You know you’re in Papua New Guinea when, during the service, instead of choir singing, there are dances with drums, and instead of writing a check as an offering, someone brings a sack of coffee to the altar.
And to use the water pump, you first need to call all your neighbors so they can turn off their electric kettles.
In the evening, a friend calls and says he heard that bandits are planning to attack “Promise Land” tonight, so be careful. Of course, of course—you smile. After all, you have a (friendly) dog in your yard and a guard with a bow and arrows. By the way, the guard loves to sleep.
Some would grab a gun, most would shrug, but you open your Bible to Philippians 4:6. Bandits or not, the last thing I do before bed is spend time with the Lord. “Do not be anxious,” says the imprisoned apostle to his dear brothers and sisters in Philippi. “Do not be anxious about ANYTHING.”
My challenges differ from yours, but “do not be anxious” applies in both cases. And it’s not a suggestion—it’s a command.
May the Lord bless each of you (and us!) with His peace, which only He can give. And “peace” is not the absence of difficulties. Peace is the presence of the risen Christ, and He is with each of us, right now, as He promised.
In the local church, I help with the school. When I began participating in this ministry, I realized the challenges faced by the local children. I want to share the story of a Syrian refugee girl in Lebanon. She is a teenager, around 15 years old.
First, a little background: In Lebanon, teachers frequently go on strike, demanding better working conditions and pay. Because of this, schools often remain closed for weeks, sometimes even months. Local residents have told me that some public schools haven’t been operational for several months.
This situation led the Arab church to open a free school, though it currently only has five grades. The girl I mentioned started attending this Christian school, even though she has long outgrown the fifth-grade level. It’s the only opportunity for her to receive assignments. As there are no other prospects, she has remained in the fifth grade multiple times. It’s better than doing nothing at all.
Children facing similar issues often end up working as porters in stores or scavenging for plastic in garbage dumps. Thanks to the lessons at this school, they have the chance to learn to read and write, and also to hear the truth about Jesus. I am grateful to God for the opportunity to be a part of this ministry.
Our most joyous news is the successful discharge of Artemiy from the hospital. We have been accompanying him for two years while he was undergoing treatment at the oncology center for leukemia. We faced various stages in his treatment. There was a time when his mother asked me to pray for his healing. The boy was so weak that he couldn’t even get out of bed. This week, he was discharged home and is now in remission!
Artemiy had a dream of owning a bicycle and riding it himself. We bought him a bicycle, and he is thrilled. Now, we will continue our friendship by bringing him and his mother to Sunday services.
Recently, a woman contacted me, saying that the head of the neurology department had given her my phone number. Her daughter, Nadya, is in a severe condition, experiencing epileptic seizures every five minutes, and the doctors cannot determine the cause as all tests are normal. Nadya’s mother said, “I believe if you pray for her, my child will be healed.” Nadya would freeze with open eyes, and her body would convulse. I prayed with her mother, who decided to change her life and ask for God’s forgiveness, and then I prayed with the girl. Two days later, Nadya’s mother informed me that the seizures and convulsions stopped after I left.
Brothers and sisters, I haven’t been this happy in a long time. I experienced immense God’s grace. Praise the Lord that we can be helpful and work together in this ministry. Thank you for your prayers and support!
Grace and peace be multiplied to you. I hasten to inform you about a great need that I recently encountered while visiting the House of Mercy “Bethesda”. The situation there requires urgent assistance, which social structures are ready to provide. From our side, we need to show these structures suitable living spaces. Currently, 25 people reside in the house, out of which 15 are disabled (missing limbs or paralyzed).
Recently, a social commission visited the House of Mercy and concluded that the house is suitable for accommodating 10 people. The question arises: what should we do with the remaining 15 people? These individuals have nowhere else to go; we found them all living on the streets.
The commission has given us two months to prepare additional accommodations that meet living standards for these individuals. Therefore, with all our heart and soul, we appeal to you for help in renovating these additional spaces. We need approximately $2000 for building materials and room equipment. Previously, we collected funds from churches and used them to install new electrical wiring and fire alarms.
The House of Mercy regularly hosts Bible lessons, where the Word of God is sown, people turn to Jesus, and find answers. Praise God, the community is growing, and people from the village where the house is located have been attending gatherings continuously for the past 7 years.
Dear friends, brothers, and sisters, we continually thank the Lord Jesus Christ for your labor of love in the work of evangelism and mercy at New Fields, spreading the Gospel everywhere.
During our trip on the Trekol to Sedanka, people invited us into their homes and asked us to visit their settlement if we passed through. True to their word, on our next trip on snowmobiles, all those who had invited us eagerly welcomed us into their homes and apartments!
Following the indigenous festival of Beringia — sled dog races, a small group of us, consisting of four young brothers, set out on a snowmobile trip. We covered approximately 500 km, visiting villages with the same volunteer activities program. We already had requests for assistance registered beforehand. We also brought a lot of literature, which was distributed to the local residents. While some of the brothers were busy with work, others distributed literature.
We visited four settlements: Sedanka, where we were on the Trekol, Kovran, Khairuzovo, and Ust-Khairuzovo. We performed various tasks, from chopping wood to electrical work. Everyone treated us respectfully and expressed deep gratitude for our timely assistance. We exchanged contacts, sang songs with those we helped, and simply conversed, explaining to people what motivates us to do such good deeds.
The Church in Palana thanks everyone who supported the ministry and missionary trips of our team to the remote settlements of the peninsula!
I am very grateful for your prayers, which are desperately needed during this terrible time. In the photo, you see our brother Ruslan, a young man who came to believe in God at our refugee shelter. He was baptized, and we witnessed his active spiritual growth with great joy. Afterward, he became a soldier. This week, we received the heartbreaking news that Ruslan has died. It is incredibly painful to realize that so many young people are losing their lives in the war.
As a pastor, I am also facing a new challenge: a significant number of young people are experiencing severe psychological issues. These include the fear of war, the fear of dying, anxiety, and depression. I ask you to pray for wisdom so that we can help those who are deeply suffering emotionally.
I also want to share some joy with you. I am working on a discipleship book for the elderly. This book is special because each chapter will include a link to a sermon on the topic covered. I was searching for someone with great authority, experience, knowledge, and renown, whose insights could help readers better understand God. I found such a person and had an amazing interview. It is Grigory Komendant. I am very excited to present his thoughts to all Christians in Ukraine!
