In the last two months of the outgoing 2024 year, our team has done a great deal of work: Christmas performances were held, gifts, calendars, and, of course, the great joy was proclaimed: “…today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.”
You can see the photo of the girl – who looks exactly like the child featured on the Christian children’s calendar for 2025. We went to a village with a performance, and during a personal conversation with one of the mothers, we learned that they have a daughter with cerebral palsy (CPC), who almost never walks, as she is physically unable to (except for visits to the hospital for treatment). When we entered their house and walked into the room, the first to freeze were the bunnies (teenagers in costumes), then I, followed by the mother and the little girl, after I pulled out the calendar.
“Mom, these bunnies brought me!” – that’s what the little girl said as she took the children’s calendar from my hands. This unforgettable moment left a bright light and a warm beam in the heart of everyone present, from God’s love, mercy, and care.
We are deeply grateful to each one of you for your persistent prayers. Your prayers are not just words; they are the powerful force of the Holy Spirit, which helps us move forward, inspiring us toward new achievements, goals, and victories. For Christ’s sake, please continue to pray for the youth, the teenagers from the volunteer team, so that they may be strong in faith and unwavering in following Christ. Also, pray for all those who heard the Good News, who received the calendars, Gospels, and Bibles.
We have been praying and reflecting for a long time about the construction of a house of prayer in the village. The Lord has already met us halfway, and we have land! We are praying for the formation of a team of workers. We need sacrificial, dedicated ministers! We are also praying for the expansion of the church. Three brothers were baptized in the summer of 2024, and two are preparing for baptism in January 2025. This is a great blessing for us! There are already two small groups in the village, and we are praying for the expansion of this ministry!
Christmas services are ahead. We plan to participate in several short-term missions across Siberia (ranging from three to seven days), with the goal of preaching the Gospel, conducting children’s programs, and distributing sweet gifts and calendars to small ethnic groups. The first trip will take place in mid-December, and we will bring 700 gifts. After the Christmas holidays, we will pray and start the third group in the village.
Over the past year, we had one wedding, and the newly formed family has stayed to live and serve in the village. At the end of the summer, they had a son. We continue to run a children’s and youth club.
We thank you, dear ones, for your help and prayers in supporting the mercy house ministry. Over the past year and a half, we were able to make cosmetic repairs to the shelter building: we replaced the electrical system, installed fire alarms, painted the walls, put up a suspended ceiling, solved the water supply issue, reorganized the kitchen, and made a separate dining room.
Thank you, dear ones, for your help and prayers for us.
Today I want to introduce you to Andrey Afanasyev, who is 57 years old. Our first meeting with him took place just over a year ago. One day, a woman called and told us about her neighbors. The husband had suffered a stroke and was unable to care for himself, while his wife was constantly looking for alcohol, not working anywhere, and would disappear for several days at a time. Andrey, the neighbor, was almost always alone. His house was in disrepair. There was no firewood, and there was nothing to heat the place with. The house was full of filth. He was constantly hungry, cold, and alone.
We offered to take Andrey to the shelter, and he cried, asking not to be left to die alone. We joyfully took him to the House of Mercy, where he was accepted and surrounded with care and love. And so, for a year now, Andrey has been constantly hearing about the love of Jesus Christ, demonstrating the image of a loving God. Now, Andrey remembers his past life, the time when he was on the brink of starving to death, as a terrible nightmare. Today, he is well-fed, clothed, and regularly receives medical care, emotional, and spiritual support. He is cared for in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We believe that the Lord guides us, and we understand that there is still much work to be done. We must stand in the gap for the souls of the people entrusted to us by Jesus.
We ask for your prayerful support for this ministry:
1. We pray for the people living in the shelter, that each may reconcile with Christ.
2. Pray for the team of servants at Bethesda.
3. We pray for the completion of the repair and construction work and the improvement of the premises.
Our team of volunteers, representing eight congregations from the region, along with some young people who are not yet church members, conducted two family retreats. Over the two sessions this year, we hosted a total of 145 people. This year, we had a new addition to our team—a young woman taking her first steps in faith. She was inspired to join us by the testimonies of others who had participated in these retreats before.
About a month before the retreat, a brother and his family were returning from vacation. While sharing their faith on the train, they met a woman who turned out to be a sister in the Lord, though she was struggling in her faith due to her husband abandoning her. This event had divided her life into a “before” and “after.” She was traveling with her children—two teenagers and an 8-year-old girl—to the Altai region in search of a new home. But after connecting with the brother’s family, she felt God’s guidance and, a week later, arrived in Omsk to visit the brother’s congregation.
After attending a service—and through the prompting and guidance of the Holy Spirit—she decided to settle in Omsk. God’s intervention in her life didn’t stop there. Just at that time, a family canceled their attendance for the first retreat session, allowing her family to join us. God affirmed their decision, and they were deeply satisfied with the experience. Now, they are integrated into the brother’s congregation that welcomed them like family and are actively working with children in the ministry.
A few days ago, three of our young men were baptized as a confirmation of their renewed lives through the risen Christ. Each of their journeys to this event is unique, long, challenging, and not easy. Yuri, 42 years old, has been with us in the shelter for 1.6 years. He was baptized and is praying to enroll in a missionary faculty. He came to us from a garbage dump, where he lived for 2 years, gradually dying from alcoholism. Vladimir, 45 years old, has been with us for a year; he was homeless, suffering from drug addiction and incurable diseases, living on the streets. Sergey, 63 years old, has been with us for 1.2 years; his relatives kicked him out onto the street after the death of his aunt, whom he cared for for 5 years. He wanted to end his life.
But this is how they lived until they met Jesus, after which they want to live differently and be useful. Today, they are different people—radiant with joy and happiness. Joy accompanies us throughout our time running the shelter, which has been in operation for 8 years this year. On this occasion, we held a festive service attended by many guests and friends. Over the years, the shelter has become a home for many young people battered by fate. Guests are amazed by the changes that occur in people who have been deprived of shelter, health, and hope for a better life. But everything changes thanks to the Lord and the help of those who care about the suffering of others.
For the past six months, repair work has been ongoing at the shelter to improve the living conditions for those who couldn’t manage life and ended up on the streets. Of the 28 people living in the shelter today, 24 are elderly, and many of their days are numbered.
The most remarkable thing is that even when they were young, they never had such living conditions. Praise the Lord, who is wise in His plan to transform the soul and life of a person. Many of our residents have tears in their eyes as they see the rooms and the building where they have found refuge transformed in the final period of their lives.
These people, who were once considered unnecessary (and our residents were just like that before meeting Jesus), find it hard to believe that all this beauty is for them and that it is done by the One who left the glory of heaven and came to earth to make others happy. The work being done at the shelter helps many to reflect and reconsider their values. This is how the Lord changes their hardened and callous hearts.
Daily Bible readings reveal Jesus, who lived for others, in a new light. There is still much work ahead, but we do not give up, as we feel and have your support, both in prayer and financially. The Holy Spirit, who moves your hearts, also helps us in this difficult task.
I express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for your contribution, dear friends. Through charity, many accept Jesus as their Savior!
