The evangelization of non believers on the Khan side of the Yamal Peninsula has been ongoing for decades. As soon as the Iron Curtain of atheism fell, compassionate followers of Christ began to actively participate in missionary work.
One day, preachers on the shore of the Ob Bay encountered an unusual tourist who was traveling along his route on a dog sled. As the travelers drew closer, the brothers began to testify to the lone traveler about Christ. He listened attentively to the evangelists, and then, breaking the silence, said, “You found me even at the ends of the earth! My mother is a believer, and she tells me about God every day. I thought I wouldn’t hear about this in the Arctic latitudes, so I embarked on this long journey with my dogs… But you found me even here!”
The owner of the dog sled turned out to be a Finn. He had been inspired by a long-held dream since his youth: to independently traverse the northern coast all the way to Chukotka. No one knows if he ever fulfilled his dream, but the Lord certainly reached him, even at the edge of the earth!
During our trip on the Trekol to Sedanka, people invited us into their homes and asked us to visit their settlement if we passed through. True to their word, on our next trip on snowmobiles, all those who had invited us eagerly welcomed us into their homes and apartments!
Following the indigenous festival of Beringia — sled dog races, a small group of us, consisting of four young brothers, set out on a snowmobile trip. We covered approximately 500 km, visiting villages with the same volunteer activities program. We already had requests for assistance registered beforehand. We also brought a lot of literature, which was distributed to the local residents. While some of the brothers were busy with work, others distributed literature.
We visited four settlements: Sedanka, where we were on the Trekol, Kovran, Khairuzovo, and Ust-Khairuzovo. We performed various tasks, from chopping wood to electrical work. Everyone treated us respectfully and expressed deep gratitude for our timely assistance. We exchanged contacts, sang songs with those we helped, and simply conversed, explaining to people what motivates us to do such good deeds.
The Church in Palana thanks everyone who supported the ministry and missionary trips of our team to the remote settlements of the peninsula!
The trip to the peninsula was planned to share the Gospel and help the elderly and disabled with their household needs (shovel snow, stock up or chop firewood, change wiring in the house or fix sockets)! We announced it in advance in social networks and people in need called us, inviting us to their home, telling us about their needs! We set off from Palana and, having traveled 200 km to Tigil, we stopped for the night.
There were several “orders” here. A man with a disability needed to shovel snow and an elderly woman needed to change several sockets. While the younger brothers carried out the necessary work, others talked to people. The next destination on our route was the village of Sedanka. The road from Tigil to Sedanka is 45 km (28miles) was along a winter road. In Sedanka, a grandmother with an invalid son needed to go for firewood, saw and chop it, and also change the wiring in the house. In one family, a woman lived with her 91-year-old mother. Very hospitable people. They talk like believers. The old woman’s mother raised them as children with stories from the Bible. We stayed overnight here and talked for a long time at the table, talking about God! The elderly woman said: “You are different, I can share my secrets with you.” She opened up and repented, asking for mercy from the Lord. Thank you dear ones for supporting the ministry in Kamchatka!
For the first time, a camp for children was organized in the Priuralsk tundra. For nearly a week, tundra children had the opportunity to get to know Christ as the best friend of all children. The hymns they learned became part of the program and the overall celebration.
The communication with adults before the camp usually culminates in the Lord’s Supper. This fellowship is eagerly awaited by reindeer herders, a tradition that has been ongoing since February 2023, with a similar gathering in the prayer house in Vorkuta. After the official part of the gathering concludes, local friends willingly express their desire to continue informal communication. The demonstrated love and involvement often solidify theory into practice, a significant aspect of mission work.
After the fellowship, local residents, some on reindeer sleds, some in cars, and others on foot, disperse to their camps and tents, ‘so as to live for the rest of their earthly lives no longer by human desires but by the will of God.’ 1 Peter 4:2.
On July 29-30, 2023, in the Vorkuta tundra at the foot of the western slope of the Ural Mountains, the traditional gathering of indigenous believers from paganism took place—Nenets, Khanty, and Komi.
The beauty of the Polar Urals is truly mesmerizing! The purity of mountain air, crystal-clear refreshing streams from melting glaciers, and the uniqueness of the region attract many tourists from various parts of the country.
For the local inhabitants, this is their historical homeland, the place of their ancestral migrations, where for centuries, the designated territory for grazing reindeer herds has been silently preserved.
The Arctic land… These places hold many sad and well-known stories from the past… Today, the younger generation can barely recount the events of the Stalinist era that occurred 80 years ago. But forgetting one’s history is detrimental to the future!
Even today, occasionally at youth gatherings, we can hear legendary lines from wartime:
“They cannot be found in the dust of paths,
Amidst the taiga and the Ural ridges,
And on the little hill, a friend’s hand,
Will not place a bouquet of violets.”
A militant atheism annihilated thousands of living Christians in the first half of the last century… But the law of “sowing and reaping” was never repealed, and as a result, today’s youth confidently echo in their hymns:
“Oh, distant North, do you see the barrenness,
Holy seeds are already growing!
And on your abandoned fields,
Fruits will be harvested in future times.”
Thanks to the prayers and sacrifices of many faithful Christians, people in the far north are turning to God!
The coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. It is beautiful here, extraordinarily! Palana – a small town with a population of 4000 people, Kamchatka, on the west bank of the river Palany, not far from the confluence with the Sea Okhotsk. A port provides a connection for ships with fuel, food, and manufactured goods. There is an airport with a local airline, receiving planes and helicopters from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and district towns.
During the winter a road with a length of almost 311 miles from Palana can be driven to reach the villages Esso and Anavgay. To get to the nearest villages a helicopter or snowmobile is needed. The church in Palana has have been praying for this event for a long time. And now here’s to the first gospel trip with the Trakol ready to go! The distance to the village and back is 124 miles.
There is no road at all, only snowmobiles can pass through. With God’s help, we will be the first to use this technology to reach them. We checked the route in advance to know how to get there. We pray about this and ask God for protection and blessing!
