I am excited to share wonderful news with you. A few weeks ago, we sent another family to Vietnam for a long-term mission. Praise God! The Lord reigns! The work of God is moving forward there, and His Word is being sown.
Beloved, may grace and peace multiply to you! I thank you for your cooperation on God’s fields, spreading the Gospel of grace wherever we are.
We have been in Russia for a little over a month for training (missionary school) and my wife Irina’s health check-up. The Lord blesses us in such a way that there is always an opportunity to participate in ministry (preaching, testimony, prayer, worship).
In one of our favorite songs, there are these words – ‘What I am still alive for, what I serve the Lord for, it’s the grace of God, it’s the grace of God.’ I believe that I will only stop serving Him when I am called to eternal abodes.
Last Sunday, I served at the ‘Bethesda Mercy House,’ which is very dear to me. I was greatly rejoiced to see that there is now a large team of ministers (10 people) who, through the strength of Jesus Christ, care for, guide, and instruct the people living there on the path of truth. At the moment, 25 people are living in the ‘House of Mercy.’ I met a local resident there who arrived in 1985 when it was still a collective farm. Today, she is a member of the local community.
We continuously thank you for your prayers and financial support in this noble cause. Precious from the heart and soul, we thank you for always remembering us.
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!
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.
Grace and peace to you, our friends, brothers and sisters. I
will tell you the story of the family, so that you support in prayers about the
trials they had in their life.
Kam (Vietnamese) is 28 years old, in February 2019 he moved
with his wife, Zhenya (Russian) to his historical homeland from Russia.
When he was 6 years old, his parents moved to live in Russia, they divorced later, and Kam ended up in a Christian orphanage with a family of believers, where he met Jesus Christ, and later married Zhenya. They actively served in the church in Russia.
After moving to Vietnam some adjustments had to be made to their lives and they began to adapt to it. Kam got a job in a jewelry company to sell gold, his earnings were decent, Zhenya worked as a hairdresser and this completely covered their needs. When she became pregnant, she invited her mother from Russia to help them, since she had to give birth soon. All these everyday zealously tasks kept them from going to church; they went there rarely, once or twice a month.
In February 2020, the desired and long-awaited, Dana, was born. Then the pandemic came into the world, Kam was fired from his job selling gold, since most of the sales came from tourists.
Now they always come church, thanks to what has happened to them, their thirst for fellowship is visible now, and set the right priorities in relation with the Lord. They ask that the fire of God’s love burn in their lives, so that they would not be warm, but only burn for God, because He had done so much for them.
We thank the Lord for you, may God Almighty bless us all in all circumstances of life.
We are all co-workers of Christ. While spreading the Gospel in Vietnam, we come across people with different nationalities, and even from Buryatia. We wrote to you about the baptism of Lisa’s sister, and just recently, how she was forced to return to Russia in order to undergo surgery. She was diagnosed with cancer. After praying with the church, we blessed Lisa and her children on their way. Even though they are far now, we communicate, support, and encourage her.
The operation and all procedures related to treatment were carried out according to plan. While being sick, Lisa learned to develop a close relationship with God, constantly prays, and reads the Word. The other day she called, all in tears of joy and tells me:
I constantly read the New Testament, and a woman came up to me, who is also being treated for cancer, and asks, “What are you reading? ” I answered her – “The Bible, the Word of God, I am a believer.” She says: “I am also a believer, I have been going to the church for many years, but I have never read the Bible.” I gave her the New Testament to read. She read for three days, and it was clear how the Word of God touched her heart. She came up to me and so delightfully started talking about Jesus. It was evident from her radiant face that she had met the Savior. Tears of joy overwhelmed me.
Despite being in quarantine, we continue to pray and serve the Lord. The inconvenience is that due to the epidemic, the borders are closed, and we cannot leave the country to serve in Laos or Cambodia.
Thank you for the work of faith and your work of love before the Lord. “Beloved, be firm, unshakable, always succeed in the work of the Lord, knowing that your work is not in vain in the presence of the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58.
As you remember, we were detained and arrested 2 months ago in a hospital for preaching the Gospel. And here we are again in this hospital. Our friend Igor – a homeless person got here with an injury. He lives on the seashore with his Vietnamese girlfriend Tu. For about a year now we have been praying for them and helping them out.
Igor was hit by a motorcycle; he doesn’t remember anything because the accident was too great. Someone called an ambulance and he ended up in a hospital bed. His head was fractured, he had multiple bruises, and the motorcycle driver disappeared. During prayer walks along the beach, we met him. Having met his girlfriend Tu, we bought food, clothes and went to the hospital. Igor lies under a dropper, already conscious, barely recognizing me. Seeing us, a girl in a white coat came to his bed right away with a bill for his hospital stay. The total of 50,000,000 dong is written on a paper, which is around $2,200. When telling her that he is our friend, that we do not have that kind of money, she left. We prayed and talked. The next day, we visited him again, brought glasses and the Gideon Gospel.
A day later, walking along the beach, I see Tu from far away, waving her hand, she comes to me, and Igor gets out of the bushes and says: “As soon as the doctors in the hospital saw that I was recovering and could walk, somebody else took my bed in the hospital.” His treatment ended abruptly. Igor has been homeless for about 5 years, nobody needs him. He collects cans and cardboard, turns it in for recycling, that’s how he is making his living.
Sometimes, the place where they sleep is cold, and we think how to help them. Please support us in prayer, we have not only Igor in need, but other families with children who live on the street. Thank you for participating in the lives of these people.
