Cambodia is a country of abandoned children. Children live with their grandmothers, in Buddhist monasteries, or even on the streets. Many organizations, seeing this trend, began opening shelters. Most of the children eventually become Christians.
Currently, we have 20 Khmer children living with us full-time, and another 2 children come during the day. In total, we care for 22 children entirely, and an additional 8 children come to eat with us three times a day.
This year, we began organizing a church on the grounds of our shelter. Right now, 11 people attend Sunday services — mostly neighbors and children from our shelter. Many villagers are afraid to come for several reasons. Some say Christianity is a “white man’s religion,” and that “we already have Buddhism.”
People who start attending often face misunderstanding from their relatives and neighbors. They are considered traitors of the ancestral faith! Devout Buddhists believe that converting to Christianity is like transferring from university back to second grade of elementary school.
Only the power of the Holy Spirit can change this mindset, so please pray for the growth of our church in this village.
For eighteen years, a son fervently prayed that his parents would come to know the love of Jesus. His father, a doctor, was displeased when the son chose to follow Jesus. But the son continued to hope that they too would believe and be baptized. And finally — they did.
The parents began to share their testimony with our church, when suddenly a heavy rain and thunderstorm broke out, making it difficult to hear them. The baptismal pool had to be moved indoors. The couple entered the water and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ! It was a very solemn moment. Their son stood beside them, overwhelmed with joy. God not only answered his prayer but also tested and strengthened their faith during the storm.
That day became a testimony of hope for the children in our church who are still praying for their parents and grandparents to come to Christ. It reminded us all: God hears. God answers. And His timing is perfect. What a great God we serve!
By God’s grace, we will visit our family and church in the U.S. in August and September 2025. If you would like to learn more about the ministry in Thailand and invite us to your church, we would be happy to share what God is doing in this country.
A team of three brothers came to visit us, with whom we had planned the ministry in advance. One of them had already visited us before, and that was a great blessing for us! The brothers prepared thoroughly for the ministry, and the Lord blessed us abundantly.
We visited the 12 families under our care, to whom we distribute food and teach the Word of the Lord. With the help of the brothers, we also gained new opportunities and methods for ministry! We held a baptism in joyful fellowship with the Russian-speaking church. We blessed a newborn boy named Li in a Raglai family. In that same family, we also helped build a toilet.
Wherever we went, the Lord was with us and blessed us. There are many people here who cannot read, and the brothers brought audio Bibles, which we distributed with prayer. We held a children’s program in the tribe, which gathered about 50 kids. There were sports games and Bible lessons, and we blessed each child with treats. It was a wonderful time of sowing God’s Word.
Beloved, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and souls for your labor of love in the Lord’s work. Together we can do much. I sincerely ask you to support my wife Irina in prayer — she will soon undergo surgery.
Four hours in a motorboat under the 40-degree sun — not a cloud in the sky, and my skin is instantly frying despite an absurd amount of sunscreen. For the hundredth time, I adjust the cap on Miroslava, while Matvey quietly munches on an octopus. And where’s Zhenya? Where else — of course, he’s preaching to the boat’s helmsman.
Our life is a whirlwind! And the ability not only to survive the mission field but to enjoy it — that’s one of the key skills in a missionary’s life. Because “ministry” doesn’t end on Sunday afternoon, nor is it limited to “three points” and a call to repentance.
This month, we decided to take a (so-called) vacation — since the kids had a two-week Easter break. But the “vacation” unexpectedly turned into a full-scale evangelistic outreach, with many salvations and the revival of a traditional Lutheran community in the island town of Finschhafen.
“You will be My witnesses” goes far beyond a carefully crafted sermon. Worship is more than just a song, and evangelism is the willingness to preach at any moment!
On March 22 and 23, 2025, by God’s grace, a missionary team from Moldova held an evangelistic outreach in Istanbul. This city, connecting East and West, became a place where the Word of God was proclaimed in both Russian and Turkish. People who had previously been far from faith crossed the threshold of the House of Prayer for the first time. In their eyes were excitement, curiosity, and most importantly — a thirst for truth.
The Lord also honored us with a great privilege — to hold the ordination of a pastor called by God to serve the Church among the peoples of Turkey. It was a touching and momentous occasion — prayer, tears, the laying on of hands, and the deep sense that the Lord is establishing His Church in this land.
Our team consisted of 10 people — ministers, translators, all filled with a spirit of mission and a desire to be useful in building the Kingdom of God. This was not just a trip — it was an investment in eternity, a sowing that will surely bear fruit.
Thanks to your generous support, all major expenses for tickets, accommodation, and meals were covered. Thank you. Scripture teaches: “Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
We had an interesting trip to the Artyn orphanage, and it stood out to me especially because I spent time with a new boy named Egor. He is 13 years old. His mother died, and his father is in prison. Egor used to do sports and had success in mixed martial arts. His foster family sent him to a psychiatric hospital, and from there he was brought to the orphanage.
He told me his story: his foster father humiliated and beat him, and Egor couldn’t take it anymore — he fought back and nearly killed him. People think the teenager is a thug and mentally ill, but when I became friends with him, I saw a little boy who lost his beloved mom and doesn’t know how to take care of his two younger sisters and little brother.
I want to take him home for the summer and give him protection and love.
We are also going through a special season ministering to children with cancer. Their numbers have grown — but so has our team. We have a special concern for a little girl named Anya. She is five years old, undergoing hormone therapy, and being prepared for a bone marrow transplant. They came to us from Ranga. Her mother is emotionally overwhelmed, and they have no money! We want to help them. Right now, they need help with housing rent and airfare to the clinic where the transplant will take place.
Thank you, dear friends, for carrying this ministry with us. Together we can do more for Christ! May God bless you!
