It has been more than 10 years since God led us to Thailand. Reflecting on this journey, I have learned several profound lessons. Missionary work is a long-term ministry, where short-term contributions from each one of us wield significant influence in bringing people closer to Christ. Whether engaged in construction, playing with children, offering haircuts, teaching financial principles, sharing Bible stories, or simply visiting homes – each of these small acts can be used by God for His great purposes. The little girl you played with and sang songs to, the boys who seemed disinterested during your English lessons – today, they stand as leaders in children’s and worship ministries within the Church and among their peers!
Last month, alongside our brothers, we had the privilege of visiting our Avoda projects in other locations. Among them were our children from Myanmar, where we conducted children’s programs and taught English many years ago. Familiar faces abounded! A teenage girl approached me with joy and said, “I am so happy today that I can come to church. Yesterday I was sick and very sad that I couldn’t help in the ministry. I prayed, and I feel much better! I am glad to be here and teach children about God!” This girl comes from a strong Muslim family, sharing, “My brother and I are ‘secret believers’; our parents still don’t know that we come to church and do ministry for God.” Over a decade ago, this beautiful girl, like many others, learned on the floor, coloring, drawing, and writing, enjoying being in a safe place without hearing the sounds of war. Today, we witness her and a few others as leaders, sharing the Word of God with little children and teaching them to worship wholeheartedly. A few young believers like her are staying at the pastor’s place and can’t go home.
Praise the Lord for everyone who served these people through being here, through prayers, and through financial support for those who came. We are grateful to all who collected glasses and sent them here; through the ministry with glasses and giving haircuts, we reached people from eight different villages, including tribes residing in the mountains and refugee families from Myanmar. God provided miraculously just in time a donation, and we were able to purchase warm clothes and prepare some gifts for the people we visited! Thank God for His amazing work!
Please continue to pray for our children’s ministry, ministry with ladies through the “5 Loaves” bakery, and ministry with the elderly! Also, please keep us in your prayers as the leaders here, for God’s wisdom and continued guidance!
We returned from a trip to Laos, where we sowed the Word of God and met with brothers and sisters in Christ. We prepared for the trip for two months and constantly faced trials. Initially, there was one team, but participants changed, and in the end, those who wanted to go didn’t, but other brothers and sisters did: “Many plans are in a person’s heart, but only what the Lord determines will happen” (Proverbs 19:21).
We bought food and gifts on the border, printed calendars and brochures, and crossed the pedestrian border with this baggage. Laos is the poorest country with a Communist-type People’s Revolutionary Party. In some districts, celebrating Christmas is prohibited this year. For this reason, we secretly put on masks in certain churches. The first church greeted us with a song, but we didn’t see joy because life in Laos is poor, people are exhausted (skinny), and it was very difficult to share His Word, knowing that they were all hungry. Giving gifts and food while looking at their faces, we rarely saw joy. In another area, it was a bit easier. The house of prayer was festively decorated, and it was clear that the brothers and sisters were preparing to celebrate. We could bless a particularly needy part of the church with you. We then arrived in one village where they had just started holding meetings, blessed them, and shared His Word. Finally, the Lord blessed us with a church full of joy and celebration. We shared our testimony, sang, prayed, and distributed food packages and gifts to those in need. Thank you for supporting us in this ministry!
This is the most unusual Christmas in my life. There are 50 refugees living in my church. Every day we dig a bomb shelter. 8 million Ukrainian refugees have left the country, including many of my friends. More than 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers (young men) have died. My heart is filled with pain. There is no light ahead, and my hope is like a small candle in the darkness. My team is exhausted and tired from constant service. And our resources for buying food are running out. It seems like a sad situation. But that’s not the case. I am happier than ever. Because no one appreciates the light like those who are in the dark. No one appreciates food like those who are hungry. No one appreciates warmth like those who are freezing. Christmas is proof that God is light, warmth, bread, and hope for me. Jesus is a gift that is always with me. He is Emmanuel. He chose to be with me. And friendship with Jesus makes me happy. Merry Christmas. With love from Ukraine! Before the new year, more than 100 rockets were launched at Lviv! About 30 people were injured. Several hundred apartments were damaged by explosions! People in the church are scared and very tired. Pray for us! We really need your support!
In anticipation of Christmas, our team, consisting of adults, youth, and teenagers, embarked on a journey to Muslim villages. Over 4 days, we covered 1500 km (about 932 miles), including 750 km (about 466 miles) off-road, and visited 12 settlements. We shared the joyful news of the Birth of Jesus, handed out 600 gifts, and Christmas calendars in the national Tatar language. In total, our team managed to reach around 900 people.
These were children and their parents, administrative staff, and Muslim religious leaders. The team included both experienced ministering brothers and young boys eager to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In all this, the Lord powerfully worked in us and through us.
Special thanks to everyone who responded to God’s call and embarked on this difficult and dangerous missionary journey. Thanks to everyone who served with prayers. Thanks to everyone who donated their finances for the ministry. Thanks to everyone who hosted us overnight and fed us. I praise the Lord for His church; together we are a force in the hands of our God.
We thank the Lord for His protection during the two-week trip to Indonesia! And although the last days were overshadowed by bouts of malaria, nevertheless, Eugene and his team were able to preach the Gospel in many schools, prisons, and simply on the street.
People in Indonesia are very open to the Gospel – dozens of repentant souls and many new contacts that have given us a platform to further develop our ministry in the West Papua province. The Lord has put it on our hearts to organize a church there, and there are already two pastor families from our central church who are ready to lay their lives on the altar and carry the light of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Please pray for David and his wife Evelyn, as well as Pastor Paul’s family (his wife Anna and four children), who are preparing to move to Indonesia. Also, please consider the possibility of regular monthly support for these families so they can work for the Lord full-time.
Being married to a missionary, when he, sick with malaria, fearlessly preaches the Gospel somewhere in a foreign country – and you’re at home, knitting a blanket, baking a banana pie for the children, biting your nails and in prayer remembering all the Scriptures that talk about protection and safety. Some may shake their head or twirl their finger at their temple – we signed our death warrant when we answered “HERE I AM” to the Lord’s eternal question, “WHO WILL GO”?
Ministry in Indonesia – Eugene & Irina Konstantiniki
