The village of Priiskovoye is located in a remote area, approximately 850 meters (2788 feet) above sea level, and is home to about 300 people. There is a school, but the classes consist of only 2-3 students. In this village, during the winter season, there is a ski resort for extreme sports enthusiasts. The majority of the population works in the service industry on the slopes and at the foot of the mountains. In the summer, the residents mainly go to the taiga to gather natural resources, which they use for food and sell to supplement their family budget.
The main beliefs in this area are shamanism, naturism, and neo-paganism. It is very difficult to find work in the village, which may be why many people suffer from alcohol addiction. Currently, there is no church in the village, but for the past eight years, the Abakan Church has been organizing various events for the residents of the settlement at least twice a year. During this time, some residents have started studying in Abakan and constantly seek opportunities to connect with believers.
Even during the pandemic, Christians came to the village for Christmas and distributed gifts with biblical literature to households. Over time, the church team has developed warm and trusting relationships with the village administration. The church team is always welcomed and given the opportunity to conduct lessons on biblical and moral education.
At the end of spring, after the quarantine was lifted, the administration of Priiskovoye invited the believers to organize a celebration for the children. This is another opportunity to introduce children and their parents to the Gospel!
Please pray for the residents of the settlement, that God will bring people to Christ!
It seems the time has come to write about personal prayer needs. We have two granddaughters (10 and 11 years old). The older one, Vladislava, suffered from chickenpox about a year ago, and as the doctors said, this led to type 1 diabetes. This means that she needs to take insulin injections 4-5 times a day and another injection at night for the rest of her life. Injections are given in the stomach, leg, and shoulder. Often, bruises and bumps form at the injection appear, and the injections themselves are painful. But if this is not done – the person dies.
Over the year of illness, Vladislava has been hospitalized for the third time, she is disabled and receives a pension. Part of the medicine (insulin) and syringe are provided by the hospital, but this is not enough, and additional medicine must be purchased. Vladislava is in the hospital due to high blood sugar levels, which lead to severe complications – leg pain, weakness, and deteriorating vision.
A child with such a disease cannot eat many of the regular foods we consume, and each time the food needs to be weighed to calculate the correct insulin dose. Products for diabetics in our country are very expensive. Our granddaughter Vladislava loves to knit; she knitted children’s toys for our ministry in Vietnam, and we distributed them to children.
Precious brothers and sisters, friends. You always support us in prayer, and in this need, please support us in prayer for Vladislava, for her healing and recovery.
From the bottom of our hearts and souls, we thank you for your labor of love in God’s work on the New Fields. May the Lord abundantly bless and reward you!
The decision of Misha and Anya to become a foster family was born out of love. However, the path to this decision was not easy. Anya was born into a large family, and when she was 8 years old, she and her younger brother ended up in our shelter. Here, things were different than in a family. But by the time Anya left the shelter, she had learned many lessons. At 18, she left the shelter and embarked on an independent life. A few years later, she met her future husband Misha. They got married, and then their son Vitya was born. But the dream of helping children burned in Anya’s heart. Misha also always shared this dream. A few years later, they decided to return to the “Children’s Ark.”
At first, they worked as educators in regular groups. Misha worked with older boys, while Anya took care of the little ones. As Anya herself says, “I dreamed of a big family, and I love children very much. I always wanted to return to the ‘Children’s Ark.’ Over time, we became attached to certain children, and we decided to take them into our family.” That’s how Misha and Anya became a foster family. In this family, 5 children have already decided to live separately and are now starting their own families. They maintain good relationships with each other. They always visit Misha and Anya. And Irishka, who turned 18 this summer, decided to stay with the family for a while. Anya and Misha are delighted because they love her very much, and she is a great helper around the house. Currently, Misha and Anya’s family consists of 6 children: 4 foster children, Vitya, and Irishka.
Thank you for your participation and assistance in the ministry of the “Children’s Ark”!
We sincerely thank everyone who continues to work with us to the ends of the earth, making it possible to spread the Gospel in remote areas of Papua New Guinea. As we prepare for our move and three-year term of service in PNG, we are acquiring some things now to use upon arrival.
As many of you already know, one of our ministries in Papua New Guinea is medical. We not only have a clinic that serves up to a hundred Papuans every week, but we also make outreach visits to remote villages to share the Gospel and help the sick who cannot reach the clinic.
We have the opportunity to connect with a mission that collaborates with missionaries and distributes medical tests for typhoid, malaria, hepatitis, and other diseases. The cost of one test is one dollar, and each one is a potentially saved life. The number of tests we can buy depends on how much we have financially, so we humbly request your participation in this need.
One woman from a village who had to walk for eight hours to reach the clinic did not make it with her sick child. Her child died six hours later – she did not make it in time. Unfortunately, there are many unknown cases like this in PNG. Thank you for your open heart!
How many times have we prayed for God to help us find ways to reach adults? Our church is very young, and most attendees are children and youth. Grandparents and parents are happy to leave their children “under good care in a safe place.” They do see positive improvements in their children’s lives and are glad that they can learn. But what about their parents and grandparents? They are very strong in their beliefs and don’t see any reason why they need to change. This is where the student project “5 Loaves 2 Fish Bakery” began.
Older children need to provide for themselves to cover their personal needs, as well as help cover church expenses. A woman who attends our church was kicked out of her tribal community because she became a Christian. What could we do? We asked God and realized that we could use our limited skills in the bakery. We began baking and selling cookies, with children selling them to their classmates at school. Soon, we realized that we needed more people because orders exceeded what one person could handle.
Another woman, a single mother, joined our team, and a few days later, another mother with health issues who could no longer work in the fields became a part of our team. Those who were previously not open to hearing about Jesus now come for prayer and Bible reading every morning before baking. God opened opportunities to share the Gospel and improve their quality of life.
“I am so grateful that I can work in the morning and take care of my family in the evening!” said Mae Chong. “I am also grateful that I can work here and don’t need to go to another country or city to find a job to provide for my family.”
We had the opportunity to share the meaning behind our bakery’s name, “5 Loaves and 2 Fish,” and tell the story of Jesus’ miracle when He took something small and multiplied it. We believe that our God cares, unlike spirits that only want to harm and need to be appeased.
Our prayer and vision are to build a small bakery building where we can continue baking, as we are currently using our church’s kitchen, which serves many other purposes. A one-room building costs about $6,000. Yes, it sounds like a big number, but we believe our God cares! This ministry helps us reach adults and parents of our children, support widows, provide for our church, and help young people with their needs, as some grow up without parents.
If you would like to participate in any way, whether by praying, donating, or coming to share your baking skills and experience with our ladies while sharing the Gospel through this, we welcome you. For those who want to donate, please send your donation through New Fields Ministries, San and Anita, with the note “5 Loaves.” For those who want to pray, please pray for God to send the right person to teach us baking skills and for our ladies to get to know God and grow in Him.
A year ago, before the Easter holiday, the Lord introduced us to a family. The elder sister Van lost her parents early (at 12 years old) and was left with her younger sister Ann. She then gave birth to two children (a girl and a boy) and raised them all by herself. She works 16 hours a day for a small salary. When we met and got to know her, we told her about the Savior, and she happily turned to Jesus. She started reading the Bible and praying. She is preparing to fulfill the commandment and be baptized.
Recently, she fell ill and could not work, so she asked us to help them with food and hygiene items. We came and bought groceries. It’s good that they have a refrigerator. We collected a lot. Returning home from the store, we got on our knees and thanked God for His care for us. Then she writes to me that she is praying to God for a washing machine to be in their home. This puzzled me a bit because we usually bring clothes and food, but here is an entire washing machine, and the budget increases immediately.
The washing machine costs about $300, and it is very difficult for us to come up with such money. For this reason, we ask you, beloved ones, to support us in prayer for this need. And also, pray for wisdom, strength, and guidance here in Vietnam.
