A young female volunteer said to me: “I’ve been visiting these children for eight years, and I still can’t get used to it. Every time I just want to take them home with me.” It’s hard to get used to children’s tears and pain.
In the near future, Oleg will undergo surgery.
In the pediatric hematology department, children often have to endure painful procedures—punctures, injections, catheter insertions—and it is very difficult for them to go through this. So we came up with a way to help through a “Bravery Box.” This is a box filled with good toys, from which a child can choose a gift after a procedure to find some comfort. This month, we were able to purchase enough toys to last for the near future.
I especially ask for prayers for Oleg. He is a boy who completed treatment six months ago, but he has suffered a relapse and the disease has returned. He urgently needs a bone marrow transplant. We sent him to a clinic in Moscow—I saw him off at the airport, and my friend met him there and took him to the hospital. A donor has already been found.
There are many words of gratitude from parents and from the children themselves. It is hard to overestimate the help you provide. I deeply value everything you do. Glory to God that we are serving together—alone we would not have been able to reach these families for Christ! Thank you for helping us stay on the front lines!
I sincerely thank you for already 9 years of helping to develop and carry out ministry to seriously ill children. This month we visited orphanages, a hospice, and spent time with children in the oncology department. A sister joined our team who endlessly thanked God and us for the opportunity to serve children.
I see how God is working with everyone—both with us and with the kids. New children have appeared; they are still being examined to determine an exact diagnosis so that treatment can be prescribed. I would especially like to thank you for your prayers: little Liza is recovering, her condition is stable, and the issue of a donor is now being resolved. If the bone marrow transplant goes well, the child may return to a normal life. Not long ago, doctors were fighting for her life, and we were praying and helping in every way we could.
A few days ago, the mother of a boy who was in the department two years ago called me and said that they remember us and keep all the gifts we gave them, including the children’s Bible, which they keep and read.
Glory to God that we were able to be useful somewhere, and somewhere even the only hope, when strength was gone and only faith and hope remained!
Thank you, dear ones. Together we are impacting people’s lives and can do even more for 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!
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.
