Bethesda – the house of mercy

Bethesda – the house of mercy

The Lord blessed us with food packages, and we had the opportunity to share them with those in need, in our village and surrounding areas. We distributed 38 food packages, mostly to big families, the elderly, the unemployed, and the needy. And precisely about one large family that I wanted to tell you about. Nastya is 23 years old, has two children who are three and one year old, and she also carries a child at the moment. The children have a father, or rather, he appears only when Nastya receives governmental child support, which is not enough for anything, in order to take the money from her away.

We have been supporting her for a very long time, my wife goes to her almost every day. Her situation is even more complicated by the fact that they took out a mortgage, and because of the difficult situation in the country, Anatoly, the father of the children, lost his job and started drinking. For the past six months, they have not been able to pay their rent. Nastya and her children are in an extremely difficult situation, and we ask for your participation in the fate of this family. Nastya was in despair, and when she found out that she was pregnant, she wanted to have an abortion. God gave wisdom and answered our prayers and Nastya didn’t commit this terrible act.

Dear friends, we ask for your participation in the life of this girl and her children. Let us work together not to let them despair and lose their homes over their heads. 

Ministry in Malakhovo – Evgeny Volkov

Bethesda – the roof was replaced

Bethesda – the roof was replaced

We don’t have enough words to express our gratefulness. Our hearts are filled with joy. We praise and thank the Lord for your prayers, help, and support. One of the serious drawbacks at Bethesda was the old roof. Because of the leaking ceiling, we could not make internal repairs in the rooms. Over the course of seven days, the roof structure was reconstructed: the roof was replaced and covered with new iron sheets. Brothers and sisters from seven different communities participated in the work. Thanks to the replacement of the roof, we will be able to redecorate three more rooms, in which nine people can live. Elderly at the age of 55-60 years, who do not have relatives and those who nobody cares about are increasingly turning to us for help.

Bethesda is located in the very center of the village, and none of the local residents can pass by without seeing what great thing is being done here, where until recently there was nothing! Thank you for everything!

Ministry in Kovalevo – Evgeny Volkov

Bethesda – God did not leave!

Bethesda – God did not leave!

Homeless people have been living in Bethesda for many years. We have sheltered them and have weekly bible meetings with them! For some, we help restoring documents, apply for pensions for them, and take them to hospitals. People with amputated limbs are among them!

When we took over the building, it was in disrepair. In order to have homeless people reside there we urgently need to change the roof and make major repairs. Bethesda is not just a home for homeless people – it is also our church! Here we are gathering for worship!

God did not leave us. With your help, we have bought wood and are ready to begin the repair. We still lack about $4,000 for interior decoration. We will be grateful from the heart to all who participate in this good deed!

Ministry in Kovalevo – Willi Dueck

Christmas is in our village!

Christmas is in our village!

My heart rejoices and is filled with joy, which I want to share with you. On January 6th, we had the privilege to proclaim the Good News. Together, we held two Christmas performances in two villages, in Kovalevo – where we live and in the neighboring village Ivanovka.

In Kovalevo the holiday took place in the house of culture with more than 50 people, most of them children with parents. For more than an hour the Gospel was proclaimed in a playful way, and it was accepted by both children and adults, we gave gifts, calendars, Bibles and the Gospel.

In the afternoon we went to the neighboring village Ivanovka – and we were surprised that 160 people came for the holiday, 103 were children and 56 adults. The Lord again, like many years ago, made a miracle. When we arrived, we had 105 gifts left, so we began to meet the children at the door and count them.

And here it is a miracle from the Lord – 103 children came, and there were enough gifts for all the children and, the remaining two were given to the elders. These days only a few people believe in miracles and selfless motives. But through doing good, we showed people the real reason of Christmas!

On this beautiful and wonderful day, the Gospel was heard by more than 200 people, and your participation was crucial here. Thank you so much. May God reward you for your diligence in spreading the Gospel!

Ministry in Kovalevo – Evgeny Volkov

Bethesda is in need!

Bethesda is in need!

Peace and grace to you, dear friends! In 2014, God blessed the church with 3 houses, in one of the villages in the Omsk region. Soon it was decided to use these houses as a ministry of mercy and create a shelter for the elderly, the disabled and those who have absolutely nowhere to go. Colossal work was done in the building: windows were inserted, floors were laid in some rooms, water was installed, and the heating system was repaired.

Despite all this, the buildings remain unfinished. Currently there are 26 people, 15 of them are between the ages 50 to 70 years, 8 of them have physical disabilities: amputation of limbs, partial loss of speech and coordination.

Many of those who stay here do not have any documents or formalized pensions, which means there is still a lot of work ahead.

The main problem of the building is the old and leaking roof, which flows from the ceiling along the walls – and that’s why we cannot do the interior decoration of the rooms.

To replace the roof, we need wood (board, timber, crossbars). Roof tiles and a drainage system are also needed. We also need volunteers and are ready to do it ourselves. For all this we need to raise about $4000.

We pray to the Lord for the sacrificial, caring, and heart-giving partners in the work of the Lord.

Ministry in Omsk – Evgeny Volkov

We picked him up from the streets

We picked him up from the streets

The Lord prompted my heart to describe the life of Vladimir, he is 61 years old. We met him on Christmas Eve in 2017. We were on our way to the worship service, and suddenly we saw a man crawling along the road. We stopped and picked him up. He was crawling because he had lost both legs after a car accident in 2016. As we found out later, he was crawling to the railway, where he wanted to commit suicide. The Lord destroyed the plans of the enemy and he didn’t do it. In the accident, Vladimir not only lost his legs, but also all his documents were burned at the same time.

He comes from the Donetsk region and because of the conflict, everything is destroyed there, and the requests sent to the archives remain unanswered. This is how he lives – without legs, documents, and pension. All that remains is, to trust in the grace of the Lord and the sacrificial hearts of His children. Once every 2 months, we need to take him to a paid clinic for examinations and to pump up fluids that have been built up from the patella. Vladimir needs a wheelchair or protheses, in addition to this a monthly medicine expense. He needs bandages, ointments and pills but without documents, none of this can be obtained for free.

When he began to live with us, he was a very rude and was disappointed in people, refused to receive help and lived with the idea of ​​dying. But today, Christ is changing his heart, and he is already beginning to invoke the Name of the Lord in prayers.

Vladimir and all 19 people living here (9 of them are disabled and many have similar stories) are very grateful for your participating in the life of the “Bethesda”.

Ministry in Bethesda – Evgeny Volkov