they need to know, in light of the story, that you're just five feet tall, you're a petite lady and yet, you know, your story makes me think of David short stature, and yet God used him to first confront Goliath as the launch of his career as a king, and so I feel like you're the female version of David, as we find out later in the conversation.

Speaker 3: 3:39

You're right about this, because one of the things and how I encourage people is you write about this, because one of the things and how I encourage people is it's easier for them to be encouraged when they see me on the five feet tall, because I explain to them that God can use each one of us. Yes, it's a story of David and Goliath, but for every Goliath in our lives, in our circumstances, god created David and I was a David in my life, in the life of you know, people in Romania and here in the United States confronting Goliath like a dictator, or here in America, you know, confronting Goliath we have to confront every single day and that's the story. Yes, you will find out that in your situation and reading this book Saving Masses, and you realize that it's nothing about me. If you meet me, yes, indeed, you will see that I am under five feet tall, but everything is about the huge God that is in me and can be in you too and can use you for his glory.

Speaker 2: 4:56

This is so true. So let's give our listeners a little snapshot of what was life like in Romania under Ceausescu's regime.

Speaker 3: 5:09

Well, dictator Ceausescu was cruel, a very manipulative dictator who lied to everyone, especially to the Western civilization. I was the one that God used me for his glory to expose the dictator. But the story starts a long time ago, when I was maybe six years old and I heard my parents being politically correct outside and it said that now I don't have to tell Americans what being politically correct means. They all know. And they were politically correct in giving up the rights that the government asked them to give up. But I also noticed that inside of home they were whispering how horrible the government was and how the government will take more rights tomorrow from them.

Speaker 3: 6:07

And as a young kid I was terrified. I realized that the government can do everything that they want, anything that they want with me. My parents are too fearful to protect me. I said I don't belong to anyone. But in the same time that was the insecurity that I developed. But in the same time, on the other hand, I noticed that a fire started to burn in me to find out why the adults are fearful and how to speak up for the truth and stand up for the truth. There was something at that time, maybe as a little kid, I thought that was my desire, but later on I found out there was a God desire that was in my heart, and God puts those desires in each one of us. If you stop and look around and you say to yourself, oh, this is not right, this is not supposed to be that way. Well, pay attention. That might be your job, that might be something that God put on your heart.

Speaker 2: 7:14

So it's interesting, then, that you chose the career in law in your search for truth. In your search for truth, were you naive? Did you think that you really would be able to find truth practicing law in a dictatorship?

Speaker 3: 7:38

Yes, because I had lawyers in my family and we had similar union and I noticed that they knew the truth, because people ask questions and they have the answer, but they were not courageous to speak up outside of the home, just whispering.

Speaker 3: 7:48

So that's what I thought and I want your audience to read the book Saving my Assassin, my memoir, because it will tell them not only my journey but also it will tell them under socialists, that you do not choose your profession.

Speaker 3: 8:11

At that time I did not know. I did not know that the government, in order for me to be allowed to go to law school, will look in my file that they have for me and will decide if I will be allowed or not. And I will share with you just three questions they were looking for. They were looking to see if my parents organized a revolt against the government, if my parents were reported by their own children that my parents did or said something bad about the government in the house, or if my parents were Christians. So because I was clear those questions, they allowed me to go to law school and they were very happy that I was not a Christian, because Christians were not allowed to be lawyers in socialist and not only in Romania but everywhere. So for that reason, but it was God's way for me to allow me to go to law school to learn law and, you know, to protect Christians and human rights cases.

Speaker 2: 9:21

So what was your view of God as you were growing up?

Speaker 3: 9:26

Well, I didn't know anything about God. I didn't know anything about Jesus Christ or anything. In fact, after I graduated from law school and when you graduate from law school in a socialist country, you don't decide where you go and work, the government decides don't decide where you go and work, the government decides. So I will let your readers to read about that because I believe it's important. But after I graduated from law school, I started to practice law where the government sent me and for maybe a year and a half or two years, I was very hopeful, going to every day to the courthouse, thinking that I will find the truth and I will speak up for the truth. And one day I was so discouraged I came to my law office ready to give up, but God had other plans, as I was sharing with my assistant that I can find the truth and I think I will give up. I don't want to be a lawyer anymore. She gave me two files and told me that a client is in my office and wants to talk with me, and I went inside of my office and the client was there. Indeed, I have been working with him for more than a year and every time I talk with him or he visited me.

Speaker 3: 10:50

I thought that this man was crazy because in a land of hopelessness, he had hope, he had joy, he had confidence. But I never had time to talk with him about this. I was thinking that I need to fix him. But that day, as I was ready to give up and I was facing him full of joy, full of confidence and peace, I remember saying I wish I had in my life what you had in my life, what you had in your life.

Speaker 3: 11:22

And he invited me to his church my life, what you had in your life. And he invited me to his church. And I went to his church and there I heard the pastor opening the Bible and saying Jesus Christ said I am the truth, the way and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except to me. And finally I realized that I was looking for truth in the law books, that the truth is Jesus Christ and that they accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. And I understood that Christ put on my heart the desire to find him and the desire to go to law school and defend Christians, because shortly after that lots of people came and asked me to defend them. Christians and human rights cases.

Speaker 2: 12:06

So from my understanding, you know that at that point your double life started, because you can't be loyal to a communist regime, or in particular a dictatorship, and loyal to God at the same time. So you are naturally, by accepting Christ into your life, under those circumstances you are drawn into living a double life, and that has to be Very difficult internally, but in your case it also deeply impacted even your safety, because you can't keep secrets in dictatorship. I'm sure they found out eventually that you gave.

Speaker 3: 12:47

I was followed by the secret police, the government security guards. I was arrested, tortured and placed under house arrest, and for me it wasn't living a double life. When you accept Christ, you accept him as your Lord and Savior, you are fully devoted to him. He gives you everything that you need. The Holy Spirit is in you. That's the way it. Devoted to him, he gives you everything that you need. The Holy Spirit is in you. That's the way it was to me.

Speaker 3: 13:22

And I realized that the government wanted me to worship the government. In fact, the dictator declared himself a god and asked everyone to worship him and ask everyone to worship him. And I realized that you cannot serve God and worship dictator in the same time. But God gave me the power to worship him, to honor him and to help his children. Yes, there is a price to pay when you stand up against a dictator and his army, but God is giving you the power and the wisdom and the Holy Spirit that will walk with you.

Speaker 3: 14:08

You can read in my book Saving my Assassin. God put on my side angels. What I call angels is people from outside of Romania. I know to me at that time Voice of America, free Europe, magazines and television programs will speak about what I was doing. That was God's way to protect me. Congressmen like Christopher Smith and Frank Wolf will come to Romania and talk with me about my cases. Secretary of State of the United States will come and talk with me about my cases and then go to dictator and talk with him. That was God's way of protecting me and also to expose, because by doing that, united States Department of State's human rights violation publicized my cases. United Nations reports on human rights violation publicized my cases.

Speaker 3: 15:10

Again, I have done anything. There was God's way to protect me. But that's how God works and how God worked in my life. Yes, I was able to see when I was in Romania. You know guards and secret police following me, threats from the government and so forth I was not aware of. You know things outside of the Berlin Wall, but that's the way God works and she protected me. And she protected me for a reason that now I can speak up and speak. All over the United States People invite me to speak at their groups and their events and encourage people to stand up, because the evil one has maybe power for a limited time, as the dictator had a power for a limited time, but my life and dictator's life was in God's hands and dictator is dead for 35 years and I'm alive for 35 years sharing all over the world the power of God and how people need to stand up for Christ, even under persecution.

Speaker 2: 16:28

Well, and then your story took an unexpected turn, where the enemy really meant to take you out by sending an assassin into your office. And of course your book is about the greatest twist in that story. Of what the enemy meant for evil, god meant for good, and I think that this and of course you know this is an encouragement for all of us. When we face these circumstances that are beyond our control, god has a plan and he doesn't allow us to suffer anything more than we can handle, not on our own strength, but through Him and with Him.

Speaker 3: 17:18

That is so true. It's an encouragement for everyone because, first of all, the dictator believed that he created the perfect plan, but God is the one who was in charge of his life and my life. And also, god created a plan and expressed in an absolutely amazing way his love, not only to me but to my assassin. I would be a fool to tell people that when my assassin came to my office, I was ready and prepared. No, everything was done according to God's will and step by step. Like I said, the dictator sent a new client to my office and because they had microphones all over my office and in my home, they knew about my whereabouts. So he came really late, almost at the end of the day, and my assistant just had time to my face and started to scream saying I am not your client, I'm here to kill you. We did everything that was possible to stop you, but you don't want to stop. So I am here to kill you and because I will kill you, I will be number one in dictators.

Speaker 3: 18:57

In President Ray, you can imagine that I was. He was six, 10 feet tall, with a gun in my face. I was, and I still am, under five feet tall, 82 pounds. There was no way to escape him. So I was shaking all over my body. I assumed my face was red. I heard my heart in my ear. I thought that I would die and it was lots of noise inside of me and noise outside from him screaming. But all this noise inside and outside of me, I heard the Lord's voice saying share the gospel. And I shared the gospel with him. And as I shared the gospel with him, he put the gun down on the table. His shoulders relaxed, he nodded several times and at the end he accepted Christ. He left my office as a brother in Christ, even though he said it's my job to come to your church as a spy, but you know that I am your brother in Christ. I can't tell you how long I remained in that chair until I finally started to pinch myself and say I'm alive, I'm not dead. But the story doesn't end there. You know, shortly after I don't know six months or more after this event, president Reagan found out from American embassy, who was visiting me and talking with me about the entire situation, found out about my assassin, and President Reagan was ready to take the most favored national statues from Romania and from the dictator, who used the benefits of the most favored national statues to build for himself a palace and put us under starvation because he was afraid, president Reagan. He was afraid that the dictator will create another plane and will kill me. President Ronald Reagan, he got the phone and called the dictator and said I will give you the most favored national status for one more year with one condition that you let Virginia and her family to come to the United States today. The dictator said. President Reagan was afraid that I'm going to die soon. The dictator said deal, but I will let her leave Romania in one month. You will find out from the book that the dictator created another plan to kill me, but God did not allow him.

Speaker 3: 21:47

So I came to United States of America. I knew five languages, but not one word in English. The dictator confiscated everything. So I came empty-handed. Everything. So I came empty-handed. I didn't have friends, money, nothing absolutely. And I had with me two girls and I was pregnant with my son. We came together with my husband who later, and shortly after we came to America in freedom, he abandoned us and I found myself in a foreign country, no money, no friends, no nothing to take care of three kids but with God's help I managed and I learned English, not fast as my kids.

Speaker 3: 22:37

I went back to law school, this time at SNU Law School in Dallas, texas. I opened my law firm. I wrote my book Saving my Assassin and I speak all over the world. Like I said, you can find the book at virginiaprodonbookscom. Slash product slash book. I go and speak in many places.

Speaker 3: 22:59

I raised three kids. My first daughter graduated from SNU, like me. My second daughter from Harvard Law School and my son from United States Air Force Academy. Because this is the best country in the world. With God's help, you can rebuild your life. And it's time for all of us to stand up for against the spread of socialists in America, because this country is the best country in the world. Socialists is not for America. Socialists will destroy America and will in the hands of government or a dictator, because a socialist leader becomes a dictator with full power, full possibility to control our lives. But it's time for us to stand up for what is right in America. For us to stand up for what is right in America and as I was able to do and God used me to change Romania from a communist, socialist country into a democratic country. God can use each one of us to keep America free and to keep America as a capitalist country and not a socialist country.

Speaker 2: 24:25

Amen to that, Virginia, I have to ask do you know what happened to your assassin?

Speaker 3: 24:32

My assassin 20 years or 10 years, something like this in between 10,. The book explains that I was in my office in Dallas, texas, and I was coming in my office and my assistant told me there is a client in your office and it's a new client. So I went in my office and I listened to my client and he explained his case and I was thinking this is a good case, I can take it. And when he finished explaining his case he looked at me straight and said Virginia, don't you recognize me? And I was thinking who is this man? And I said no, and he showed me his Securitate ID and I realized I was in front of my assassin and I assume because I was reliving for a few minutes that moment in Romania. I mean, my face was red, I was shaking.

Speaker 3: 25:32

He immediately he started to talk about what God is doing in his life and I'll share one secret he is a pastor now. I'll share one secret he is a pastor now and I share with him what God is doing in my life. And I say that I'm writing my memoir. And he asked me to let him write a chapter in my book and today you can read not only my story and my walk with God, but also you can read his chapter and it's a wonderful opportunity to share with others, because in his chapter he explains how the socialists captured him with free, free, free stuff and as a young person he believed, and how the socialist government made him a monster who would go in people's houses and place, prepared, you know, incriminating documents or would go and kill people, as the government ordered him, in order to keep his job or go to a higher rank and so forth. But he also explained how God redeemed him and how God changed his life.

Speaker 3: 26:50

So it's a wonderful opportunity for each one of us and I hope for your audience to understand that we all have a job and a purpose in this life. Understand that we all have a job and a purpose in this life, and even the people that are not liking us or mocking us so far in America, that is not yet persecution. It's just a mocking, it's just trying to isolate us. But if we don't resist that, if we don't stand up for truth, persecution will come. That if we don't stand up for truth, persecution will come. But God can use us, even in the life of these people that don't agree with us, to show them the love of the Lord Christ, and I'm not asking anyone to put themselves in a hurtful way. The Holy Spirit can show you, each one of us, what God wants you to do in different situations. I want to say God created us for a job that is higher than we can imagine. Maybe time for us to stop lowering our level and start arguing with people. Let Christ's powers win them, win their soul.

Speaker 2: 28:15

You know, a lot of my listeners are people who love the Great Commission. Our organization, world Missions Alliance, is all about taking the Great Commission. Our organization, world Missions Alliance, is all about taking the Great Commission to the nations, and I think that your story is an inspiration to those of us who love to share the gospel, that it doesn't stop with just people who like us or people who are likable, you know, but the Word of God is so powerful that it has the ability even to stop the person who is there to kill you, and so that is an incredible and inspiring message. Our slogan is change lives, change lives, and it's incredible to hear that your assassin, whose life was changed at a very crucial moment in his life, is now a pastor and is changing lives of others. This is what the Great Commission is all about. Well, thank you so much for this interview.

Speaker 3: 29:15

I want to add just one thing. I want your audience to remember that my story is God's stories in my life. He is the hero of my life. I am not the hero. He wrote his story in my life long before I scribe it into my memoir. And God wants to write his story in your audience life, if they will allow him to do it.

Speaker 2: 29:45

This is beautiful. I am going to post the links to your book because I'm sure that after listening to this interview, many of them will want to purchase this book and read it. I'm also encouraging our listeners to follow you on social media. Virginia is on Facebook, instagram, former Twitter. She has her own podcast, courageous Leadership, with Virginia Perdon, and it's available on all the platforms podcast platforms and I will post a link to that also in our show notes. But thank you, virginia, not only for recording your story, but also for encouraging us to value the freedoms that we have in this country, and not only to value them, but be very active in protecting and defending them. Because I agree with you, having lived in a communist, socialist country myself and my youth America is the best country in the world and it still is the country that is sending the most missionaries into the nations to proclaim the gospel, and we must cherish that and we must protect that, and I think that your story is definitely a great inspiration for that. Thank you.

Speaker 3: 31:08

Well, Helen, thank you so very much for having me on your podcast and thank you so very much for your own podcast, for this podcast, for the platform and for the work that you are doing for God's kingdom and for the work that you are doing for God's kingdom, Because each one of us, we are just a puzzle in a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ to the world. So thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my story and encourage your audience. I value very much your work.

Speaker 2: 31:40

Only through the power of the Holy Spirit a five-foot woman could stand against the giant who tried to kill her, and only through the power of the Word of God was she able to turn his heart from that of a murderer into a follower of Christ. Please check the show notes to find the link to Virginia Proudhon's extraordinary book Saving my Assassin, and follow her on social media accounts just to keep in touch with this extraordinary woman. What an incredible privilege it is to be called by Christ into a divine partnership, to go into all the world and make disciples, to proclaim the good news to the brokenhearted, to capture the hearts of the lost. We don't have to be qualified. He qualifies those he calls. This podcast is produced by World Missions Alliance, and our passion is to help you fulfill this call to divine partnership. If your life has been changed by Christ, visit our website, rfwmaorg, to find out how you can help others change theirs. Until next time, I'm Helen Todd, and happy Resurrection Sunday to you time, I'm Helen Todd, and happy Resurrection Sunday to you.

Speaker 1: 33:25

This transformation, christ called his followers to make disciples across the world. World Missions Alliance gives you an opportunity to do this through short-term missions in over 32 countries across the globe. If you want to help those who are hurting and hopeless and discover your greater purpose in serving, check out our website rfwmaorg and find out how to get involved.