Someone You Should Know: Lana Pustovit

On our Someone You Should Know podcast, we interview Faith members to help us get to know them, see how God is working in their lives, and make new connections within our community. In this episode we get to know Lana Pustovit.

• Automated Transcription
• Caleb Effinger 0:05
  Hello, it's good to be with you, Lana. Thank you so much for being willing to have this conversation.
  
  Lana Pustovit 0:11
  Yes, you bet. Thank you for having me.
  
  Caleb Effinger 0:13
  Oh, for sure. Well, we've we've talked a little bit about this off off air, and man, you have such a fascinating story. So tell us about your hometown and your growing up.
  
  Lana Pustovit 0:30
  Hi again. My name is Lana Pustovit. I will quickly say that my full name is Svitlana. I just don't really bring it up usually. I just use the the ending of my first name, which is Lana, and it's easy, and I like the way it sounds. But yes, if you ever want to surprise me, you call you can call me Svetlana, or you can even call me Sviata.
  
  Caleb Effinger 0:53
  Sviata.
  
  Lana Pustovit 0:53
  Sviata. That is the the like the sweet version of like my name that all my Russian friends call me, so if if you see a Russian friend and they say Sviata, that's my name as well, and then Lana and Svetlana. So there you go, three names, and I answer to all. Yes. So about my hometown growing up, I do have an interesting background. I was born in a different country called Tajikistan. It's a small country in Asia, Central Asia actually. So Russia is at the top, Afghanistan is to the left of it, and China is actually to the right of it. Growing up in there, you I would have never known that China was so close because most of the country is actually very very high mountains, the highest mountains in the world, actually, and yeah, it's just covered with mountains. So there's little cities kind of between the mountains, and really no way to get places other than flying. So I was born in the capital city of Tajikistan. It's called Dushambe, and historically the country was part of the Persian Empire. Actually, even the Tajik language is a form of a Persian. Yeah, and so the Soviet reunion absorbed it and ruled it since 1924, but since 1991, when Soviet Union fell apart,
  
  Caleb Effinger 2:22
  it
  
  Lana Pustovit 2:23
  has been its own country. Actually, the country is a the main religion is Islam, so it's a Muslim country. But I have to say that I am not native to the country. I was born there. My parents were born there because their parents came to this country after World War II ended. It was like a safer place. It was fairly untouched by the war. So my parents and siblings came to United States as legal refugees based on the religious persecution in 1992 because my family is Christian, yeah. So to explain this, a civil unrest with riots and strikes started in in our city around in the 90, so 1990, and was very dangerous time for anyone that was not Muslim. I would say, like Russians specifically, because they were kind of getting really angry at Russians at that point. Even though before that it was actually a really really nice place to live in, but they wanted independence, so they were just taking it out on everyone. So it was a very dangerous place, and my parents decided to take our family of six out of the country for safety reasons because we literally saw like death, like really really bad things happen in front of our eyes and it was really dangerous. So, but you know, leaving the country, we didn't have anywhere to go. Like we didn't have family any other any like in Russia or anywhere else close by, so my parents are like, okay, where are we gonna go? And so America, it was just the border just became open, and so they're like, why don't we start life anew, afresh in America? And so they applied to for refugee status because that was the only way to come, and yeah, we were truly refugees for our faith. So, but the whole process takes like two years. I'm like, you could die by the time this is over. So they had to take us somewhere. We we literally left our house and just moved. And so they took us to Russia, and we lived in Russia for close to two years, just waiting for the period, you had to go through countless, like interviews and all kinds of things to be able to be granted the refugee status. So we finally got that, and we came to United States, actually to San Francisco, California, in January of 92. So, and my family six people, and that's four kids. I was the oldest of the four, and I have three brothers. But back to the original question: I had a good childhood, despite the fact of like going through this crazy turmoil of like fearing for our lives. Literally, before that, it was a sweet childhood because of my parents' Christian faith, strong Christian faith, our Christian church, our community. Even though there was only one Christian church in the whole capital city of Tajikistan, which was big, but that was our church, and I always felt loved and had a really really good childhood.
  
  Caleb Effinger 5:46
  Yeah, you probably grew up fast.
  
  Lana Pustovit 5:50
  Yes. Also being the oldest, I felt like I had to protect my brothers because my little brother was four when we arrived to United States, so he was like two when we had to flee, and the others were not too far,
  
  Caleb Effinger 6:05
  you know,
  
  Lana Pustovit 6:05
  ahead of him, but it it was a scary time. I definitely felt like I had to grow up fast.
  
  Caleb Effinger 6:12
  Yeah, that's wild. Okay, so then, so you're in America now, high school or higher education? What did that look like?
  
  Lana Pustovit 6:24
  So I went to Rogers High School. So yeah, we lived in San Francisco for a little bit, then moved to Hayward, and then moved to Spokane. All within like that first year. Oh, got it. So then we lived in Spokane for most of the time, and I went to Rogers High School, and then my husband and I dated. He was from Portland, Oregon area, and we dated long distance for like three and a half years, and got married right after high school. I was right after high school. We got married and we moved to Vancouver, Washington. So, and I started college there. I just went to a community college for graphic design and multimedia.
  
  Caleb Effinger 7:09
  So, you went to Vancouver, Canada,
  
  Lana Pustovit 7:13
  Washington. Washington. Yes. That is just across the river from Borland. Yes.
  
  Caleb Effinger 7:21
  Okay, so then, then yeah. Tell us about your family now. Then
  
  Lana Pustovit 7:24
  I'm married to a wonderful man, Igor Pustovit. In Russian, we pronounce it Igor, soft rolling R at the end. Igor. Anyway, he's originally from Ukraine, so he speaks Ukrainian, Russian, and English. Wow. And at home we we speak Amush. I say because it's American Russian. We don't speak Ukrainian because I don't speak Ukrainian. Anyway, so he actually moved to United States in '91. So literally a month before I moved, but you know, from different parts, different everything. We've been married for, if you can believe it, 29 years.
  
  Caleb Effinger 8:04
  Wow!
  
  Lana Pustovit 8:04
  I got married when I was 12. No, I'm just kidding. That's what people often say. They're like, "When'd you get married? I got married when I was 18. Still young, but as you said, I grew up very fast, and we were both firstborns, having moved countries. You know, helping people, our parents translate and like paperwork, all that stuff. Yeah, so we felt like we were ready. Plus, we were already dating, courting because it was long distance for three and a half years before that. Yes, so we have three beautiful daughters: Sophia, who's 25; Ella, who is 21, and is already married to Sam Kushnerchuk from our church, and we love him very much. And we have Milana, who is 15.
  
  Caleb Effinger 8:51
  Yes,
  
  Caleb Effinger 8:52
  that's sweet. Yeah, you have a precious family.
  
  Lana Pustovit 8:55
  Thank you.
  
  Caleb Effinger 8:56
  Okay, so then then talk about your career. What what was and is your career?
  
  Lana Pustovit 9:02
  Well, I was a graphic designer for 15 years. That's what I went to school for. Really enjoyed it, and then you know have kind of had kids in between in in that time, and then for the last few years, then before starting work here, I didn't work. I was a stay-at-home mom with three girls for a little bit, but I started working here at Faith Bible Church as an administrative assistant in 2017.
  
  Caleb Effinger 9:30
  Nice.
  
  Lana Pustovit 9:30
  Yeah. So next year it'll be 10 years, and I cannot believe it. It seems like a couple of years. Yes, and
  
  Caleb Effinger 9:38
  I heard they're going to throw like a huge party.
  
  Lana Pustovit 9:40
  Oh, okay. Huge party. Let's just keep that going. Let's yes. Let's plan that.
  
  Caleb Effinger 9:46
  Okay. So then, how how did you come to know Jesus?
  
  Lana Pustovit 9:51
  Well, I was born in a very devout Christian family, so I heard about God from birth. We went. Church, all the time. Like we just never missed a Sunday. It was very serious. We read the Bible, prayed as a family. So I grew up in in the faith and made it my own. I professed Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at 14, and then got baptized at 16.
  
  Caleb Effinger 10:23
  Oh wow! Yeah, and then you you had to live your faith out probably right away because of the the circumstances that you were in.
  
  Lana Pustovit 10:34
  Yes, yes, because we just had to trust God. Yeah, we just had to do it, and it felt like it was easier than people who did not believe in God, which was you know pretty much everyone else that was Russian in the city because the Christian population was so tiny because Soviet Union is anti-religious, like all religions were outlawed, even Muslim. You know, Islam was outlawed. All the religions were outlawed. So in a way, we all felt like we're kind of in the same boat of not being able to practice our religions. And but then the people, the the native people, kind of wanted to take over the country. Kind of went in shambles because you know, people wanted to bring back Islam and all of that. Which, right now at this point, it's actually doing much better. They're not radical, and their Islam is still their number one religion, but they're more open, and yeah, they're doing better. Yeah,
  
  Caleb Effinger 11:42
  good. Yeah, and you're a proof that you know trials are a good thing. Yes, you know they they make us depend on the Lord, and so you're a living proof of of you know the James you know counted all joy because you you knew that your faith was real, you know. And and sometimes in these these safe spaces, our life is so cushy that it you know it's we we haven't been tested, and so that's that's really I know it was hard, but but sweet that you probably had assurance big time
  
  Lana Pustovit 12:22
  yes yes. and so many more times after that too, where God was just so gracious and faithful, and you know us just trusting Him made it so much easier to go through life. Many other times, so I'm just so thankful that we have God and can trust Him.
  
  Caleb Effinger 12:42
  Amen, amen. Okay, so then, how did you end up at Faith Bible Church?
  
  Lana Pustovit 12:50
  So my husband and I were going to a Slavic church after we got married. We lived in Vancouver, Washington, as I said, for like four to five years, and then when Sophia was born, our firstborn, we moved back to Spokane and went to a Russian church here, Slavic church, I should say, and attended for a while, and then started having more kids, and then we noticed our kids were really not understanding the biblical Russian language, the sermons were going over their head, and we were like, "Well, we don't want to lose our kids. I know a lot of people choose to really press down on making them learn the the language, and but watching other families do that, English was their native language. There was no way around it, and I wanted them to be able to read Bible in their native language, not the language that their parents said they have to learn. And I know some people choose to do a different way, and that's fine too. This was the way we chose to do it. We decided to look for American church where also biblically grounded American church because through that time we were really really growing in faith. We were listening to sermons by MacArthur, John MacArthur, and John Piper and others like them, and we really grew in the faith. And so we started looking for churches, we started praying where God would have us go, and God kind of planted this idea to look up the master seminary online and see where the alumni are right now serving, and this was in 2008. Yes, so. this was not something naturally you would think of. So it was just like totally a God thing because we looked it up and there was like four to five people that were in Spokane from the Master Seminary, and three of them were in Faith Bible Church. So we're like, there's our answer, and so we came. Next Sunday, and it was like around Easter time in 2008, and never stopped coming since. So wow, yep,
  
  Caleb Effinger 15:07
  that's really God. Literally,
  
  Lana Pustovit 15:08
  just like this is the church to go to. Yeah,
  
  Caleb Effinger 15:12
  that's so sweet. How cool is it that we have internet to be able to look up these, you know, these things and and find our people and stuff. So that's that's really cool. Okay, so then, what is your ministry involvement?
  
  Lana Pustovit 15:28
  Because I work at the office, I kind of do a lot of. I'm involved in a lot of things. It's part of my job. Something that's near and dear to me is the women's ministry. So I help a lot with that, and events, like women's ministry events, and just other events, organizing volunteers and stuff. I'm involved in Mom Life, and we're part of Right Bowl Growth Group, which we've been there for ever since it started. Was actually Gruy's growth group at first. Okay. So and then I am also a deaconess over events here, so like that's my other ministry. Yeah.
  
  Caleb Effinger 16:13
  Wow. Well, thank you for serving in all those areas. So, Lana, what is God teaching you right
  
  Lana Pustovit 16:21
  now-that's a really great question. There's so many things, but if I had to pick something, I would say God is teaching me to relinquish control, specifically with my kids right now. So you know, I was a mom for a long time, teaching and training them. You know, because they're kids. When we're teaching and training them to be good people, how to do things, how to plan, how to think through things, all of that, and then all of a sudden, I have to stop because they're adults now. Two of them are adults, 25 and 21, and nobody teaches you how to do that well. So like, like breaks up. I shouldn't be saying things anymore. Like I, I should be okay. I need to accept them doing things the way they choose to do them, and not butt in and not tell them like, no, this is this would be better. Like I've made this mistake. I know it's better. Just do it this way. No, like sometimes they just need to make the mistake, and that's fine. And I shouldn't. I'm. I should not be complaining at all. They are just wonderful, wonderful girls, godly, and it's okay if they do things different ways. And I need to be okay with that. Nice,
  
  Caleb Effinger 17:36
  amazing, and praise God that you are you. Your eyes are open to that. There are a lot of moms and dad, parents in your situation that are completely blind to that, and it's hard for the younger generation then to talk to their parents and and whatnot about about you know some of this stuff you know because mom dad I got this. You know, seems a little bit too harsh or whatever. So, it's just really I'm I'm blessed by you just having your eyes open to that, and and I'm humbled by your teachability because you do have a lot of wisdom, and the young people need a lot of wisdom, and I consider myself young, and so I consider myself in that in that group. So we need the the older the I'll say wiser people, right? The the older wiser people. So it's just I'm refreshed by by your view on that, Lana.
  
  Lana Pustovit 18:38
  Thank you. I would say that you know I learned it here at Faith Bible Church through women's ministry, and back when I was involved in Mom Life, we had our own Bible studies for leadership team, and we went through like amazing books like Adorned or you know just women's godly living for women and like all the different stages of life, and that's where I learned that. And I now I am having to practice
  
  Caleb Effinger 19:09
  it. That's really cool. Well, well, thank you for being humble and teachable. So, so on that note, how how can we pray for you?
  
  Lana Pustovit 19:18
  Well, again, so many different ways, but I would say right now to kind to concentrate on the positive.
  
  Caleb Effinger 19:27
  The
  
  Lana Pustovit 19:28
  world is just so full of negative right now, and it's just too easy to just see the negativity and dwell on it. But I want to concentrate on the positive to see positive and everything, and to be that joy to my family and those around me, and I'm just reminded of the passage in the Philippians 4:8. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever. Commandable. If if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about those things. So that is on my heart right now.
  
  Caleb Effinger 20:12
  We will be praying for you. You always do have a smile on, so you you do emulate joy, so thank you. Keep keep doing you. Thank you, and we'll pray for you for sure.
  
  Lana Pustovit 20:29
  Thank you.
  
  Caleb Effinger 20:29
  Okay, so now is the speed round. Okay, are you ready? Yes. Drum roll. Cats or dogs?
  
  Lana Pustovit 20:42
  Small dogs. Yes.
  
  Caleb Effinger 20:44
  Pineapple on pizza?
  
  Lana Pustovit 20:46
  Yes, please.
  
  Caleb Effinger 20:48
  Lada, come on. Okay, do you have do you have pets?
  
  Lana Pustovit 20:52
  We do. We have a little tiny dog as me. She is a Morkie, which is a Yorkie and a Maltese together. So she's tiny little five-pound ball of joy. She is the most perfect dog for us. She's also hypoallergenic because we all have allergies to cats and dogs. So that's great. And then my husband actually has two fish tanks, freshwater fish tanks, and there's about 100, maybe over 100 fish in there. Is a lot.
  
  Caleb Effinger 21:20
  Favorite book besides the Bible?
  
  Lana Pustovit 21:22
  There's so many, but I would concentrate on Christian books. So anything by Nancy Lee DeMoss. One, I have to say, vulgar move. I don't know if I'm saying it right, but like things that actually impacted me. Okay. Yeah. Adorned, choosing gratitude, Lies, Women Belief. Those type of books, and I love to go through them with my daughters and friends, and it's just been good.
  
  Caleb Effinger 21:49
  Favorite band?
  
  Lana Pustovit 21:51
  I love music, and I have so many playlists. If I had to pick something, I would probably say Tommy Prophet or Shane and Shane. Oh, okay. But I do have to throw this out. My daughters and I are big fans of this band that is actually the number one band in the world right now. It's called BTS. Look it up. It's actually a K-pop group. It's actually really really fun, and I get to bond with my girls around it. So it's a win-win. It's just it's fun.
  
  Caleb Effinger 22:23
  Okay, favorite movie or TV show?
  
  Lana Pustovit 22:25
  Anything that is based on The Lord of the Rings. I like fantasy films, and yeah, I don't know. There's a lot of things, but I guess that would be it.
  
  Caleb Effinger 22:36
  Best surprise gift?
  
  Lana Pustovit 22:38
  Sophia recently gave us a trip to Hawaii for the whole family as a gift. We're yet to go, but she paid for it. We have the tickets, and we're just so excited.
  
  Caleb Effinger 22:55
  What would you do with extra time if you didn't have to sleep? I
  
  Lana Pustovit 23:00
  would spend it with my family doing some like quality time with my family. I just cannot get enough. Like when we're all together, that's my favorite. But if they were tired or busy, otherwise busy, I would be sewing and painting and drawing. I am a creative spirit through and through, so I just love creating, so that's what I've been doing.
  
  Caleb Effinger 23:23
  Artist, okay, all right. Favorite place to eat out in Spokane?
  
  Lana Pustovit 23:27
  I love again all kinds of food. I love trying new foods. There's no food that I will not try at least once. So, but something I really enjoy right now is called Sings Korean Barbecue on hot pot. It's fairly new here, but that's where you sit and you and you like fry your own really really thinly sliced meat. So they just keep bringing it. You can eat as much as you want, and it is so delicious. And I literally cannot get up off the out of the table when we're done because I'm so full, but is it's my favorite. And it's
  
  Caleb Effinger 24:06
  got the do you put the sauces? Do you dip the yes? There's all kinds of sauces, all
  
  Lana Pustovit 24:10
  kinds of meats. There's like 30 options, and you just fry them up, and all the sides. They give you all the sides for free as much as you want. Yeah, and I love like kimchi on all the pickly things, and oh man,
  
  Caleb Effinger 24:24
  I'm I'm now I'm hungry. Now I am hungry. Me too. Oh man. Well, Lana, you have a incredible story, and you've been through a lot, and it is just it is always wonderful to see your face, and you are always joyful, even though you've been through a lot. So thank you for being a great witness for for Jesus.
  
  Lana Pustovit 24:50
  Thank you, thank you for having me as well.
  
  Caleb Effinger 24:53
  Yeah.

Caleb Effinger

Caleb and his wife, Melisa, have been members at Faith since 2025 and have two daughters. Caleb hosts our Someone You Should Know podcast and has hosted his own podcast called "Strong Courageous Men".

View Resources by Caleb Effinger

Lana Pustovit

Lana is an administrative assistant in the Faith Bible Church office. She and her husband, Igor, have three daughters.

View Resources by Lana Pustovit