We learned about the “Open heart Ministry” when we were visiting Kansas City in 2016. And in 2019 we opened our own counseling center. This is God’s way of healing tormented hearts.
Here is a brief testimony from an employee of the Children’s
Ark – Maria Unrau:
“25 years of experience with children orphans helped me understand the depth of pain children experience through betrayal, rejection, and violence. The “Open Heart Ministry” is exactly what we lacked in the upbringing of the children. While I have little experience in counseling, but everything I apply gives positive results. During one of the sessions, the student opened up about all the resentment and pain in relation to her mother who abandoned her she was 10 years old. Being back at the shelter she missed her mother, who was waiting for her and tried to call. Years passed, and she still prayed and believed that her mom would come for her. And then a miracle happened – her mother answered the phone.
The girl heard a familiar voice, which was irritable and rude. Her mother began to scream at the child: “Why are you calling? I’m visiting and I can’t talk to you.” And hung up the phone. The girl burst into tears. After ten years her mother picked up the phone for the first time but they didn’t have a conversation. The pain of rejection tortured a grown-up girl. Healing came during prayer when she forgave her mother. God consoled and healed her wounded heart! This is just the beginning. We still have work in from of us for the rest of her life.
I am grateful to Christ that He called me to be His tool for
His kingdom.
A car is vital to our ministry. We praise the Lord that our ministry is expanding, but the car can no longer handle all the tasks with the assigned functions and tasks. Often you have to go to the city and transport not only people but also products food: cereals, butter, sugar.
We not only provide dairy products to our community, but we are happy to share with other communities. We also transport meat, milk, cottage cheese, sour cream, and eggs to their markets. Food products are in high demand, and we provide people high quality and healthy food, some from our own production. We also transport children twice a week to English classes, to a family of a missionary in the village which is over 31 miles away. We deliver clothes and groceries to neighboring villages. During winter our car had trouble driving around in snowy roads among forests and fields. Thanks to your help construction is underway to make improvements to our building – and therefore we often have to bring and Construction Materials.
That car which we have is small and weak and because of
large loads, often began to break. And we, prayerfully we ask you to help us in
purchasing another larger car, more spacious and able to carry a trailer. May
the Lord bless you.
Our community received the opportunity to gather in more spacious building where it became possible to organize parallel services at the same time. Today, our prayer to the Lord is that He fills the new home with saved people.
To achieve this we made an effort and developed various ministries and referrals for evangelism. Brothers and sisters who and did not know about their talents, today jointly glorify God and inspire the community to sing praises to God!
Despite the restrictions, one young brother from church went to study to become a missionary
in Novosibirsk. We opened an office to provide assistance to people who find themselves in difficult life situations. Some of us worked as volunteers, transported food and medicine to homes with lonely, old people who were sick and in need.
This allowed us to make new contacts, chat and build relationships with people who didn’t know God. We continue in the same way pray for the insulation facade of the house of prayer winter cold. Warming will allow us significantly save finances on heating. Without your support, we would not all be able to maintain these projects and ministry. We are grateful for it. May God’s rich mercy bless you.
Our Lord “ate and drank with the tax collectors and sinners”, because He came for “the sick, not the healthy”. People who turn to us for help are broken by sin. They don’t have destinies, and their souls are dark. But, the Lord is alive and merciful – He gives strength and opportunities, patience and compassion for those whom He brings to our abode.
Roma’s story is unique, he is 43 years old, but sin has already crippled him so much that barley living. Roman had his toes and hands amputated. And has frostbite on his legs and knees that are constantly bleeding. He suffers from epilepsy throws himself on the ground.
He lost his parents at the age of 13, and soon after he lost the housing that he inherited. He came to us after leaving the hospital, where he was once again because he was drunk and fell from the 4th floor. Now, added to all his sinful “rewards,” he has now a head injury, with craniotomy and constant headaches. Roman’s pension, like many people in his case, is minimal and not even enough for medicine. He clings to the opportunity given to him by Jesus to live, he loves to read, but because of a headache, he can’t read books. Thank you for your participation in the ministry of saving the lost.
We have been helping families who are undergoing treatment in St. Petersburg after a bone marrow transplant. We are especially involved in the fate of Lera and her mother Masha. They had a very difficult situation, and the doctors fought for Lera’s life. Now, her recovery is going very well, and they are being prepared for discharge and may soon return to Omsk. Masha is thankful for your participation and means a lot to her. She is from an orphanage and a year ago when the news of the terrible diagnosis came, she was lost and lonely. The fact that we were near when this happened is God’s mercy for her, and she understands and appreciates this. Today Masha reads the Gospel and prays.
It is very important to me, that not only parents but also children prepare for their possible death. Considering that we have lost three of whom we took care of, there is a need to pray with each parent and help the child to accept Jesus Christ by faith.
Yesterday, Alena wrote to me, she has a son named Gleb. At the end of September, they flew to St. Petersburg for a checkup. I bought them for Tickets and helped with housing. We accompanied them to the airport and prayed together for God’s blessing.
The hospitals in the city are under lock-down and we are not
allowed to enter. But we give gifts and fill the box of courage.
We also bring food and gifts to orphanages, and
communication with children is allowed only online.
Thank you for your kindness and mercy that opens the hearts
of people to accept the truth!
In the middle of August, strangers called me and started telling me about an elderly man who needs help. They told me that at the beginning of summer, a middle-aged man brought an old man who could barely walk to an empty house next to them. He brought him there and just left. Approximately every 10 days, this man came back with a small bag and left a few hours later. The old man, his name is Victor, practically never appeared on the street. And the man who brought him here was his son.
He sold his father’s apartment, and brought him to a half-destroyed house, with no lights or heating. Before he sold his father’s apartment, he promised to take care of him. So, every 10 days, he brought him in a small bag several cans of food and 2 loaves of bread. Also, he is withholding his father’s small pension for himself. But that’s not all: as it turned out, the elderly man began to walk even worse, but this was due to the fact that the son was beating him almost every time he came, whenever they had disagreements.
When the neighbors learned about it, they called us, and now, glory to the Lord, Victor is with us now. The process of his rehabilitation will be very difficult and lengthy, because he has broken legs, can only move with great pain, and he does not have a single document about him – everything is with his son. Additionally, he also began to lose his hearing. He is very much disappointed in life, and we ask you to pray for his soul. Praise the Lord that he is with us. Now Victor can still live and enjoy real care.
