Victor Sinadinoski

In the Footsteps of Demetrius Vishanoff Victor Sinadinoski

Demetrius Vishanoff, the son of a Macedonian nobleman, was forced to leave his home and country after converting to Protestantism. With the help of American missionaries in Macedonia, he arrived to America in the 1880s and proceeded to finance his twelve years of education by telling the story of his conversion. Vishanoff desired to return to his native Macedonia to practice homeopathic medicine and spread the message of Christ among his people, but he never made it back. He remained in America until his death, recounting his Macedonian story to tens of thousands of eager listeners in over 100 cities and a dozen states. Vishanoff's story is not only inspiring and informative, but it confirms that the Macedonian identity is separate from all other Balkan identities and is not a modern creation. Vishanoff insisted he was a Macedonian who spoke the Macedonian language and even claimed he was a descendant of Alexander the Great. In Vishanoff's life story, we can all find hope and encouragement in an age where intolerance and misinformation have a stronghold on the minds and hearts of many.