Two decades ago, Gocha Chachanidze and Tamara Gagnidze were a long way from Australia, and a long way from God.

Born and raised in the Soviet state of Georgia, Gocha was ‘a young, devoted communist’ in an atheistic society. Today they are both committed Christians, living in Sydney as Australian citizens.

But after being persecuted and fleeing from their homeland, their struggle is not over. Gocha, 38, and Tamara, 35, now long to be reunited with members of their former church, most of who have ended up as refugees scattered around the world.

Their own spiritual journey began during the mid-80s, when a Christian lecturer at University challenged them to investigate Christianity for themselves.  “I felt like I was getting life out of those lectures I heard under God’s word,” Tamara says.

Gocha and Tamara married in 1988, but the church they had joined was the target of violence, despite communism’s waning power. “People were free, but there was a nationalistic movement based on Orthodox ideas. They were persecuting evangelical Christianity,” Gocha says.

Together with other members of their church, the couple sought refuge in neighbouring Turkey,  where they spent two difficult years before being accepted as refugees to Australia in 1992.

Having left his homeland in the search for spiritual truth, Gocha eventually became a Christian in 1995 during a visit to Turkey. As he shared his experience with his wife, she too committed her life to Christ. “Before that we had called ourselves Christians,” Gocha says. “But to accept Christ is something else.”

Coming to Australia has meant many sacrifices. But one of the greatest has been losing touch with most of the people who fled Georgia with them in 1990.
When they left for Australia, many of their friends were forced to remain in Turkey. However, after a number of twists and turns their compatriots were finally accepted as refugees in Canada.

Gocha and Tamara now share a home with nine others, mostly those who left Georgia together. But their goal is for the whole group to be reunited in Australia, and hope to find legal advice or other assistance from the Christian community.

They admit that, with the government’s immigration policy driven by economic concerns, the likelihood of a reunion many be slim. But Gocha says their own perspective is very different. “Our motivation is love. We wish to finally unite as one and have the chance to build a Georgian Evangelical church, so we can glorify God’s name.”

If you can help please call Gocha on 0419 410 973.