Teava’s mother abandoned her when she was just one year old, and her grandmother took her in. When Teava turned nine, her grandmother passed away. It was a terrible shock and deep pain for her — her grandmother had become like a mother.
After her grandmother’s death, she moved in with her uncle and his wife. They treated her well, and her uncle became like a father to her.
But when Teava turned 15, her uncle told her that she was now old enough to work and support herself. He found her a job as a waitress at a restaurant in Battambang. She moved to live with her aunt — working at the restaurant and spending the nights at her aunt’s house.
Teava shares: “I felt fear and loneliness again. The uncertainty and emptiness were pressing down on me. I was once again in a different family, in someone else’s home. I cried for my grandmother, and when I looked at other children, I couldn’t forgive my mother for abandoning me. Why did she treat me so cruelly?”
As it turns out, Teava’s aunt’s husband is the brother of a social worker in our village. When the social worker heard her story, she came to us and asked if we could take Teava into our shelter.
That’s how she came to live with us.
Together with you, we can care for children like Teava. Thank you for making that possible!
Gu Yen, a 74-year-old woman from the Mien tribe, grew up in a culture of spirit worship and dependence on shamans. In her community, spiritual matters were led by men. When her husband left her, she became an outcast — especially after the village shaman refused to help her. That rejection left her feeling deeply humiliated.
“I had no one to turn to and felt completely broken,” she said. “But then I met the One who truly loves me — Jesus. He listens to my prayers. I don’t have to offer anything to earn His love. He understands my pain and is always with me.”
Last year, Gu Yen suffered from a serious ear problem and began praying to God for healing. “God answered my prayers, and I began to feel better. I see His hand in my life every day! Thank you, Lord, for choosing me! Thank you for sending missionaries to our tribe so we could hear about You!”
Gu Yen’s tribe has no written language, so they listen to the Bible in audio format. “Once a week, I gather with other elderly believers to pray,” she shares. “We pray that our whole tribe will come to know the one true God.”
Because of your support, people like Gu Yen are finding true hope — and eternal life — in Christ.
This month our team had the opportunity to serve and share the Gospel at one of the largest schools in the region! The school is called Markham Valley Secondary School — it is the only school in the Markham Valley, and about 1,500 high school students study there, all of whom need Jesus. We were invited by our old friend, Pastor James, who now serves as a local pastor there, and we were very happy to spend time with the youth and share songs, dances (of course — how could we not in Papua New Guinea!), and most importantly, the Word of God.
As a result, many young people came forward in repentance and decided to fully dedicate their lives to the Lord. We praise God for this fruit and hope to make our visits to Markham Valley more regular — starting with a series of deeper seminars and, in the near future, organizing discipleship groups on the school campus — first among the leaders and teachers, and then among the students. Please pray for the successful development of this ministry.
At the moment we have more than 50 children who have graduated from the orphanage, but we only have influence on those with whom we managed to build friendships while they were still in the orphanage. There are children preparing for baptism, and they have become part of the new team. At the hospice the situation is stable — we deliver personal hygiene items and special baby food every week. In the oncology ward the children are waiting for us, and the parents come every week to our gatherings, where we talk about life and read the Bible. I ask you to pray for Anya — she is 14 years old and has leukemia. She is being prepared for a bone marrow transplant. Her mother can be the donor, but Anya’s test results are poor, and the doctors are unable to prepare her for the flight and operation.
There is also a very bright little girl named Korkem, she is 9 years old. She also has leukemia, and the doctors are preparing her for a bone marrow transplant; she needs special care, including special nutrition. We rejoice for little Kristina. She is recovering and, after chemotherapy, has started to improve. I already asked you to pray for her — she is still hospitalized with her mother because she is very young, but very smart. I want to express gratitude on behalf of the parents and our team for your participation and help! Thank you, dear friends!
We have decided to begin a summer marathon of daytime children’s camps. Our goal is 5 weeks, 5 groups of children. This is a very big goal, which requires great dedication and church resources. We ask you to pray that God would help and give us strength to realize our vision. I have also received 7 invitations to hold conferences on the topic of discipleship. My goal is to train young people and provide them with discipleship materials. Please pray for me! There are so many trips — pray that God would keep me safe. There are so many meetings — pray that God would give me wisdom. There are so many presentations before large audiences — pray that God would give me inspiration.
I want you to understand just how important your support is for the continuation of our ministry. Thank you for being there! Several people from our congregation have expressed a desire to be baptized. These are new believers. They have completed a discipleship course and are very much in need of your prayers. And here is great joy! We had a baptism! Four young people dedicated their lives to Jesus! A very special joy for me — our son David was also baptized! And that’s not all! Two more people have told me they want to be baptized, and we are beginning their preparation! Our ministry in Ukraine is bearing fruit! I am confident that ahead of us lies even more fruit for the glory of Christ.
From a young age, Vladimir lived in a small settlement where he often encountered evangelical believers who, whenever they met him, would tell him about Christ! After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Vladimir began drinking heavily. As a result, he divorced his wife, lost his home, and became a man no one wanted. He wandered between flop houses, and had toes and parts of his feet amputated.
In November 2023, in one of the half-ruined houses — with no light, no windows, no heat — we found Vladimir freezing in rags and brought him to the shelter. At the shelter he was washed, given clean clothes, and reminded again of God’s love. At that time, we didn’t yet know that in two days there would be a severe cold snap down to -40°C. If not for the Lord’s intervention, Vladimir would have frozen to death in that shack.
When we cleaned him up, we realized he had developed gangrene. After several months in the hospital, he began to recover! In the summer of 2024, he began to complain of stomach pains and rapidly lost weight. He was diagnosed with cancer, but he did not lose hope and continued reading the Gospel. His condition worsened. Vladimir began to pray and repented of his sins! The pain grew stronger, but the joy of forgiveness and the hope of eternal life filled his heart. He did not despair or complain. On March 11, 2025, Vladimir quietly left this world for the eternal dwelling place of the Father!
