Bethesda — Children Are Happy!

Bethesda — Children Are Happy!

Thanks to your invaluable help, prayers, and support, we were able to organize unforgettable Christmas celebrations for both children and adults. This year, our team held three Christmas programs. We didn’t just hand out gifts—we shared the joy of Christmas, sang, played, and spent time together.

The Lord revealed Himself in the triumph of His glory, and the joy that filled our hearts overflowed like a river into the hearts of the children and their parents.

In the eyes of many, sparks of happiness lit up, and their faces began to shine with genuine smiles. In total, 185 happy children received gifts! Adults were given 38 New Testaments, 15 Bibles, and more than 250 calendars and Gospel booklets.

We were able to reach two villages where such celebrations had never been held before. The event turned out to be truly bright and heartwarming. As the most valuable feedback, we received invitations for continued cooperation in organizing similar events and gatherings.

Dear friends, this is especially touching and important for us, as we see how, through the Lord, new opportunities are opening to expand the reach of His Kingdom on earth.

Glory to the Lord for this blessing!

Ministry in Bethesda — Evgeny Volkov

Omsk — I want to take them with me!

Omsk — I want to take them with me!

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!

Ministry in Omsk – Sasha Melnikov

Omsk — God is at work!

Omsk — God is at work!

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!

Ministry in Omsk – Sasha Melnikov

Bethesda — He Had Heard About God

Bethesda — He Had Heard About God

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!


Ministry in Bethesda – Evgeny Volkov

Bethesda – Photo on the Calendar

Bethesda – Photo on the Calendar

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.

Ministry in Bethesda – Evgeny Volkov

Bethesda – Ahead of Christmas

Bethesda – Ahead of Christmas

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.

Ministry at Bethesda – Evgeny Volkov