For over five years, we have been visiting the “city on the graveyard,” where people live right among the tombs. Initially, only lepers lived there, but over time, others who couldn’t afford housing in better places started joining, and people began building houses and living there on their own. This has been going on for about 50 years.
And a year ago, while serving in the “city on the graveyard,” the Lord led us to a woman who showed us the place where two lepers live. They are our Christian brothers, praying and reading the Word of God. One brother named Ha Dok is from a minority tribe, 70 years old, and he is legless. He loves the Lord Jesus Christ deeply. We sing songs and pray with him. The other brother, Vo Van, is 76 years old. These brothers have no relatives. Every month we bring them food and various treats.
The place they live in is very modest (made of plywood, cardboard, and corrugated iron instead of walls). I recently learned that the place they live is called the “House of Mercy,” and my heart immediately yearned to improve this place. However, I encountered numerous obstacles when trying to fulfill this dream. But I believe in the power of prayer, and that is why I ask you, dear ones, to join our prayer so that the Lord Himself would help us in this good work. May His Holy name be glorified in it.
By the way, two more lepers need housing and are willing to live in this place. Beloved from the heart and soul, we thank you for your labor in the work of God.
He and his sister were brought to some new building with lots of children and adults. And no one understood them. “I’m the eldest, I should find out why we’re here!? Everyone approached us, hugged us, smiled. But I wanted to cry, I wanted to go home…” These thoughts, probably, visited Oleg, who came to us.
“Moo, yes, I, uh…” These were the words we heard from Oleg and his younger sister Sonya (3 and 4 years old) when they arrived at the “Children’s Ark.” Their speech was practically absent, and we couldn’t understand them. With time, we began to guess what they were trying to communicate, thanks to their expressive gestures!
“Moo” was the first word that Oleg learned to say. And when people told him, “We don’t understand what you want?” He would earnestly and as loudly as possible say, “MOO, MOO!”
When new children arrive, most of the time they come with a whole bunch of problems. We started speech therapy sessions and visits to doctors. But not only that, the children also participate in developmental activities in the art studio and creative workshops for woodworking and metalworking. The caregivers also invest a lot of effort and heart into the children’s development.
Now, looking at the results (maybe not noticeable to outsiders), you realize the “leap” that Oleg has made. And, of course, this is not the end; we continue to fully develop the child. This is not just the result of our staff’s work but also thanks to your support. Since we are not a state shelter, the staff’s salaries come from donations. Your help is an invaluable contribution to our work! Thank you!
I am very grateful for your prayers. Every day we witness miracles. We resemble the disciples of Jesus who saw 5000 people and didn’t know how to help them. And then Jesus performed a miracle.
We are a very small church. We have absolutely no resources, but over this year, we have fed and provided shelter for about 5000 people. It gives me goosebumps. It’s a real miracle. And you are part of this miracle. I am thankful to you for your support and participation. $2 a day is the cost to provide for one person, giving them a bed and food. And every donation, no matter how small, has immense significance.
Another great joy is seeing these people learn to pray. They join home groups (we have organized 7 groups). Additionally, half of the attendees in our Sunday services are refugees. We are grateful to God for this unique opportunity to serve! We have an abundance of gratitude and testimonies. I thought that if you are interested, I could send some testimonials and stories so that you can read them in your church and among your friends. So that people can understand and feel how important this ministry is. Blessings to you!
As I mentioned before, the Papuans are eagerly awaiting our return, but they are not wasting any time. This month, the youth with Promise Land organized a music congress.
And all the churches are burning for the Lord and actively engaged in prayer, worship, and evangelism – and surprisingly, the more remote the church, the more active it is. Our vision for the next three years is to establish five more churches within PNG and send two missionary families from our main church to plant churches in Indonesia. We ask for your prayers alongside us!
Since new staff members are planning to join us on the mission next year, the need to move to our own house has become more urgent. As you know, we started building a separate house on Promise Land about a year ago, but then the priority shifted to building a clinic, and the interior work on our house was postponed indefinitely.
But we need to move before Christmas – we’re not complaining, but we simply don’t fit in a 3×3 room, with the bed taking up most of the space, and that’s with two teenage children. At the moment, we have bamboo walls, an iron roof, windows, and interior walls – not bad, but we are praying for electricity, a rainwater barrel, and at least minimal furniture to be in place by Christmas so that we can move out and allow other staff members to take our room.
Greetings, brothers and sisters! Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This means that when we give, we receive true joy and fulfillment through serving others, and ultimately, serving God.
I am grateful to God for revealing this simple truth, and I want to share the blessings from our collaborative work and express immense gratitude for the prayers and financial assistance. This month, we have been involved in ministry at orphanages, an oncology hospital, and a children’s hospice.
The fate of Dasha particularly requires attention and prayer. She is a 12-year-old girl who is paralyzed. We got acquainted when I was asked to transport the child from her home in the Omsk region to the hospice in Kormilovka, which is approximately 250 kilometers away. During the journey, we had time to get to know each other better. Dasha’s mother, Lena, also has a 5-year-old daughter, and she is raising the children alone without a husband.
Dasha was born as a healthy child, but when she was four months old, she received a vaccination at the local clinic, and she became unwell and started lagging behind in development. Later, after medical examinations, it was discovered that the pediatrician miscalculated the dosage, resulting in damage to the nervous system, and Dasha is practically unable to move. She never learned to crawl or walk. Her mother carries her in her arms. Dasha was admitted to the hospice because they have the necessary equipment for further diagnosis and treatment.
Now we have become friends with Dasha and her family, and we will help them. The mother is facing financial and emotional hardships. Dasha requires special nutrition, hygiene products, and medication. I ask for your assistance and prayers. Thank you for your participation!
Avoda’s simple pick-up truck goes from one village to another, and as it stops, young boys with all their energy run to it with great joy. They are loud and happy, even though they come from two different tribes and speak different languages. They share the same goal and vision! What are they happy about? What unites them? They are going to play football, and soon they will have a competition where, of course, they dream of winning! 🙂 God has given us the opportunity to have a football ministry to reach young boys. Some of them come from very strong animist families who don’t allow them to participate in any church activities or hear about God, except for football. Practicing to play as one team, building their skills and character, learning about God in small group talks, and sharing snacks together brings them a lot of joy. It helps them see God as the one who cares, unlike the spirits that always want to harm them. God has truly blessed this ministry, and even though our boys had only one week to prepare for the competition, they placed third! One of our boys once said, “N’San, before I used to spend five hours a day playing games on my phone, and now I don’t have time for that. I need to practice football! You know, I feel happier now!” Please pray with us for God’s guidance in reaching Thai Sambun village. We need help, so please also pray for God to send the right people to join us in this mission. Thank you to everyone who is financially participating and helping in buying sports uniforms, providing snacks, and covering the cost of gasoline and other expenses.
Camp is another ministry that helps our youth grow and reach other children with their families. We were blessed with “The Incredible Race” day camp at our church, where we shared that no matter where we live, what shade of skin we have, or what language we speak, we are all part of the same race—the human race—and all part of the same family from Adam and Eve. We all need one Savior – Jesus Christ! About 50 children were able to join and experience a fun and learning atmosphere as we discovered where all these languages started, why we all look different, and had an opportunity to try snacks from different countries and learn how God made everyone unique, yet with the same need for the Savior! For many of them, this truth was new, but we believe that the seed will bear fruit at the right time. You can experience our camp ministry at the link below 🙂 Hope you enjoy watching it.
In October this year, we are planning to share this news with many other children and hold day camps with Burmese refugees and other people groups in Thailand. Please join us in prayer and financially to be able to cover all the needs. Also, please come and participate in those camps. This would be our Camp on Wheels 2023, where we will do camps for one month in a few different places in Thailand. Please pray that God would provide the right people for this year!
Thank you very much for your faithful support. May God richly bless you and strengthen your faith until our Lord comes!
