Our Lord “ate and drank with the tax collectors and sinners”, because He came for “the sick, not the healthy”. People who turn to us for help are broken by sin. They don’t have destinies, and their souls are dark. But, the Lord is alive and merciful – He gives strength and opportunities, patience and compassion for those whom He brings to our abode.
Roma’s story is unique, he is 43 years old, but sin has already crippled him so much that barley living. Roman had his toes and hands amputated. And has frostbite on his legs and knees that are constantly bleeding. He suffers from epilepsy throws himself on the ground.
He lost his parents at the age of 13, and soon after he lost the housing that he inherited. He came to us after leaving the hospital, where he was once again because he was drunk and fell from the 4th floor. Now, added to all his sinful “rewards,” he has now a head injury, with craniotomy and constant headaches. Roman’s pension, like many people in his case, is minimal and not even enough for medicine. He clings to the opportunity given to him by Jesus to live, he loves to read, but because of a headache, he can’t read books. Thank you for your participation in the ministry of saving the lost.
Our God is great! We have very good news: The new generation is not interested in drugs anymore, because most of the young people go to church!
The area where our church is located is called the “Golden Triangle”, and famous for its opium-growing past. Almost every family is affected by drugs, whether selling, using, or having someone in prison for this cause. Recently one of the families was reunited with their father after 11 years of being in prison. But the good news is: in this particular village, the new generation is not that interested in drugs anymore, because most of them go to Church! Yes, you heard this right: Most young people in our village go to church. Praise God for such a big change! A few years ago our church had only girls and ladies, and a few small boys. If you visit us now on Sunday you will see that more than half of the congregation is now boys and young men. Some are very interested in learning about God, some come with their friends, some even helping in leading worship time on Sunday’s. One of our Sunday school groups is only boys! Praise God! It’s a big field to raise these young people for God’s kingdom, who will faithfully serve Him and do His will. We can witness God’s great work and answer the prayers of many. Please continue to pray for God to lead us and give us wisdom.
Another blessing is that God brings people from different tribes. One Saturday, when we had a school at our church, one lady came and asked us to pray for her. She was willing to stay the whole time, till we finished with the children. Her request was about her health. As we talked, she said that long ago her family was Christian and then because of social pressure in the village, they turned to worship spirits. But now they decided to come back to God and leave the village where they lived. We prayed with her and invited her for Sunday Service, and she accepted an invitation. On the next day more than 10 people, that are close to her and her extended family, came to church! Some of them continue coming, we pray that God would give them courage and strength to stay strong in faith.
Thank you again for your faithful support and prayers, may God richly bless every one of you!
Thank you for your prayers and support for our trip to the north of the country! We have covered over 1850 miles by air; 1600 miles on the moped. The route was very difficult. But thank God, we were witnesses of Christ in the most remote corners of the country.
The purpose of the trip was to tell people about the love of God in Christ Jesus. We gave everyone simple postcards with verses from the Bible, such as Acts 4:12 “for there is no other name under heaven given to men for us to be saved.” We shared the Gospel with everyone that we met and reached the border with China. Thank God, the word has been sown, the Lord has saved and blessed this trip! Thank you for the prayers.
We have been helping families who are undergoing treatment in St. Petersburg after a bone marrow transplant. We are especially involved in the fate of Lera and her mother Masha. They had a very difficult situation, and the doctors fought for Lera’s life. Now, her recovery is going very well, and they are being prepared for discharge and may soon return to Omsk. Masha is thankful for your participation and means a lot to her. She is from an orphanage and a year ago when the news of the terrible diagnosis came, she was lost and lonely. The fact that we were near when this happened is God’s mercy for her, and she understands and appreciates this. Today Masha reads the Gospel and prays.
It is very important to me, that not only parents but also children prepare for their possible death. Considering that we have lost three of whom we took care of, there is a need to pray with each parent and help the child to accept Jesus Christ by faith.
Yesterday, Alena wrote to me, she has a son named Gleb. At the end of September, they flew to St. Petersburg for a checkup. I bought them for Tickets and helped with housing. We accompanied them to the airport and prayed together for God’s blessing.
The hospitals in the city are under lock-down and we are not
allowed to enter. But we give gifts and fill the box of courage.
We also bring food and gifts to orphanages, and
communication with children is allowed only online.
Thank you for your kindness and mercy that opens the hearts
of people to accept the truth!
Papua New Guinea is one of the world’s leading country in
terms of crime, and its capital, Port Moresby, is officially the worst tourist
destination.
The criminals are mostly from single-parent families who run
away from home and roam the streets, gradually turning into criminals.
You should not be surprised if you are on a bus and in broad daylight people in masks jump out of the bushes and block the road with weapons. Especially at night, minibusses gather 10-20 people to travel together or otherwise all passengers may be robbed to their last clothes, and women will be raped. Those who dare to fight back will be shot.
As a consequence, prisons are overcrowded. And while they
are serving time they are becoming inclined to accept the Gospel.
We visit the prison twice a month, which is 2 hours away from us and we bring the prisoners not only the Gospel but also soap, fresh fruits, and vegetables, which they are lacking in the prison. A small group meets inside, and each time more and more prisoners decide to follow Christ. We need about $400 a month to maintain this project. May God bless your heart and your participation in this ministry!
Ministry in Papua New Guinea – Zhenya & Ira
Konstantiniki
Let me share with you some of the challenges faced by
pastors in refugee camps in northern Uganda and South Sudan. Most South
Sudanese are less educated and do not work in refugee camps. They were forced
to leave their land where they grew their food. The civil war in the country
made economic development impossible. Recently, the government of South Sudan
declared complete bankruptcy, including the central bank. They lost the inability
to control the pricing market in the country. Now the prices of the most
essential foodstuffs rise daily.
Now, due to quarantine, many families cannot feed
themselves. This week alone, I received over a hundred calls from refugee camps
asking for help with food and other basic necessities. One pastor named Godfrey
Lozo from Nimule in South Sudan said: “Listen, Pastor Dima, cornmeal is the
only thing I have left is, my family is starving to death.”
I don’t know what to do in such a situation. Many times, I
tried to hide, not to answer phone calls, so as not to hear stories about hunger
and death. But as soon as I turn on the phone, thousands of people call me
asking for help. As a pastor, I decided not to turn off the phone anymore,
because these are my brothers and sisters. Pray with me for this daily struggle
so that I can be steadfast. Pray that God will provide us during this difficult
time. Pray for refugees from South Sudan and others who have the same need for
their daily bread. Pray for peace for the people of South Sudan. We have
suffered enough and are tired of wandering. Help us!
