Today, heavy rain is falling again, and we are about to embark on a short-term mission to Laos, where we work, spreading the Word of God through evangelization, printed materials, and providing food. This time, we have decided to travel by mopeds (1200 kilometers round trip, 745 miles) as renting a car proved to be very expensive – $700.
After Laos, we will go to celebrate the Communion with our brothers and sisters from the Raglai tribe. There, we will also organize a children’s playground with active games, coloring of biblical stories, singing, and prayer. Praise God, the Lord reigns, and His Word is spreading. Our team of evangelists is growing, and the ministry is expanding.
Recently, we visited an orphanage (120 kilometers from our home, 75 miles) on mopeds. Thank God there was no rain, and we returned dry. However, riding such distances on a moped is tough. The back hurts, it’s drafty, but the Lord provides strength. Praise God.
We realized that we need a minibus for our ministry. I ask you, dear brothers and sisters, to support us in prayer so that the Lord blesses our endeavor. We already have one-third of the necessary funds. The cost of a TOYOTA INNOVA car is around $10,000.
We are also considering the opportunity to serve in neighboring countries such as Laos, Cambodia, and the Kingdom of Thailand, bordering Vietnam. We are confident that the Lord is glorified through our needs and prayers.
Sincerely thanking you, beloved, for your support and cooperation in the Lord’s work on New Grounds.
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!
After intense prayer, we went to remote tribal villages to seek out people who particularly needed help. We drove 50 kilometers away from our city and started going from house to house, distributing treats, food, and preaching the Word of God. This family, about whom I will speak, lived on the edge of the village. They are a family from the Raglai tribe (100,000 people in the world), who welcomed us in a special way by opening the doors of their home to us. Their house was like a barn for livestock, with more than 10 people living in it. I don’t remember if there was electricity, but the water was about 50 meters away from the house, downhill (they live in the mountains). During droughts, the stream would dry up, and there was no water. With God’s and your help, we dug a well and brought water to the house. We sang them songs, talked about the Savior, and communicated. We started visiting more often, bringing food, clothes, toys, medicines, and their life began to transform and flourish before our eyes. On Easter 2023, four members of this family received Holy Baptism, which was a wonderful celebration. The church leads these people in the teaching of the Lord, and recently in November, three more family members made a covenant with the Lord. Praise God!
The evangelism movement continues. Today, the neighbors of our brothers and sisters approached and asked for help in digging a well. We are praying and asking for wisdom in this matter. We ask for your support in prayer. The cost of the well is only $500. We thank you, precious friends, brothers, and sisters, for your prayers and help in the work of God. Together we can do a lot. We also plan to distribute hundreds of Christmas gifts! We would be grateful for any help you can provide!
We visited and served the families entrusted to us, bringing them God’s love and assistance in living. Glory to God, for He blesses through your kind and responsive hearts. May the Lord bless you a hundredfold. And now there was an opportunity to visit the tribe of the small nationalities (Red Yao), whom we served in May 2022, participating there in the ministry of the Word. This is 1700 kilometers (1056 miles) from our residence, and we had to fly by plane, then travel by train overnight, and also rent a moped and drive through the mountains. There, Brother Sean and I were met by Sister Simei, who accompanied us and helped in the ministry. The weather was bad, it was raining and muddy. The roads were slippery, and I even managed to fall from the moped once, so in some places we had to walk to reach the people we went to, bringing God’s love and help.
One family invited us to talk to their two sons – drug addicts, but when they heard about it, they told their parents to give them money and then they would stay to listen. The parents didn’t give them money, and they left. But in this house, about 15 people gathered to meet with us, and we talked about our Savior Jesus Christ, sang, preached, and prayed to the glory of God. Adult members of the Yao tribe cannot read, and some even don’t understand Vietnamese, so Sister translated into their language. Thus, we visited 3 groups of about 15 people each and conducted a Sunday service. We blessed Sister Simei and even pray about helping her financially a little. Thank you for your support and prayers for us.
I’m eager to inform you about the latest events of our ministry at New Fields. A Christian association in Italy, upon learning that we had suffered several bouts of Dengue fever in Vietnam, and that it had caused complications to my wife’s heart, offered us insurance (both health and property). In Southeast Asia, it costs more than 1000 dollars per person, and we cannot afford it. When we were sick, medicines and medical treatment were very expensive. We decided to fly to Italy. There, I was welcomed by brothers and sisters and served in two churches (Russian-speaking and Italian). Over the weekend, we held a youth meeting and reflected on the text: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word” Psalm 118:9. One family (from Ukraine) praised Jesus through singing, and their children, listening to the songs, were touched, cried, and hugged their parents. After the meeting, we talked with them and called them to repentance. Kneeling down, they all prayed and gave their lives to the Lord. Glory to God! After getting health insurance in Italy, we flew to Armenia (Yerevan), where I also met with hospitable brothers and sisters. I told them about our ministry in Southeast Asia and, kneeling before God, we prayed. On October 2nd, we returned to Vietnam. Dear ones, I ask you to support us in prayer. I am almost 60 years old, and on this last trip, I noticed that my legs were swelling from long flights. May the Lord help us. “We constantly thank God for your labor of love in the name of Jesus Christ.”
In Kazakhstan, I bore witness in one church about the ministry in Vietnam, calling for prayer and partnership in God’s work. As the meeting ended, Sasha – a friend’s wife – approached me and said, “Your testimony deeply touched my heart, and now what should I do?” The Lord gave me words, and I told her, “Remember the parable of the prodigal son. He wasted all his inheritance, found himself in need, and remembered that even the Father’s hired servants had an abundance. But he didn’t just think about it; he got up and went to the Father. You need to do the same, go and fulfill the Father’s will.”
We prayed, and two days later, Sasha and Grigory wrote to me: “We need to meet.” I went to their home, and Sasha shared this story. They had saved money to buy a car, enlisted all their acquaintances to find a good vehicle. This Sunday, while I was preaching, her brother called and said he had found a good car; they just needed to make the payment, and the car would be theirs. At this point, God once again told Sasha, “Are you going to exchange Me for this piece of metal?” Grigory didn’t know that the car had already been found. Sasha asked her husband what to do, and apparently, he had the same thoughts and concerns. Without coordinating their responses, he told her, “We need to go to Vietnam.” Their testimony greatly inspired me.
Today, they are preparing for a mission in Vietnam, with our support. Starting in October, we will continue our work in Vietnam. Dear ones, please support us in prayer. Together, we can accomplish much!
