OM 在这群福音未及的群体中推动了好些儿童营，其中一个营会特别关注弱势儿童—尤指孤儿及单亲家庭长大的孩子。短宣队里有部份队员是第一次参与穆斯林文化背景的营会。为此，他们发现要确切地服事来自不同背景的儿童实在不易。

「我不是很了解营会的宗旨。我祷告祈求上帝指示我该怎么做，明白我为何而来」 其中一名队员分享道。「上帝垂听我的祷告，祂引导我意识到这群孩子非常孤独，他们需要我们的关心。他们需要有人陪他们一起玩，陪他们聊天。感谢上帝使用我把欢笑带给他们。」

虽然队员们无法公开地分享他们的信仰，但他们透过与其建立关系和教导以圣经为基础的「道德课程」来宣扬真理。

 「我们虽然没有办法公开谈论耶稣基督，但这并不拦阻我们为这群孩子们祷告，分享上帝的爱，成为上帝手中的器皿。我们爱这群孩子。他们乐意亲近我们，且愿意向我们敞开心。」另一位队员说道。

「每天早晨，这群孩子迫不及待等着活动的开始，迎接新的挑战。因上帝那丰盛的慈爱，祂召集义工们和孩子们相聚，使得信徒有机会可以和这群孩子做朋友。」

为这群参加营会的孩子们祷告—祈求上帝能让所撒下的福音种子能在他们心中滋长，但愿他们能渴慕寻见真理。

OM serves mainly in Tkvarchal. Until this year there had never been an evangelical church in this town. Once, this was a flourishing industrial town of about 40,000 people. The city suffered badly from the ethnic war of independence in ‘92-‘93 with Georgia, and now only 4,000 citizens remain. Many live in war-damaged houses, which have still not been repaired. Youth face many problems, such as trauma, poverty, unemployment, alcohol and drug addictions and a high suicide rate.

But God has not forgotten this place!

Some years ago, the government granted the evangelical church a building, despite the fact that there were no believers. About a year and a half ago Arayk moved to the city to care for the building.

He was not a typical missionary or a church planter. No one expected anything from him. But as he went out to evangelise on the streets, people started to come to listen to the word of God. Teenagers came to watch weekly biblical movies. People appeared to be very open and receptive for the gospel.

Nowadays, a group of thirty people gather each week. Seventeen have been baptised in the past months and about 25 young people regularly attend the biblical film club.

A year ago, OM became involved in this new church plant. Around Christmas, the students of the Mission Disciple Training centre helped organise a children’s club. Over 50 children attended, and there was simply not enough space for everyone. This year, four students are living for nine months in the church building to connect with the youth and to organise evangelistic clubs in the surrounding villages. They provide practical help and food for poor families, and build up relationships with the youth around the church. The team sees a huge need to disciple these new believers through weekly clubs.

The team hopes to recruit pastors–for short term or long term–to teach the believers. It also aims to help the church buy a plot of land next to the church to build a playground for youth ministries, where there can be a football and volleyball court as well as using the space to organise Bible camps.

It is exciting to see what God can do through one simple man who started a church without any specific training. The team sees it as a privilege to be a part of this new church plant and to come alongside them. However, there is still a huge need for support and discipleship. Baptising people is a big milestone; but becoming lifelong disciples is another big step. Through this promising start, the team prays for more new communities growing in Abkhazia like this one in Tkvarchal.

Apart from school, there is hardly anything to do in the town. No sports, no music lessons, nothing. After school you might sometimes go for a swim or hang out with some friends, doing nothing. Many of your classmates have a similar life. Some of them moved away over time. Others are involved with crime. Some are stealing in order to care for their families, but most of them are stealing to buy drugs and alcohol. They just want a few moments to forget the misery in life. Recently your best friend was so desperate that she tried to take her own life. Thank God she survived, but mentally she is still in a bad place. Is there any meaning of life in this terrible mess?  

This life is reality for many children and teenagers in Tkvarcheli. Tkvarcheli is a town in the south of Abkhazia, which was severely damaged in the ethnic war with Georgia. The town once flourished as an industrial centre of the region, but 25 years after the war, the town is still shattered, and almost nothing has been rebuilt. Children are on their own and often drawn to crime. These children live under the spiritual oppression of the pagan traditions, which are common among the Abkhazians. In such conditions, the teenage club at the church is a beacon of light for the children and teenagers in the town. It is a place for kids to develop, learn new things and spend quality time together.

One of the local kids is 10-year-old Tamila*. Tamila has several sisters and a mother, who works only in the summertime, when tourists visit this country. Tamila and her friends like to come to the church to spend time there. When this church started two years ago, one of the believers began to work with kids. He organized a movie club, which gathered a lot of kids and teenagers each week. But it was not enough for the ministry with the kids. They had a great need for quality time and activities. OM, who is partnering with this church, decided to send four second-year MDT (Missions Discipleship Training) students to serve a one-year internship with these kids and teenagers.

Just before the MDT students came to this city, the children were told that new people would come and spend time with them. Tamila and other kids were very happy and looking forward to meeting with new friends. Once the four second-year MDT students came for their internship in Tkvarcheli, they quickly became friends with the local children, especially with four girls (one of whom is Tamila).

The students are responsible for the children’s and teenagers’ ministry. They organize a children’s and teenagers’ club twice a week. More than 15 teenagers and children come to play games, have tea and then discuss some topics. Besides this, students show an example of Christian life and God’s love just by living there. Every morning, the students spend time with God and read the Bible. The children see this. One day Tamila got very curious about the book they read. Sometimes she also took the Bible and sat next to the students. She, too, read the Bible and was looking for what was interesting in this book, which didn’t have any pictures.

The students also befriended the parents of these girls, and they allowed the girls to have sleepovers with the students. It was a nice time of fellowship—they cooked dinner together, drew and did some crafts. Before going to bed, they read stories from the Bible.

One of these nights, after prayer, Tamila suddenly whispered words, that touched one of the students. She said: “I really want to be like you, be a Christian. What should I do for it?” The students suggested to pray, and Tamila called on God. “I know that Jesus loves me so much, and died for my sins,” Tamila shared.

Now the Bible is the most important and precious thing for her. She takes it everywhere and always wants to read it. One day Tamila left her jacket at the church, and when her mother came to pick it up, she said: “My daughter has several jackets, and there is Bible in each of them.” Especially Tamila likes to read it with one of the students because she remembers Bible stories better when they read the Bible one-on-one, rather than with the other kids.

The children’s and teenagers’ club at the church has impacted the lives of the local kids very much. They not only hear the truth but also learn how to make different crafts, sing songs and have fun. “I have never made such beautiful crafts,” said Tamila, delightedly.

Tamila and other girls have changed a lot. They care about others, are more obedient and respect their parents. Seeing the practical Christian life of the students, the local children want and try to be like them.

*name changed for security

OM has organised several camps for children from unreached people groups. One of the camps was for disadvantaged kids – some children were parentless, others had only a mother or father. For some members of the outreach team, it was their first time being involved in a camp in a Muslim context. Some found it difficult to know exactly how to reach out to the children whose backgrounds differed from their own.

“I did not fully understand the aims of the camp. I prayed that the Lord would show me what I should do; why I should come here," shared one member of the outreach team. "God answered my prayers and I realised that these children are very lonely and need attention. They need someone to play, talk with them. Praise the Lord, He used me to let the kids smile and feel happy."

Team members could not openly share their faith, but were able to proclaim the truth through relationships with each other and special 'Lessons of Morality' based on the Bible.

“Although we were not allowed to speak openly about Jesus Christ, it didn't stop us from praying for children, sharing God’s love and being instruments in God’s hands. We loved the kids very much. They become attached to us and opened their hearts to us,” said another volunteer.

"Each morning, kids were waiting for the start of the programme and were ready for new adventures. The Lord united volunteers and kids by His gracious love, as believers became friends to those children."

Pray for the kids who attended the camps; that the seed of faith would grow in their hearts and they will search for the truth. 

About one and a half years ago, Ruslan and his family moved from Siberia to live and serve among a local people group in the Caucasus. This is one of the least-reached Islamic people groups in Russia; 99.99 per cent of the people have never engaged with the gospel. They have heard about Christianity but have never been introduced to Jesus. Ruslan desires to be light for these people who are living in darkness. He and his family live and engage with the local people through business, sport and hospitality.

Ruslan shares about his ministry. “I have gotten to know Amin*, who is a Muslim. I met him in the sports club. He offered to coach me in the gym, which I gladly accepted. This went very well, and we started to share a bit more about our lives. Recently I was able to offer him some work through my company. This has made our relationship grow. Every time when we meet, I share informally, but intentionally, a Bible story with him. Mostly from the Old Testament because these stories connect better with people within the Islamic context. I pray that our friendship can develop so that one day we might be able to read the Bible together, and I would be able to share the full gospel with him.”

Ruslan uses his connections at the crossroads of his life to share about Jesus. Whether through his business contacts or with the hairdresser. He invites them to his home and shares stories of the Old Testament. When people appear to be open for a spiritual conversation, he shares his personal testimony, and, eventually, Ruslan invites them to study the holy Scriptures together.  

Jesus’ examples of love and respect are key principles in Ruslan’s approach. He wants to engage with the local people on a personal and cultural level. He wants to become like them by learning their language, eating their food, going to the gym and showing them hospitality as they have shown it to him.

Please pray for Ruslan that his relationships with people in the community would grow, and that he would be able to share the full gospel of Jesus Christ with these people. Please pray that more Russian Christians like Ruslan would stand up and go to the least reached!

*Name changed for security

Several years ago, one of the churches in Novosibirsk started to work in this region. Believers organised several trips to one of the villages to share the gospel and work with kids. The church realised that several trips were not enough, and prayed about sending long-term missionaries with the vision of starting a new church. God answered their prayers, and one family from the church made the decision to move and continue to share the gospel in that area.

Another couple, Dmitry and Natalya, also took part in the church’s outreaches. After a time of prayer and reflection, they decided to follow God’s calling to be light to those people in the village. But they could hardly imagine how they could serve, or what they could do. “We didn’t have any experience in mission work and were rather young,” says Dmitry. To prepare for ministry among the least reached, they decided to study at the OM Russia MDT (Missions Discipleship Training). During their first course, they had several outreaches with other students to the village where they were going to serve. These trips helped them get to know the local people and their needs and they became more convinced of serving there. After the first year of studies, they moved to the village in the region as second year students and missionaries of their home church.

“We are happy to serve the Lord here! It is such a privilege for us to tell about Jesus to this ethic group, which didn’t know Christ yet!" says Natalya.

Living permanently in the village dramatically differs from visiting the village for short-term periods though.

“When we came here to organise kids camps, people were open, friendly and ready to hear the Good News. But as soon as we moved to permanent residency, we felt that the locals became more unkind. We invited them to come to our house, but they refused. It was difficult for us; we were faced with the lack of communication. But, praise the Lord, there is a Christian family from our church, with whom we can talk, have fellowship,” shares Natalya.

Natalya and Dmitry understood that it was very important to have friends among the local people. They began to pray about it. God then gave opportunities to build relationships and tell the gospel. Several local people accepted Christ as their personal Saviour, and some of them are now preparing to get baptised.

A couple of years ago there was not any Christian fellowship and believers in this least-reached community. Today, missionaries and the locals gather together to study the Bible and have service.

One of Natalya’s ministries is working with children. Every Saturday, kids of all ages run to her house to listen to the stories from the Bible, do crafts and play games. Natalya and Dmitry use every opportunity to tell about the hope that God gives: at work, addressing people’s needs and through providing some help.

Please pray for Dmitry and Natalya and their ministry. There are still many locals who are hostile to them. Pray that the Lord would soften their hearts and many more people from this least-reached group would find real salvation.

Although Russia is predominately a Christian country, many ethnic groups live in a desperate need of the gospel. The Tatar people are an ancient nomadic Turkic people group who live mostly in Russia. Over five million of the world's six-and-a-half million Tatar population live within Russia's borders. The Tatar religion is traditionally folk Islam with its foundations in Sunni Islam.

Local churches in cooperation with OM bring the good news to those who have never heard of Jesus Christ. One of the volunteers* who participated in an outreach to a few least reached villages shares her experience…

Thursday morning 07:17. A quiet church prayer meeting. We're already over half way through our week-long trip and tiredness is setting in. After evangelism and miracles the previous day, the spirit is very willing, but the flesh is oh so weak. I try hard to listen to the dulcet tones of the kind Russian man leading the service, but my eyes are weary. In order to keep them alert, I decide to read my Bible scripture for the day starting in John chapter 3 and slowly but surely read through to the end of John chapter 4. God, show me something for today. Speak to me Lord, I pray. I'm hungry for more after seeing Him work powerfully this week. I just want more. The story of the woman at the well leaps out from the page. I wonder what possible application it could have to ministry today, but store it away in my heart anyway.

It's raining. Sigh. When it rains the roads are transformed into unrelenting mud monsters which try to hold you back from reaching your destination. Twice as slippery as ice, any slight error from the driver can throw your car into an unstoppable spin. Unfortunately, today the driver is me. Yet we are undeterred and desperate to get to the Tatar village and meet the local people, pray with them and tell them about Jesus.

The village consists of just one straight road with homes tightly squeezed in as though for warm fellowship. We see a beaming, short, older man outside his quaint wooden house overlooking the river. The Tatar people have an endearingly warm hospitality, and the man quickly invites us into his equally warm stove-heated home. We chat for a good half-an-hour. About life, about the village, about faith. I offer to pray for his wife who he described as being sick from old age. They look amazed, "Do you know how to?" It is only then that I realise they expect me to break out into Arabic to pray the way a Muslim does. Instead, I hold her hand firmly, kneel at her feet and pray to our God, who speaks their language. We bless their home, leave some gifts and move on hoping to meet someone else who has ears to hear.

We see two older women in the middle of the village. As we approach them, we notice two metal pails ready to be filled with the day's water from the well. We offer to help one of the ladies carry her water and begin to talk about life, the village and faith. After a discourse about the hardships of life, and the lack of hope I gently say that we have hope in Jesus. "Jesus? Who is He? I don't know who that is.” Her sweet, inquisitive response silently tore my heart in pieces. I am still ruined by her words. How could she have never heard the beautiful life-giving name of Jesus before? The Spirit within me, unsurprised by her response, steadily continued to explain the wonders of His name and who He is. The rest is a blur, but I remember feeling warm and comforted by the words of truth flowing in Russian from my lips. She seemed amazed and receptive, and I ask if I could pray with her. "Do you know how to?" Again, that question that can only be asked by someone who thinks God is far away and unapproachable. "Yes, and I can teach you as well,” I reply with joy. Amazingly, she is one of the few literate ones in the village and seems thrilled to be given the Gospel of John and a full Bible so she can understand more about this Jesus.

Would you pray with me that she would indeed be like the woman at the well that Jesus met over 2,000 years ago – the one who told the whole village about this Jesus that she had met?

“Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony...They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” – John 4:39, 42 (ESV)

*Names not included for security reasons

It was their third trip, and people hadn’t welcomed them on the first and second visit. They closed doors in the team's faces and told them that they didn’t want to listen to them. But the third time turned out to be a big blessing.

The team visited a local believer – Natalya*, and her family.  Her adult son also believes in God and studies the Bible. This time Natalya prepared people, telling them about Jesus and about the team coming to visit.

When the DC students came, people were ready to listen to them. In one of the houses they visited, a woman called Luba* clearly understood the main points of the gospel and Bible.

She used to keep up with ethnic traditions and practice shamanism, but this way of life made her go into debt and she had big problems because of it. It was hard on her and she began to think about whether it was the only way of life. Her friend Natalya told her about Christ, and Luba got interested in learning more about Jesus.

When the team came, they invited her to a Bible study group. There was worship time and a sermon. At the beginning of the service this woman didn’t come and people in the team thought perhaps she had changed her mind. But Luba came in the middle of the service. She was the only one who came among those who were invited.

She listened, sang, prayed and was asked why she wanted to abandon her traditions and receive Christ. Luba explained that her traditional gods and spirits bring her to a dead-lock.

“If I live the same life, worship idols, I will enter hell. But I want to believe the true God," she said. She realised that she needed God and repented. Her eyes were filled with joy. The team gave her a New Testament in the Altai language and congratulated her for this important step in her life.

Please pray that Luba will grow in faith and that a church will be started in that village.

* Surname not included for security reasons

Every week people from different Asian nationalities gather together for a service. Asel knew about it and wanted to participate in one of the meetings. She came to the service, which united Korean, Tuvan, Uzbek and other believers. They worshipped God together and had sermons.

Although this meeting is for Christians, one non-Christian girl, Dina*, came. She is a student in that city and came from a little town with a rich Buddhist history. Dina grew up in the Buddhist culture and considered herself to be Buddhist, but her friend who is a Christian invited her to the meeting. Dina enjoyed this time, singing songs and listening to the sermons.

After the service, Asel came and talked with Dina in their native language and asked if she had heard about God before. Dina answered: “No, I am a Buddhist. I guessed that it was a Christian meeting”. She added: “What shall I do with Buddha now?”

Asel and her family used to practice Buddhism and worship idols. That’s why it was easy for her to share her experience in finding the truth and explain the gospel. The DC student also told her that Jesus is the Lord for Russian, as well as Tuvans and other nationalities. Dina listened to her very carefully and asked questions. Her eyes were filled with tears and she was looking for the right way. Asel offered her to pray and call to God. They prayed together and Dina repented.

Now Asel continues to communicate with Dina and desires to involve her in Bible Study group.

Please pray for Dina as she learns to follow Christ.

*Names changed

From the beginning, students crowded into the OM team’s tiny flat each week, eager to hear about Christ. “They often had no idea who God really was, but they were desperate to learn more,” says Lloyd. They were full of excitement about their new faith. On Saturdays, they gathered with the leaders for ‘church’; on Sundays, they attended regular church services; on Mondays, they attended OM evangelism training; on Wednesdays, they had Bible study and, on Fridays, they joined in outreach in train stations and shopping areas. “They wanted to grow in and share their faith, “remembers Lloyd, “but they desperately needed training to do so.”

Around that time, a Russian pastor, who had remained faithful during the years of communism, said to the team, “The best thing you could do is train our young people in their faith and instil in them a desire for reaching people in remote parts of Siberia.”

This resonated deeply with OM leaders and took root when Colin and Bron joined the team in the late '90s. Soon after, a Russian called Vitali attended an OM prayer meeting. He brought a large map of the area. When he pointed out each town on the map, the group prayed for that town. Vitali prayed that God would use OM to train missionaries to move into these places and extend God’s kingdom. “God had begun something inside us,” says Colin. “Sometime later, the wisdom of training others in ministry, instead of continuing to serve on the ‘frontline’ ourselves, became clearer.”

Serving through training

Over the next two years, the OM team put together a six-month residential programme for Russians, bought a four-room flat and invited students to study there. “It was a great day in 2006 when we opened the doors to the first eight men and women,” remembers Colin.

The team was worried about the sparseness of the accommodation and apologised to three of the young men. The men laughed out loud, though; two of them had recently been released from prison, where they had shared a room that size with 18 others! “This was, and still is, a hallmark of the discipleship programme,” says Colin, “God entrusting us with former drug addicts, alcoholics and criminals, whom He had already begun to transform into His ambassadors for the gospel.”

In May 2016, the OM team celebrated 10 years of the Discipleship Centre. “What a joy it was to reconnect with over 100 former students, now spread out right across Siberia, Russia and the ends of the Earth,” says Colin. “An incredible answer to that prayer on our living room floor 12 years earlier.”

In 2013, Tim and Jo joined to train new Russian disciples. OM has trained 138 people over 10 years; another 22 students are currently studying. Past students are now involved in various ministries, such as planting churches among ethnic minorities like the Tatars in Northern Siberia. Alumni also visit local prisons weekly and lead Bible studies among interested inmates, a number of whom have come to faith. Graduates of the Discipleship Centre are also serving on board OM’s ship, Logos Hope. One graduate, Alena, is in charge of the cleaning crew, who are known on board as the ‘angels’. “In Russia, we joke that she's the archangel!” laughs Tim.

About 25 per cent of male graduates have gone on to seminary to become pastors, and a large percentage of the graduates serve in full-time ministry. Some have even gone into overseas missions.

Many of the Russians who participate in OM’s training programme have memorable stories. Yury, who graduated early in 2016, was 12 when he first went to prison; at 13 he learnt how to steal cars. By 20, Yury was a heavy drug user and had contracted tuberculosis. He learnt about Jesus from a local believer, Aleksey, who now serves with OM. Yury eventually understood that God wanted to change his life. Released from prison six months later, his first priority was to be baptised. Soon after, he began studying at the OM Discipleship Centre, learning about the Bible, preaching, serving in various ways and sharing the gospel with others.

Today OM continues to offer Russian believers six months of intensive Bible study and ministry training. After students graduate, OM offers them opportunity to live among unreached people groups to share the gospel and help plant churches, fulfilling the vision to see vibrant communities of Jesus followers established all over Siberia and beyond.

Katherine Porter and her husband, Lloyd, have served with OM for 26 years. Six years helping to establish teams in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism paved the way for 10 years as field leaders in Russia. In 2007, they and their two daughters moved to Western Australia, recruiting and sending people to serve across the OM world. Katherine is currently the Director of OM Global Organisational Development.

One day Pavel*, an OM worker got acquainted with a man from this ethnic group and shared the gospel with him. The man had problems with his health and his family was very poor, so he had to scrounge for money. Pavel had the chance to give a TV set to them and tell his family about God.

Recently, Pavel had another opportunity to share the gospel with people from this ethnic group. He has been working alongside and keeping in touch with Romani believers in another city for several years. These friends have relatives who came to Pavel’s city for one day, and it was a great opportunity to tell them the good news. Pavel spent the day with them, serving them. Some of Pavel’s Romani friends also came, and they found many things to talk about and felt united. It was the perfect time to share the good news.

Pavel talked about God and His love and care for them. He also explained that it is important to care about our spiritual state, and that the common problem for everyone is salvation of souls and eternal life.

The guests asked many questions and realised the need for repentance. The Lord worked in their hearts and seven people in this group, who were not Christians, repented.  Moreover, the leader of this group asked the OM worker to record the prayer so that they could use it for other relatives.

Pray for the Romani people and that they would always seek God and grow in faith.

* Name changed

God’s love was shown in every moment of the camp through games, shorts stories, cartoons, songs, etc. Kids became friends and began to trust each other. Many of them didn’t have such relationships before they became friends during the camp.

There were two girls from a Muslim family who heard the good news and experienced the love of Christ for the first time. They actively took part in the program. There was a special time for prayer on one day, and these girls pronounced a prayer of repentance.

When they came home, they shared with their mother the impressions that they got at the camp. They liked the camp very much and Anna* said, “They loved us and cared for us.” 

Their mother was surprised and answered, “I also love you and take care of you. I feed you, provide with clothes.” The girl continued, “If you mean that the love is enough in feeding and providing clothes, than we don’t want such love. We saw love there and would like to have it“.

Please pray for these girls and their family that they will have true love, which only Jesus gives.

* Name changed

People from Russia helped the local team in the first camp and were leaders of kids’ groups in the second camp. Although Moldova is a Romanian-speaking country, Russian is also used. The team had an opportunity to work with kids who only speak Russian, and it was a big privilege for the participants to be helpful by using their native language.

It was the first time for most of the team members to go on a mission trip in another country.

Ekaterina* shared, “We were told that we should be ready for difficult conditions: poverty, very hot weather. But as soon as we came, we realised that the living conditions were very good. Our trip was really wonderful.”

This mission trip was a special one for all team members. One of them, Evgeniy*, said: “The Lord humbled me by working with these kids. God showed me my heart and what should be changed towards children and other people”.

The Russian team liked this time of serving the Lord and the mission trip to Moldova will always be remarkable for them.

*Surnames not included

Each city was different with varying ministries, people, and schedules, but in every place the OM team knew they would be asked for their stories and could be a witness by simply being there. This was the greatest ministry of the outreach, sharing testimonies and being living signs that God works around the world and in Russia.

Many times the team members were asked, “Why Russia? There were so many different places, why our city?” The team responded, “because, God loves your city, and He loves you and sees you.” Each of them were able to share about the gospel and their many different countries, swapping stories, pictures, and the culture of each homeland.

One of these instances occurred when some bottom-bunk neighbors on the train were two men, both named Alexander. One team member from France was able to strike up a conversation through translation and was soon sharing pictures and playing a Russian card game until the lights went out. After the team devotions the next day, one of the Alexanders said that he had a Bible at home that he didn’t read, but that if the group found it so interesting maybe he should try to re-read it when he got back.

In many places the team was put to work practically, painting a playground for a childrens’ home, stacking wood for a rehabilitation centre, dressing up as pirates, or playing as dark figures chasing fifty kids for a night game in a camp.

At times they were simply told that twenty or so kids were coming, and that they needed to make a program for them. For this, every country represented brought something to make a multi-cultural day camp for a few hours. There were quizzes, somebody taught the greetings in several different languages, and they played games. Kids were even able to try sweets from Finland, Holland, and Germany!

Every time the team was asked what their favorite part of the travelling and of Russia was, the answer was unanimous: the people. They didn’t know who they’d meet, that they’d talk to a homeless teenager taken into a Christian children’s home the day before, or share personal experiences of God with an orthodox missionary who doesn’t believe in such a thing, or to have tea with people going through rehab. Seeing the pastors, caregivers, rehab-workers, and local Christians whose ministry it was to care for and reach out to them was unbelievable, and more encouraging than anything each one witnessed along the way. Seeing their inspiring humility and service in their communities and churches, the hospitality they showed the team, and all the crazy conversations were unforgettable.

Pastor Valeriy* and his family stood out as someone the team got to know. His involvement in local and world missions, praying for the people, sending out workers, being faithful - it was obvious how passionate he was to reach people for Christ. He communicated about God in every conversation. He said he wouldn’t be alive if it hadn’t have been for God sending missionaries to their village to give him the gospel, and continues this work for others. The pastor and his family took over the church when the missionaries left, serving there, using the church and his teaching job to reach out to the young people, and praying for spiritual freedom in the dark villages.

The OM team saw amazing places, served when they could, and encountered Russia in a way not many are able to. It was encouraging, demanding, hilarious, fun, exhausting, surprising, intense in every way, and with so many more words and pictures it could still be difficult sum up the unbelievable, seven-city expedition across the biggest country on earth.

* Surname not included

The participants came from different parts of Russia. One of them, Dmitry*, travelled over 3,000 kilometres, coming from the city of Penza. He is a director of Independent Non-profit Organization, whose aim is to help prisoners and their families. He came to the training to find out how he could help people living with HIV.

Dmitry cooperates with prisons and their administrations. He once attended a meeting where the chief doctor of the Federal Penitentiary Service shared the statistics about HIV, and that the rate of HIV infection increases in prisons. In addition, many people come to know that they have HIV only when they are put into prison.

These statistics touched Dmitry’s heart. He couldn’t be insensitive to the problem and decided to learn how he could be useful. The administrations of the prisons hoped that he could help people living with HIV, as these prisoners don’t listen to doctors and don’t cooperate with medical workers. The prisoners needed another way to learn more about HIV.

Dmitry was invited to ALI Channels of Hope Facilitator Training© and it was an answer to his desire to help people who are HIV-positive.

“I gained new knowledge, and materials that I need for preventive work,” he shared. “Now I understand how I can help people. I am trained, equipped and full of determination to be a Channel of Hope. God gives everything in time!”

The prevalence of HIV is high in Russia and such trainings help teach and equip people on how to respond. Please pray for continued opportunity for education about this illness. 

* surname not included for security reasons

This camp is held in several places in Russia and started with one goal: to provide an opportunity for children with disabilities to hear about Christ. The hope is that each child will see His love not only in words but also in actions and that the children can just be a child, accepted for who they are.

The camp includes all the elements of an ordinary Christian camp: Bible lessons, crafts, sports, worship, and so on. This summer the group talked about the life of Joseph from the Bible and learned how God worked through his life. 

It was the first time that OM Russia took part in this camp and it exceeded the expectations of all of the team members. For each one of them it was a big joy spending time with the kids and taking care of them. The smiles on their faces brought so much joy and made them realise, that by serving others, they also learn more about God.

Each team member had two days of training before the camp started. In these days they learned how to use the wheelchair, how to move children from the wheelchair to their bed, and other important care instructions. There was a doctor in the camp and also some people with a medical background. The parents brought their children to certain pick-up locations and from these points they travelled by bus to the camp.

A smile to light up a room

Each child had one mentor to take care of them 24 hours a day. Olga* was one of the mentors and took care of Katya*, a 13 year old girl . Katya is not able do anything by herself and fully depends on others, but she always has a great smile.

 “I’m really thankful that God gave me this child!” Olga shared. “When I saw her in the beginning I was terrified. I was wondering how I could do that? She couldn’t move or eat by herself. I prayed a lot that first night. I was afraid just to feel pity for her. From the depth of my heart I asked God to give me His love for her, because I know she would feel the difference. On the second day I realized how big her heart is!”  

“Katya encouraged others while they were performing or doing crafts,” she explained. “she was always thankful and grateful. Her beautiful smile and laugh made my day, and not only mine. Step by step I have learned how to use a wheelchair, how to dress her, what to do when she wakes up during the night with a terrible pain, and all the other small things. Most of all I’ve learned to love her with my whole heart. By being with her, I also learned to be grateful for the small things and to see the hearts of people, not only their disabilities. Without trusting God and surrendering myself to Him, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

 No task too small 

Tracey*, who came all the way from Northern Ireland to serve in this camp didn’t expect to end up in the kitchen, but also had a great experience.

“I can truthfully say that there was no part of the two week mission trip that I did not enjoy,” Tracey shared. “I ended up as a member of the kitchen team. Although this wasn’t where I thought I would serve, I really enjoyed it and I know that any work done for God, whatever the task may be, is worthwhile doing. We also had some time to get to know the children during game time. It was just lovely to see the children excited and smiling and having fun. That will always stay in my mind.” 

By serving the kids, the team learned that these precious children don’t see their disabilities but they are focused on the things they can do and are thinking in terms of abilities. If they are not able to do something, they are happy for others who can take part and cheer for them. The team learned so much from their positive and grateful attitude. 

The most wonderful part of the trip for the team was watching the children getting to know God more and more.  Daniel* and Elnyr* were both mentors for Dima*, a 10 year old boy with Down syndrome. Looking back, Daniel realised: “I loved that God showed Dima through me and Elnyr what it means that God is his father. When I read from the book ‘Does God have a job?’, he listened carefully. When I finally came to the point, that God’s main job is to be his Dad, he understood it. I explained the point and when I looked at his face at that moment, he smiled and said excitedly: YES!!”

The OM team was very grateful that God gave them a chance to meet with these children and to spend time with them. Each team member was impressed and touched how God worked in incredible ways in the lives of the children, but also how He spoke through the children to their hearts.

*Names changed

Most of the graduates came from different parts of Russia to celebrate the jubilee. The DC had a great impact on the lives of each one of them, and some of them shared their testimonies.

“We have an amazing privilege to see the fruits of God’s work, His glory,” said Evgeny*, Leader of OM Russia, who had also graduated from the DC. “ Let’s be grateful to the Lord, praise Him and realize that our God is alive!”

Colin*, a founder of the DC, who served there for nine years, gave nine principles of effectively serving the Lord.

Andrew Scott, Field Leader of OM USA, shared the history of OM and a further vision for the organisation.

For more information about OM Russia's Discipleship Centre, please visit our website.

* Surname not included

"When I came home, I couldn’t forget about the children in Russia and so I went back to Russia each year for a short mission trip. After a few years I felt that God called me to Russia to work with children in need for longer term. One encounter is still very vivid:

In the beginning of March we went with a team of students of the Discipleship Training Programme to Tara. For 10 days we were supporting a local church and reaching out to the local villages around.

As for me it was the first time to visit the Siberian villages. Before the trip it was my prayer that God would open my eyes to see the needs among the people and that He would show me His heart of love for them—and He did.

During the trip we got lots of opportunities to share the gospel and to bring a message of hope, but we also found out that the huge alcohol problem affected many hearts. Many hearts are hardened and broken because they have been through a lot of things during their lives. For many people it seems that only alcohol can restore their broken hearts.

It touched my heart to see people struggling and to see that they are so broken inside. Especially when I heard one man saying, “I am not worth it to believe in Jesus, because I am drunk every day.” The look in his eyes was so empty and showed that he lost all his hope for a better life.

What a great chance to tell this man that Jesus is saying the total opposite to him: that he is already loved by Jesus, that he is valued and that there is hope to overcome the alcohol problem and other problems in life. By standing there in the snow and be praying for this man, my heart became so warm inside, because we have such a great message of hope to share and there are still so many people to reach with the Good News!

Please pray for more people to come to Russia and for more students in the Discipleship Training Programme, so that the OM teams will be able to reach out to more and more people in need.

* Name changed

One such people group, with a population of almost seven thousand people, are Siberian Tatars, living in Western and Southern Siberia. They profess Islam and have never heard the Good News. There are no Christian churches in their villages and they don’t have the whole Bible in their language. The only way to tell them about Jesus is when Christian believers visit their villages.

OM Russia, in collaboration with Baptist union of Omsk region, organised a trip to Siberian Tatar villages. Discipleship Centre students spent two weeks proclaiming the Gospel to those who had never had the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ. The team was divided in several groups with the main goal to visit every house and share the Good News.

Because the Tatars are Muslims, it is difficult to speak directly about Christ. That’s why the DC students introduced themselves as God’s people.

The Siberian Tatars are friendly, hospitable and open-hearted people. They welcomed the strangers and invited them with great joy into their houses.

The DC students spoke with them about God and gave gifts of calendars, New Testaments in their language, and disks with the “Jesus” film. There were also opportunities to talk to mullahs (Muslim religious leaders) in the villages about faith and God. The mullahs were generally friendly and ready to speak about faith, but one mullah threatened them and demanded they leave the village.

It was the first time that the Siberian tatars in seven villages heard the Good News.

Please pray that the Bible and these conversations would influence them and show a true way to salvation through Jesus Christ.

Growing up without a mother was hard for Yury* and his brother. She had passed away when he was six years old, and his father had never really recovered. To cope with the pain, his father started to drink.

By the time Yury was 10, he was looking after his own life. That was when Yury first tried drugs. Yury always looked a little older than he really was and figured that’s why he was allowed to smoke marijuana with the older kids.

The first time Yury went to prison, he was 12. He was given 15 days for breaking into an army officer’s car. That was the first time he felt afraid. In hindsight, Yury realised that his prison sentence was designed to enable him to realise that actions have consequences and that he should choose a different way to live. But he did the opposite. Yury found himself wanting more and more of the lifestyle he saw around him – one of smoking, drinking, and crime.

At 13, Yury learned how to steal cars. Then he crashed into a pedestrian at a bus stop. The woman survived, but Yury was arrested and put into an adult prison this time. He was the youngest inmate in the whole facility. Yury wondered why others seemed to have a chance in life, but he did not. During Yury’s two years in prison, his father died from alcoholism.

Free from prison at 16, Yury expected that his life would develop for the better. But is wasn’t long before he was offered opium. He was interested to try the drug that others would give everything for, just to get a hit. By 20, Yury was a regular heavy drug user and had also been diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Often in need of cash, there was one time Yury was standing in an office when he saw a notebook computer on the desk. Looking to the left and right and realising there was no one around, he slipped it into his backpack and climbed out the window. Selling it at the local market, Yury used the money to buy drugs and gambled the rest away. As he walked home that evening, he saw the police outside his apartment. They had evidence that he had stolen the computer and he was once again taken to court and put in prison.

The turning point

Yury learned about Jesus from some local Christians who are involved in prison ministry. One of those believers is Aleksey, a team member of OM and teacher in the OM Russian Discipleship Centre. Aleksey leads a weekly Bible Study in the city's hospital-prison facility. Yury struggled to understand at first, but eventually came to the knowledge that God loves him and wants to change his life.

Yury gave his life to Christ and when he was released from prison six months later, his first priority was to be baptised. A couple of months after his release, Yury began studying at the OM Russia Discipleship Centre. While at the Discipleship Centre, Yury is learning how to understand the Bible, to preach, to serve in various ways and bring the gospel to those who need to hear.

After completing his study, Yury is willing to follow Jesus wherever He might call him to serve and minister to others the life-changing message of the gospel.

* Name changed

This year the main theme of the camp was Olympic games. Students reflected on Biblical topics through the analogy with sports, such as “who is your Coach?”, “what will a foul cause?”, etc. They also enjoyed outdoor excursions, adventures, and sports games.

30 young people from the ages of 11-12 took part in the camp, which was held in one of the most picturesque places in Siberia. Some of them had been to such camps many times, but for several it was their first time attending a Christian camp.

Among the participants there were some ‘children at risk’. It is not always easy for them to get along with others. One of the girls, Kate*, always tried to avoid meeting people. But this camp was a special one for her.

“This time she wanted to get in touch and talk more to people,” shared Oksana, who is involved in Children at Risk ministry. “Kate came up with many questions about God, church, and repentance. She has heard a lot about God and now she has some questions in her heart.”

Pray for Kate and the other kids who participated in the camp. Some of them realized that it is impossible to live without God’s help and it is important to trust Him. Some also began to attend a church regularly.

* Name changed

Since many churches have opened rehabilitation centres, Christians are becoming more familiar with the issue. The main goal of believers is to show compassion towards those who are HIV positive and cast aside condemnation, just as Jesus took compassion on those who were rejected from society. OM Russia works in one such centre trying to show God’s love through compassionate action.

Olgа*, an OMer who is involved in HIV-ministry, participated in an AIDSLink International training in April 2015. She realized there was an opportunity for believers to rise up and meet this challenge, and decided to use the skills she had learned by joining rehab efforts in the church.

Olga started to serve in a rehabilitation centre where she prepared small workshops for the centre’s residents. She conducted lessons, conversations, and games to allow them to receive advice on antiretroviral therapy. Almost all of those who have this disease are not aware of the prevention and treatment of it, so this information was very useful. The rehab-centre residents listened with interest, participated lively in discussions, and learned a lot of important information.

OM Russia conducts preventive lectures in prisons, schools, other educational institutions. OM Russia also organises trainings, conference on HIV/AIDS. Pray for them to continue to be witnesses of God’s love to an often marginalised group of people.

* Name changed

One day a girl called me on my mobile phone and asked me for help. I arranged a meeting with her in a student coffee bar. I went there at the arranged time, sat at a table and waited.

After a while I saw a girl standing at the door. She appeared insecure, scanning the café as if she was looking for someone. I couldn’t believe that she was looking for me, though; I knew from our phone conversation that she had two children, but the girl in the door looked like she was only about 17 years old, and was very thin, even emaciated.  

I approached her and asked who she was looking for. It turned out that she was looking for me! I offered her something to eat, but she refused, although it looked like she was hungry. I had to force her to eat by saying that only after she had eaten would I speak with her. As she told me her story, my heart broke.

I understood that this girl, Natasha*, mother of two, was fighting for her life, and that there was nobody to help her. She had been raised in an orphanage and hadn´t known her parents. When she was young, she wanted a big family and loving husband, but in the orphanage the children hadn´t been taught how to look after themselves.  

Like so many of her friends, Natasha had met a man who had promised her a happy life. She had a baby with him, but as soon as the baby was born, the father disappeared.

She then tried to survive by finding money to feed the baby and living in a communal dormitory. She worked whenever possible, and some of the others in the dormitory helped her.

Then another man entered her life, who promised to love and care for Natasha. She had a second baby with this man, and they got married and lived with his mother. Unfortunately, the husband started taking drugs, and he attacked her with a knife and threatened to kill her. He injured her a few times.

“Why didn´t you leave him?” I asked.

“Where I could go with two children?” she replied. “I have nobody to go to.”

I didn´t know how to answer her. She was right. She really had nobody.

After a while, her husband left Natasha and the two children with his mother, an alcoholic. She told Natasha, “Either bring me money or leave.” 

The husband’s mother worked as a cleaner and caretaker of a few shops. Her arrangement was that Natasha could continue to live in the flat, but she had to work instead of the mother-in-law, and give all the money she earned to her.

“Does this woman at least feed you?” I asked.

“A little bit,” she said. “But she does, at least, feed the baby, who is from her son, properly.”

Children from orphanages generally have a strong feeling that they are not wanted by society, and Natasha is no exception. Despite this, and in contrast to the statistics, she hasn´t yet started to drink, she hasn´t become a prostitute and she doesn´t take drugs. All she wants is to be happy and to have her own family.

After our first meeting in the café, I helped her find a job. I went with her to fill out the job application and left her my phone number, telling her to contact me if her husband reappeared and threatened to hurt her again.

Can you can imagine the conditions in which her children live? Sometimes they have nothing to eat, let alone any toys or the security that comes from loving parents. Although the younger one is fed, the older child has a very difficult time.

I took Natasha's older boy, Pavel*, to a camp. He is one of the sweetest children I have ever met. During the camp he followed me everywhere! Every time I sat down, he sat on my knee.

During games, when the children were given sweets as prizes, I noticed that Pavel never ate his sweets, but carried them off somewhere. 

I asked him, “Where do you take your sweets?”

He told me quietly, “I will take them home to my mother and my little brother.”

Please pray for Natasha and her family. Pray for wisdom for Sasha and other OM workers as they provide love and care to the desperate and marginalised in Russia.    

* Name changed

Uzbekistan is one of the countries most closed to the Gospel today, and so it was clear that in Russia are tremendous opportunities to use the religious freedom that exists to give such people the opportunity to find out more about Jesus Christ and his claims.

And so, four years ago, in August 2010, the OM Russia team hosted a short term team sent from OM in Central Asia to see what might be possible. A team of young people from Kazakhstan arrived and went around the city, meeting other Central Asians and building up relationships. One of the first women they met was a lady called Diana*.

A member of the OM Russia team, Bron Cleaver, befriended her and helped her through some very difficult personal issues at the time. She gave her a Bible to read. Having resolved some of her problems, Diana left to return to Uzbekistan and apart from a few occasional phone calls, Bron heard very little from her.

Earlier this year Diana returned to Novosibirsk and got in contact with the OM family who are now planting a church amongst Uzbeks in Novosibirsk. Very soon after spending some time with them, Diana came to believe in Jesus and at the end of July was baptised in church. For everyone involved in the early days of OM Russia’s work amongst Uzbeks, this was a beautiful and encouraging moment, to see some fruit from the very first seeds which were planted over four years ago.

*Name changed

Colin Cleaver: I remember sitting in a team prayer meeting about 10 years ago and wondering why God was only calling single people serve Him with OM in Siberia. Apart from my wife and me, we were a team of single people with no children. Today we have 28 adults and 23 children on the team, with three more children on the way!

One major reason for this change is that many of our team members have served with us for many years. Several started off single, got married and now have families – and all this time they have stayed in OM. God has also called families with children to join our team and given them the courage to make their home in Siberia.

OM: What are some of the consequences or advantages of having so many families and children on the team?

Colin: There are many! Families give a sense of stability, as they tend to commit for longer and put down deeper roots. We also see the children on the team as a great blessing from God and a continual reminder of His goodness to us. Having so many children on our team also gives us a natural focus on children’s work.

For example, last month we were running a two week residential mission training programme for local Russian Christians. Some of the students were married with children, and so one team member came up with the idea of not just running a crèche to keep the children occupied, but to run a parallel mission training session for the children of the students, together with the children of the team members. There was a great response from the children, who loved learning about other countries and the needs that exist in the world.

When I reflected on this fortnight of training, I wondered whether in hindsight we might one day see more fruit from the children’s programme than the adult’s! One of the intentional goals on our team is to create an environment where our children flourish and feel part of the team. We want our children also to choose to follow God wherever He might call them in the future, and so we strive to give each child a positive experience of mission and serving God.

Our team forms a Christian community, and personally it has been a real blessing for us to bring up our two children in such a loving and caring environment. I love the input our children get from so many other team members and Russian students.

OM: Do you still have single people on your team?

Colin: Yes, of course! We love having single people on the team and have many options for them to serve with short-term projects – for three months, one year or two years – and longer term.

OM: What would you say to a family thinking about going onto the mission field, maybe even to Siberia?

Colin: I remember a team member once telling me that the best, safest and most blessed place to be in the world is the place where God has called you. Of course, living somewhere like Siberia is not always easy with children: There are questions about education, and a lot of time can be spent dressing and undressing little ones against the winter cold!

However, I believe that it is a mistake to say, “God can’t be calling me into missions because I have a family.” If you sense that God is working in your heart to call you to serve elsewhere, it is always best to step out in faith and obedience and then watch Him solve the practical problems that might come up along the way.

For more information about opportunities to serve with OM in Russia, visit OM’s website.

Several OM Russia members, in partnership with a local church, have visited a few of these bases to offer practical help and run a programme for the children. Relationships have been established, and together with local churches, OM team members continue to visit and help refugees rebuild their lives in their new city.

One such family OM helps is Sasha* and Natasha*, who is eight months pregnant, and their two-year-old child. They fled the fighting in Ukraine and found a place in a hotel in Novosibirsk, where they have been allowed to stay for the time being.

As refugees, they went through obligatory health checks, and unfortunately Sasha was found to be both HIV positive and infected with tuberculosis. Sasha was immediately taken into hospital, leaving Natasha to fend for herself and her child.

A couple studying with OM’s discipleship school, Volodya and Anya Bichkovi, visited the hotel to bring aid and clothes to Natasha, which their church had collected. Anya had left her phone number with many of the refugees in case they needed further help, and Natasha got in touch with her. 

She was in desperate need, and Anya helped her to enter the health care system in Novosibirsk to get necessary care for her unborn baby. Other OM team members helped Natasha further by looking after her son during her hospital appointments and supporting her with friendship and prayer.

Sasha was released from hospital and declared free of TB. He cannot understand how the evidence of TB in his body seemed to simply disappear, but the church understands that it was an answer to prayer. The couple has also visited Anya’s church once, where they heard the Gospel.

Please pray that God draws Sasha and Natasha to Himself, along with many thousands of others who have been displaced due to the crisis in Ukraine. Please pray for churches across Russia to receive those who need help and to share materially and spiritually with them.

*Name changed

After graduating from the programme, Dima told OM Russia about a woman, named Inga, from a small village outside of Rubsovsk, who he thought should study at the Discipleship Centre. Inga, a former drug addict, had also recently come to faith through Sasha’s work. After seeing her transformed life and hearing her testimony, several others in her village also believed in Jesus. A small group of believers formed.

Sasha was initially hesitant about releasing Inga to study with OM Russia, as people were coming to faith in the village and he needed Inga’s help to pursue the work. However, one day he felt God speak to him through Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return” (NIV). After this he took a step of faith to release Inga to study.

Second-year placement

This year the one-year OM Russia Discipleship Centre programme has been extended for students who want to study for a second year. Inga and another participant, Veronica, are two of several students who have agreed to stay on for another year.

The second-year students are placed in various existing ministries as apprentices. They continue to study part time, are visited periodically by OM staff, and then return to the Discipleship Centre a few times over the year for further teaching and input.

Veronica will join Inga in her village and work with Sasha and the small group of believers to plant a church. They also plan to work in the neighbouring villages. Inga’s cousin lives in the nearest village and recently also came to faith.

Rehab centre

In Inga’s village there is an abandoned house, which belongs to a couple who are in prison for 10 years on drug charges. Although they haven’t yet come to faith in Jesus, they have agreed for their house to be used as a rehab centre while they are in prison.

The house is in a terrible state at the moment, but is structurally sound and on a large plot of land. The house will be turned into a rehab centre not for drug addicts, but for others who have come to faith in prison and have nowhere to go, no skills and no life experience outside of prison.

Business for Transformation

OM Russia also arranges micro-finance loans to help people start businesses or projects that will be commercially successful and benefit God’s kingdom. Inga and Veronica, along with another local believer with farming experience, have applied to OM’s Business for Transformation department for a loan to enable them to cultivate the land, raise pigs and keep some cows at the rehab centre. This would make the rehab centre not only self-financing but would also provide an opportunity for the residents to work and learn the skills required for this simple farming.

Please pray for God's help and blessing to accomplish this project.

For more information about the ministry of OM Russia, visit the website at www.ru.om.org

The couple behind the cold counter finishes up their conversation in Uzbek and the man asks for the order. Ali* is his name. He and his wife moved from Uzbekistan following the migration of many workers to Novosibirsk.

“In his heart he is a pastor,” says Philip Dyason, a leader with OM’s Business for Transformation (B4T). “The objective of setting up the meat stall was to free him up to evangelise and be the pastor he is in his heart”.

Ali had been working full time up to that point, and starting a small business allowed for more flexibility with his time.

Philip, an engineer and businessman from South Africa, knew of OM through church involvement and became aware of B4T projects in Moldova through OM’s website. “Mentoring is my heart,” he says. Before joining OM, Philip was involved in a project mentoring young engineering students.

“I knew that’s what I wanted to do. This is my ministry. Helping people, walking with them, and assisting them with the knowledge and insight God has given me through the years.” Philip joined OM Russia in 2012 specifically to provide guidance in business as mission.

Ali’s shop is just one of eight projects currently in OM Russia’s B4T portfolio, ranging from card-making to a vehicle service centre. While the summer months were hard on Ali’s business, winter is the hardest time for a small construction outfit over a thousand kilometres to the north east of OM Russia’s base.

B4T provided a small loan to the company of three men to buy a truck, enabling them to get building materials at a lower price by driving six hours to the next town. In the cold winter months, construction work almost stops, so having the truck opens up other opportunities, such as transporting goods.

“Business-wise, they know what they’re doing” observes Philip. “They are three months into the project and already have paid five months’ worth of the loan. But they also know in winter it could get tough, so they know they need to be ahead on their payments.”

But B4T is not just about giving out loans. Establishing businesses, guiding business owners through processes, and following through to make sure they do what they’ve committed – these are important steps in the mentoring work of B4T. However the end objectives lie in the impact that Christian businessmen and businesswomen will have in the community. 

B4T aims to contribute to society by empowering people and providing dignity through employment. It also seeks to develop relationships with everyone involved so that those who know Christ can share their faith in a natural way.

“You know God is working. It’s only faith in God that can make something work,” says Philip, reflecting on the ups and downs of being in business. “For me, the best is to see people successful in ministry, and their business is assisting them. If I see someone who has peace in what he’s doing, is content, and is successful in his ministry, then that is what we want to see. The outcome that we want is to be positively influencing people, so that out of that we can see God working.”

Pray for the B4T team to have godly insights into people’s business and spiritual needs to give them the right kind of direction. Praise God for the way business helps support the local church providing flexible job opportunities, and allowing church workers to support themselves as they grow their churches. Give thanks for God’s provision through the partnership of local churches, investors from around the world and His grace in allowing businesses to succeed.

OM Russia’s Business for Transformation needs investors! Contact info.ru@om.org for more information.

* Name changed

Over the course of the series, it’s obvious that participants learn a lot through the experience. Although some have gone to business school and have spent years learning the theory of business, they often report that they learn more going through the two months of practical tasks than they did in their four years of study. 

People learn by trying, sometimes failing, and then listening to the evaluation of others who are more experienced. This is a guiding principle in OM Russia’s Discipleship Centre.

Recently, after completing a course of seminars on how to work with children, students of the Discipleship Centre were divided into two teams, and each team was given the task of organising a three-day children’s holiday club based in a local church.

The teams were given the theme of the Olympic Games—in connection with the Winter Games soon to be held in Sochi, Russia—and then divided up the tasks amongst themselves to organise the club: advertising, games, sports, Bible lessons, memory verses and technical equipment, to name a few of the responsibilities.

A total of around 70 children attended the club. Then the experience was evaluated in detail, reflected on and conflicts were resolved. At the end of this exercise, though, no one was fired.

“I’d never had any experience in children’s work before, and if I’m honest, I’ve always been a bit afraid of interacting with children,” Jenya, one of the students, said afterward. “These last three days have been a revelation for me and has totally changed the way I look at them!”

To find out more about OM Russia's work training Russians for ministry, along with its other ministries, visit their website or news page. 

Sasha and his wife, Marina, head up OM Russia’s Children at Risk ministry. This scene occurred one afternoon when Sasha and Colin, OM Russia’s field leader, visited two families they are trying to help. The first family was a mother and four children living in a run-down house in a poor area of the city of Novosibirsk. The father was in prison for a serious crime.

The mess, dirt and smell of damp overwhelmed the senses upon entering the house. In Russia it is the custom to always remove one’s shoes when one enters a house, but here it wasn’t necessary and certainly not desirable.

The oldest child lay on an old sofa, and was not at school because, according to his mother, she hadn’t been able to find a school that would accept him. This is a common problem if the child is not doing well in school. Sasha immediately offered to get in contact with the school director to try and sort out the situation.

After the visit, Sasha explained he had been given the details of this family by the Russian social services, and one of the first things the team had noticed when they made their initial visit was the dreadful condition of the house's roof. A good roof is important for any building, especially in the Siberian climate, where the temperature can drop to -40 Celsius. Straight away, Sasha organised a team of guys to put on a new roof.

The OM workers then drove on to visit another family living in a high-rise apartment block on a housing estate. Sasha had to force the main door of the apartment block open, since this family’s intercom system didn’t work. As they stepped out of the lift, they noticed the door to the flat was badly damaged. Sasha explained that recently some hooligans had spent a long time trying to break the steel door in, and now he was trying to help the parents find a cheap replacement.

Again, the lack of hygiene and mess was overwhelming. It used to be a lot worse, Sasha said, saying he had helped them get some paint and taught them how to do some basic decorating, including hanging simple cupboards in the kitchen. Sasha has seen much worse living conditions in his work, including in the case of a few other teenagers he's tried to help. 

“When I first got to know these guys and saw where they were living, I thought, ‘I can’t do this ministry,’” he said. "But God worked in my heart.”

At the second home Sasha introduced Max, a teen boy lying on an old sofa. He had a good rapport with the boy, whom he strongly suspected was already taking drugs. Max has already dropped out of school and is going nowhere. It was clear that there was no love or respect between Max and his father—the only evidence of love in the family was between Max and his little dog.

These families are caught in a downward spiral—the parents can’t cope with their children and their children grow up never seeing an example of a normal family, so they raise their children in the same way. So, the cycle continues.

“Only God is powerful enough to break this cycle,” Sasha said. 

Sasha has given a great deal of thought to a longer-term solution to breaking this cycle. He has taken some children to Christian camps he organises through his church—even a week’s worth of love and care can have a significant impact on these young lives. But at the end of the day, Sasha said he'd love to have a place where some of these children could live and experience a different way of life.

“How can they ever change their circumstances," he said, "when they have never seen anything else?” 

Please pray for Sasha and Marina as they try to show these children and families love and a better way to live. Pray also for the long-term plans for this ministry—that God would show them, and help them put in place long-term solutions to help these children out of the cycle of neglect and despair.

Learn more about the work of OM Russia on their website. 

As they continued to communicate over the Internet, Jenya began to send Alyona Christian books and music through the post and would answer Alyona’s questions honestly and sensitively.

As Alyona looks back she says, “It was interesting to me, because all I knew about God was what people were always forcing on me. But with Jenya, I talked about my problems and he asked me if I wanted to know what the Bible said about it. He didn’t tell me more than I wanted to know.”

Through the Internet, Jenya found an address of a church near Alyona’s home.

“Jenya asked me to promise I would go there,” Alyona says. “He was a Christian, but he was a normal person, so that surprised me.” She laughs. “I promised to go.”

In March 2008, Alyona saw the JESUS film Jenya had sent her and prayed along with the prayer of faith at the end. Jenya told her to go tell the pastor of the church where she’d been attending and then invited her to attend a conference near the area where he lived. In May, the two met for the first time.

In August that same year, Jenya travelled to Novosibirsk and asked Alyona to be his wife. She said yes, and they decided to make their home in Novosibirsk. In October, they announced their engagement at the church, and in February 2009 they married.

Jenya became very involved in information ministry in his church and denomination, setting up a comprehensive website for the Baptist churches in the city and using social networks to talk openly and widely about Christ and the different activities, organisations and events in which Christians are involved. He also set up a website for OM Russia.

One weekend in the summer of 2013, Jenya and Alyona planned to make a trip out of the city, but Jenya felt unwell and they were unable to go. So, that Sunday they were free to attend their church and hear a life-changing message from OM’s founder, George Verwer, who was visiting. They felt God’s call into missions.

“We are young. We have freedom. We can take our stuff and go,” Jenya says with a smile. “If God wants, we are free.”

Now, Jenya and Alyona are studying at OM Russia’s Discipleship and Missionary Centre for seven months with the view to serve God abroad in the future using their IT and web design skills.

“When God takes us to heaven, we can’t bring our things with us,” Jenya states. “The main thing in life is following God and trusting He will give you everything you need. The Bible says, ‘Throw everything off and go with me.’”

To find out more about OM Russia's work, visit www.ru.om.org.

Imagine if, when you met together with your old class, you discovered that half of them were dead—and you are only 35. You wonder, what could be so destructive to have killed half of your former classmates?

Well, since you left school two killers have been stalking and picking off your contemporaries: drugs and HIV and AIDS. This is not a hypothetical scenario. This is reality for many living in Russia today, including a man named Igor.

Igor is a volunteer working with OM Russia’s social ministry team. OM Russia partners with AIDSLink International, ACET (Aids Care Education and Training), and the local Russian charity Clear View to thwart these two killers. The team regularly visits schools in Siberia to warn young people of these very real dangers. 

Igor, a former drug addict himself, gives his simple motivation for getting involved in the project: “I myself am a victim of HIV and AIDS, so I know the fear," he said. "I don’t want kids to suffer and be infected—to not know how long they’ll live.”

Unfortunately, the situation is steadily becoming worse in Russia as these two killers adapt their tactics. Now, the use of drugs like heroin is decreasing, but an even greater danger lies in the increasing popularity of synthetic drugs, because they’re not technically illegal. 

By the time the government outlaws one specific chemical mixture, the drug makers have altered the chemical recipe just enough to make it no longer illegal. These drugs can be even more destructive than heroin—their name in Russian means “something that consumes you from inside out”. Some people will die within a year of use.

Additionally, Russian public health expert Ivan Varentsov says that the HIV epidemic is one of the most pressing public health problems in Russia today. “According to the latest UNAIDS global report, Eastern Europe and Central Asia are the only regions in the world where HIV is spreading at a growing rate,” he said. “The worst situation is in Russia—home to 70 per cent of all people living with HIV in the region. Russia and Ukraine combined account for 90 per cent of HIV infection cases.”

OM Russia needs your help and prayers as it battles these two life-destroying enemies. 

Please pray that more volunteers will be trained and sent into the schools to teach about HIV and AIDS. Pray that the support group set up for those infected with HIV would grow and bring hope to those attending. Pray for the youth club that was set up as a spin off from the school lectures, and the relationships formed with the children. Pray the leaders would be able to introduce the children to the One who gives hope, not only in this life but also in the life to come.

Find out more about OM Russia's work at www.ru.om.org.

“Before I left home, I started to have doubts," said Tatiana at her interview to enroll as a student at OM Russia’s Discipleship Centre. "I bought my sleeping bag just in case, and decided to just take a step of faith.” 

Once she arrived at OM Russia’s base, Tatiana was pleasantly surprised when she realised she wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor in her sleeping bag! Why was Tatiana so worried about the living conditions? Because she’s no longer so young; she’s a pensioner.

Last year, OM Russia’s board suggested that they train older people, because the training centre’s goal is “to motivate and challenge people at a ‘crossroads’ moment in their lives, when they are faced with a choice of either developing a career and pouring their energy in that direction or opening themselves up to God’s service and seeking God’s Kingdom first,” according to field leader Colin Cleaver. This year, OM Russia opened a special faculty for pensioners to train to become missionaries.

For the past 8 years, the centre has focused on recent university graduates, but team members have realized that not only young people find themselves having to make decisions about their futures.

“Our board observed that pensioners are also often at a similar crossroads, needing to decide on a new life direction,” said Colin. “In addition, they are often financially independent, free from caring for their children and with time on their hands – in short, the perfect potential missionaries!”

For the first time in the history of OM Russia’s Discipleship and Missionary Training centre, on 1 September three pensioners joined 15 younger people for the seven-month course. As usual, the students have come from all over the vast country, several traveling on the train for three days to get to the training centre located in central Siberia.

Please pray for the new students and especially for the pensioners Tatiana, Olga and Sergey, that God would open up His will for their lives during the intensive course.

For more information see www.ru.om.org.

OM Russia's director received this Skype chat message the day after George Verwer had preached at three city churches in Novosibirsk. During his sermon, in typical spontaneous style, George announced a new fund to help Russians train at OM Russia's Discipleship Centre and serve on the Logos Hope.  

A church member, Tanya, who had already served two years on the Logos Hope, was challenged about re-joining.

"When I analysed my life, I realised that the only thing stopping me from going back into missions was my healthy wage packet and comfortable standard of living," Tanya said. "I was honest with myself and realised that this was not a good enough reason!"

George visited Novosibirsk, the capital of Siberia, for nearly a week in July 2013 and spoke many times, including to a church for the deaf and an Uzbek house group.  

A huge amount of literature was also distributed in Russian. The following week, Andrey, a church member, commented on the book he had purchased: The Logos Story

"What an amazing step of faith," he said. "How amazing to see working on a global scale to see His Word literally brought to the ends of the earth!"

Please pray that there would be much more fruit from George Verwer's visit and that the messages he delivered of personal spiritual revival and commitment to world missions would have a lasting effect on the churches of Siberia.

To listen to George's messages (in English with Russian translation) go to http://youtu.be/Kiw1ZyBec8M . Contact OM Russia here:  www.ru.om.org.

As a mission working closely with churches in the heart of Siberia, OM Russia’s team members play their part in evangelism, children’s work, youth work, helping children at risk and warning the young generation about HIV and AIDS, amongst many other activities. These are important. 

But how much more important is it to use their limited resources to train, inspire and disciple Russian church members to carry the Gospel into their society, often more effectively than foreigners ever could? This is why OM Russia has decided to throw the majority of its “water” not on the “burning house”, but on the “sleeping firemen”.

Sunday, 7 April 2013 was a joyful day for OM Russia: 13 graduates from OM Russia’s Discipleship Centre were sent out after successfully completing the intensive seven-month course. This brings the total of young people trained over the last seven years to 77.

“Thanks to the Discipleship Centre, I’ve been able to look at myself and work out what my gifts are and how I can be useful to God,” said Andrey, a participant. “The time has been very useful for me to get practical experience and knowledge to share with others.” 

Thanks to the Discipleship Centre, I’ve been able to look at myself and work out what my gifts are and how I can be useful to God,” said Andrey, a participant. “The time has been very useful for me to get practical experience and knowledge to share with others.

What will some of these “firefighters” be doing? Dima, who came to faith in prison, will move to a church on the boarder of Kazakhstan and plans to start a Bible study group for those who know little about the Church or Christianity. Sveta, who is hard of hearing, will return to the small, deaf community she came from to lead the group of Christians and translate for them. Andrey, a former drug addict, will return to his home church to lead the youth group and plans to enrol in the seminary to become a pastor. Katya, from a Christian family, will return to her home church to prepare to become a missionary in Nepal.

Please pray with OM Russia for these 13 young people. Pray that they would stay close to God, and that He would use them in ways beyond their imagination. Pray that God would continue to use the OM Russia Discipleship Centre to wake up many more “sleeping firefighters”.

For more information on the work of OM Russia, see their news page. 

You enter the small office and sit down at the desk. The doctor looks up from his notes and says, “I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news….” You don’t hear another word. Your head is swimming. This is what you suspected—dreaded—but somehow it just can’t be happening to you. There must be a mistake. Maybe the test results have been mixed up? 

Your life is turned upside down and nothing is certain anymore. The doctor has finished talking, walks around the desk and opens the door for you. You leave the clinic, but the world you now enter is totally different from the one you came from just 10 minutes ago— it is now full of fear, doubt, ignorance and shame. Where do you go now? What do you do?

Due to Russia’s crisis with the HIV virus, this scenario is played out over 200 times every day in the country. One of OM Russia’s goals is to be a “Good Samaritan” in such cases—following Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbours who have fallen into the hands of robbers, including into the hands of the HIV virus, which robs its victims of so much. 

“We have a good relationship with the state AIDS centre in Novosibirsk,” said Jenya Losev, who coordinates OM Russia’s response to the HIV crisis in Russia. “When someone is diagnosed as being HIV positive, they refer them to us.” 

The response team is made up of volunteers who meet every two weeks. Last week the group leader, Igor, received a phone call during a meeting from a woman who had just been diagnosed with HIV. The clinic had given his number to her, and she called him in desperation after receiving the shattering news. She told Igor she planned to commit suicide in the next 15 minutes. 

Igor made her promise not to do anything until he finished his meeting and could speak with her. Although he continued the meeting with his clients, he couldn’t concentrate until he was able to ring her. Fortunately, she had kept her word. She shared her fears and her conclusion that her life had already ended. Igor calmed her down and invited her to the HIV self-help group, which would provide some answers for her multitude of questions. 

Every week the group receives four or five such calls for consultations. The group’s vision is to “offer a measure of temporal hope and practical support, but also to share where the Christian group members have found their source of eternal hope.”

Their purpose? To share the good news of Jesus Christ’s birth with as many fellow travellers as possible and to partner with local churches along the way by running children and youth programmes.

This international team of OMers hailed from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Hong Kong, along with two teammates from Russia. The group caught the attention of other travellers, many of whom had never talked to a foreigner before.

During their travels, the team engaged one young couple in discussion about Christmas (in Russia the Christmas holiday is celebrated 7 January), and it became clear they didn’t know the meaning of the celebration.

One of the OM Russia organisers, Olga, recalled: “We told them the Christmas story from the Bible, and they shared that they had never read the Bible before and didn’t know what it was about.”

One of the Germans on the team happened to have a Russian Bible, given to her by her grandmother for the trip. She decided to give the Bible to this couple.

“They were very touched and moved almost to tears,” Olga said.

Another fellow traveller turned out to be a Chechen war veteran. He had been drinking and sat down with the team. When the team shared about Jesus, he stubbornly stated Jesus had come only to the Jews, insisting he wanted to remain faithful to the pagan faith of his ancestors.

The trip proved an eye-opener for the overseas participants. The team not only watched Russia go by through their train window but also caught a glimpse of the Russian people: their history, the many lives without hope and yet their great hospitality and richness of spirit. 

“I really felt God's presence with us everywhere we went, and it was a lovely experience,” said Sophie (UK) after the trip. “It was very surprising to find out that many Russians had never read the Bible and had no idea what the meaning of Christmas really is, but it was amazing to see how open the Russians were to hearing the Gospel. I now feel that I have more confidence to talk to non-Christians about Jesus."

For more information about the work of OM Russia, click here.

Since joining, Dorothea has been on two trips. The first was to Karasuk, about 350 km from the OM base in Novosibirsk. “It was strange driving for seven or eight hours by bus to a place I don’t know, to people I don’t know and who couldn’t understand me. Google translate was my friend!”

For someone who has only been in Russia for a few weeks, it may sound a little frightening, but Dorothea felt no homesickness. Even though the situation was new she felt completely at ease, knowing that God was in control of everything.  

On both trips, she was involved in street evangelism and helping pastors of local churches. Dorothea also played her violin in church services.

On the second trip she went to Yurga, a town 170 km from Novosibirsk. This time she and four others visited a children’s foster home. They held a two-hour programme for about 50 kids. Since the children come to the home only part of the time, they did not know each other well. They found running the programme for the group difficult, as the team could not predict how many children would come.

Typically on these trips, men are expected to preach in the churches, and those with musical ability are expected to perform a song or musical item. Sometimes participants do physical labour. Cleaning church grounds, helping elderly church members, doing street evangelism in temperatures of -20 centigrade and running English clubs are just some of the things that the teams do on these trips. The purpose in these tasks is to encourage the small churches.   

At first I had no idea what to share because my story is really ‘normal’… one of the team members told me how they usually hear about former drug addicts or somebody who's been in jail. To hear a ‘normal’ story can be really special.

Dorothea also shared her testimony in the church. “At first I had no idea what to share because my story is really ‘normal’,” she said. “I just shared how I came to Russia; and then I found it really surprising, because one of the team members told me how they usually hear about former drug addicts or somebody who's been in jail. To hear a ‘normal’ story can be really special.”

Dorothea likes going on these trips because “they are always something special,” she says. “You don’t know where you are going to live, where you are going to sleep or what it will be like. But it’s a really fun time, and God uses you.”

To get involved in OM Russia’s one-year programme or go on a short-term trip, click here.

The students divided into two groups and went to two markets where many Central Asians work. They met with people, chatted with them, gave out books and shared about Christ. They encountered only a few people who refused to take literature and talk.

“After the outreach the students themselves were amazed that they were able to serve these Central Asians who had moved to Russia to find work,” reported Amir. “What is the importance of carrying out the command of Christ? It is obedience to the Lord and love to those who are otherwise lost. God gave the students love and compassion for these people, and they brought the Word of God to them. Jesus gave the students joy and contentment that day.”

Praise God for the obedience of these students to share their faith with those around them. Please pray that those who heard the gospel will seek to know God more.

*Name changed

“Always Ready!” was the motto taught to the young people of the former Soviet Union and the required answer when asked to do any task to help spread communism.

Now, over 20 years later, this motto still exists, but no longer in the context of the spread of communism but in the spread of the good news of Jesus. Each month students of OM Russia’s Discipleship Centre go out on mission trips to different towns across Siberia, despite the weather, which can drop to -40 degrees Celsius.  

Recently one group of three students visited a remote church that suffered from disunity and split into two fellowships. As the students, Sergei, Kostya and Olga, sat on the train on their first trip to the town, they wondered how God could use three inexperienced mission students in this situation.

Upon arrival, they met Anatoliy who cares for the badly wounded church. Anatoliy works as a lumberjack and has three men working for him. He shared that it is very hard to find good workers from the town, as the majority of the working-age men are alcoholics.

Anatoliy wanted the students to do a day’s work with his men so they could share their faith, and so the men would see that Christians can work hard with their hands. “Always Ready!” responded Sergei and Kostya. They mounted the tractor and headed into the forest.

During the students’ second trip, Anatoliy asked for help to repair the fence around his house. He has young children and a busy job and hasn’t found time to make the vital repairs. “Always Ready!” responded Sergei and Kostya.

Later that afternoon, Anatoliy took them to visit an older lady, Galina. The three students invited her to the church the next day. At church they continued to share their life stories and talked about how God had forgiven, accepted and given them new hope.

Their stories deeply touched Galina’s heart, and that Sunday she gave her life to God. She invited the students to meet her daughter and three grandchildren so they could also talk to them about the difference Jesus had made in their lives. The students replied that they were “Always Ready!” for such a meeting.

On their third trip, it was too cold to work outside, so the students visited more people and prepared for the church service on Sunday. Sergei and Kostya, who were taking a preaching course at the OM Discipleship Centre, had been working on their sermons. They were delighted to preach in the church with confidence and thrilled to see Galina there, asking questions and obviously growing in her faith.

Sergei, Kostya and Olga, like the other students in the OM Discipleship Centre, don’t know what God has in store for them on their mission trips, but they do know that God will use them if they are “Always Ready!”

For more information about OM Russia, visit www.ru.om.org.

They had gathered to witness the baptism of three Uzbek believers who had come to faith through OM Russia’s church plant amongst Central Asians in Novosibirsk. The forth candidate couldn’t be baptised in the river with the others because of poor health and instead waited at OM’s ministry centre where she was later baptised in a hot bath.

After watching the baptisms, another Uzbek lady who had recently repented in the church expressed her desire to follow the example of the others, and so the church pastor waded out for a second time to also baptise her.

Although it is forbidden to preach the gospel in Uzbekistan, in recent years more and more Uzbeks have journeyed north to Russia to find work and are then able to freely consider Jesus’ claims.

OM Russia seeks to take advantage of this opportunity to reach those who would otherwise probably never hear about how to find peace with God through Jesus Christ.

OM Russia partners with the Evangelical Church in Russia, equipping Russians to reach out to their communities with the gospel. The Discipleship Centre in Novosibirsk, Siberia, provides intense training to local Russians, exposing them not only to deeper biblical understanding and ministry theory but also to practical experience in building up the church. Many graduates go on to serve in full-time ministry with the churches, or in missions and church projects.

One project is the Student Christian Centre. OMer Kieran Fitzgibbon caught up with the leader, Vladimir Petrin, or Vova, as he is better known to discuss his plans for this year. Vova, a native of Novosibirsk, has been involved with student work ever since he came to Christ five years ago. “I saw there was a need to get involved and started helping out,” he states.

“The movement is aimed at students of two nearby universities, Siberian University of Consumer Cooperation (SibUPK) and Novosibirsk State Technical University (NGTU). In NGTU alone there are 37,000 students and all together in Novosibirsk about 30 institutes of higher education," says Vova.

Vova took over leadership of the student work two years ago just before he and his wife began studying at OM Russia's Discipleship Centre. “At the time, there was a crisis point in the student project,” he explains, “all of the missionaries who worked with us either emigrated or got married and moved to other cities.”

Kieran Fitzgibbon: How things have changed?

Vova: This is the first year we have had a full-time worker with the project. I joined the OM Russia team last summer after graduating from the Discipleship Centre. We have a team of 14 and our focus is on building relationships and sharing the good news with students through various activities. We do events, games, classes, discussion groups, Alpha courses and an English club.

One of their most recent events was the annual Photocross competition, where participants follow a treasure trail around the city of Novosibirsk taking photos with prescribed tasks or objects. “We had 100 people take part in the Photocross event, and 60 took part in our Mud Quest game. These games and events allow the Student Christian Centre team to develop relationships and open the door to share the gospel. Since August, three people have come to Christ and in addition, two girls are considering becoming Christians.

Kieran Fitzgibbon: What plans do you have for the student project this year? 

Vova: We really want to develop it to reach more and more people and raise the profile to make it better known in the student environment. We need prayer that God would help us build relationships with students in order to share the gospel effectively. Some students have been with us for one or two years and we realise God wants to do more in their hearts.

Russian OMer Alexandra Bykova thought to herself: “How can I help her? I can’t find her work. I haven’t got any money.” But she was reminded that she had prayed God would bring along woman in whom He was already working. Alexandra felt God say, “Here is your answer to your prayers. Accept and befriend her.” After two years of praying, Alexandra has seen God answer her prayers with the Quilting Club.

From the second meeting, the women began bringing their friends and neighbours to the group. Now they meet weekly, and the women eagerly await the next session. “From the beginning I warned everyone that this is not a course in how to sew, but a sewing club with the goal not only of sewing, but of getting to know each other,” said Alexandra. “At each meeting, we bring up deeper topics, build bridges, open our hearts and love those who come.”

The women have befriended each other on the social networks, which Alexandra takes a as a great sign. “We want to encourage friendship between the club members, giving us a foundation on which to talk about spiritual topics,” she says. “We understand that to share openly and honestly we need to create an atmosphere of trust— our aim is that the club becomes a safe place for each woman.

“Right from the start I’ve been praying that God would send us women with the ability to lead, so that after they start to follow Christ, they can play their part in developing the club. In the future we would love to see several groups formed. Please pray with and for us!”

“In Russian society there is nothing to bridge the world of the deaf with that of the hearing,” says Colin Cleaver, leader of OM Russia. “That is, apart from the gospel. As with other barriers which exist between people, the gospel unites the deaf and the hearing into one body, the Church.”

The team has long had connection with the deaf community in Novosibirsk, and in recent years, through training deaf Christians for missions and ministry, this connection has strengthened. Four deaf students have graduated from OM Russia's Discipleship Centre, and another is currently studying.

This year, Discipleship Centre graduates Igor and Tanya, who are deaf, joined the OM Russia team to lay the foundations of the new course for next year. Please pray for Igor and Tanya, and pray that OM Russia’s training can be made accessible to the deaf in Russia, for the strengthening of the Church. To view a short video about OM Russia’s ministry to the deaf, visit OM Russia’s homepage at www.ru.om.org.

The guy who approached him in church asked him if they could take Anastasia to the camp. “I know one girl who is living in terrible conditions and I’d like you to take her on the camp,” he said. “The problem is I don’t know how to approach her mother about this.”

Alexander and Marina are working with children who, for one reason or another, have ended up on the street. They don’t all live on the street – some of them have one of their parents – but for the most part these are unwanted children.  Unwanted by their parents and by the government.  “But we believe that these children are wanted by God and are important in His Kingdom,” said Alexander. “That is why we work with them.”

After talking to the man in church, Alexander decided to go look for Anastasia together with him. “She lives in an area in which I also lived when I was a criminal,” he shared. “It is a place of alcoholics and drug addicts.  Many people know me there, or at least know the ‘old me’.”

As soon as they drove in, it was clear to Alexander that the place hadn’t changed.  Here, drug addition, alcoholism and crime are passed down from generation to generation. “As we drove through crowds of drunken teenagers, men and women stared at us and followed us,” he shared.

They stopped outside a block of flats and a half-dressed, drunken lady came out onto the balcony.  Out of her flat crawled a couple of naked children; the music inside was loud. She told the men that Anastasia lived with her mother, two uncles and her grandfather who all drink. One of them only recently got out of jail.

They looked around the yard and found her grandfather. He was drunk and asleep in his own puddle of urine. They decided to leave, and returned about three hours later. Anastasia wasn’t home, so they drove around the area, asking for Anastasia’s mother. “After only ten minutes we found her,” shared Alexander. “She recognized me and the other man from church.”

Nothing to wear

The men met Anastasia, and Alexander told her about the camp. “I said that to go on the camp of course costs money, but that someone else would pay for her,” he recalled. “At this news her mother became more interested and gave her blessing to the trip. However we soon found out that Anastasia didn’t have anything to wear, let alone pack for the weeklong camp. I said that we would pray and think of something.  We also talked about Jesus and how He is able to change lives. Her mother knew us before we became Christians, as criminals and sinners, and she saw the change in our lives now.”

After they had left, the church member who had introduced Alexander to Anastasia looked at him through tears. “With a tremble in his voice he told me that she was his daughter, and that he simply didn’t know what to do.”

Alexander had known this guy for a while, from before they had both become Christians, and knew that he now had two sons with his wife.  Anastasia had been born when he was dying in his sins and he had never known her.

“I didn’t know what to say,” recalled Alexander. “But after a minute I told him that this child isn’t responsible for the fact that she is living in such conditions.  And that God had touched his heart to show her the way out.”

He replied that he didn’t know what his wife would think about all of this and suggested that they both go to talk to her. “It was a long and complicated conversation,” said Alexander. “Many fears were faced and many decisions were made.” In the morning his wife met Anastasia and took her to the shops to buy some clothes and shoes for the camp. 

A different life

Anastasia enjoyed the camp. She saw a different life, different families, different values and priorities. “Now she spends most of her free time with her father’s family,” said Alexander. “And every Sunday she comes to church where she hears God’s Word. These seeds which are being planted will surely grow.”

Alexander is still concerned, however, that Anastasia has to go back every evening  to the conditions in which her mother is living. “There we can’t change anything, but I hope that one day we will be able to have a refuge centre for children like her, where Christians will care for children in need of a safe place.”

On 8 April, the students at OM’s Discipleship Centre, leaders, guests and relatives all gathered in the Russian Baptist Church of Novosibirsk at a sunrise service to celebrate graduation.

The deputy chairman of the Russian Baptist Union in Siberia, Pastor Edward Genrix, opened the celebratory service. He read a text from Genesis 12 and shared the story of Abraham. During the service, each of the 20 graduates shared their impressions of the course and their future plans.

This is the sixth graduation from OM Russia’s Discipleship Centre. In Russia, OM is known as “Promise to the World”, and these graduates have already shown promise in their time at the centre.

Colin Cleaver, co-director of the Discipleship Centre, said, “This group is the largest in the history of the Discipleship Centre. However, despite the increased number of students, this group has been especially close. It is obvious how they have supported each other.”

After a word from the elder pastor of the Novosibirsk region, leaders handed out course certificates to the graduates. This was followed by a time of prayer and blessing for them. For many students, their experiences at the OM Discipleship Centre have been a pivotal season in their lives.

Says graduates Maria and Vladimir: “Studying in OM was a blessing—six months which changed our lives.” However, they stress that it wasn’t just learning or practical work that brought transformation. “The most important part was the relationships and friendships we made. We are pleased God led us to study here,” they continue. “In the future, we plan to serve in the Student Christian Centre and youth club, bringing the gospel to every student.”

Participant Anna also adds, “I studied well and developed the fruit of patience! Please pray that I will now be able to go as a missionary to my favourite country: Japan.”

Pray for all of the graduates of the discipleship programme. Pray they will continue to pursue God’s will for their lives as they transition into new areas and new opportunities for ministry.

Alexei Notkin is a Russian team member of OM Russia and works as a tutor in the Discipleship Centre, a ministry that disciples young Russian Christians to enable them to grow spiritually and receive practical ministry experience. Some of the students go on to work in full-time ministry, others become missionaries either in Russia or elsewhere, while others become more active in their home churches. Recently Alexei wrote:

I am a person who suffers from the desire to control things. As a leader, it was very difficult for me to accept that my discipleship course students would be leaving on the upcoming ministry trip without me. I had to stay in the city for the day, so I set them to their tasks and they left. I felt uneasy having to relinquish control over the situation. However, I kept in contact with the team over the phone and the next day when I arrived to join them, I was overjoyed to hear what God had done before my arrival.

During the previous day, they went to visit the orphanage. Team member Rita led a session with the children there. They learnt how to make crafts out of edible sweets, and while they worked, Rita shared about how God created the universe and loves each one of us.

Most of the children were not well-behaved, but one little boy listened intently. His name was Dima and he sat next to Rita, listening and asking her to tell more about Jesus. He was serious, like an adult, and asked very sensible questions.

After telling him about Jesus, Rita asked Dima if he wanted Jesus to become his friend. Dima asked what he had to do, and then repeated a prayer with Rita and asked Jesus to become his friend. Dima found the most important thing in life: Jesus. Please pray for Dima to continue growing in his new faith.

It was difficult for me to give up control at the beginning of the ministry trip. Yet, I thank God for these young people He has entrusted to me to lead. After hearing what He did through them, even in my absence, all I can do is praise Him.

Originally from Australia, Eve Batchelder has been working with OM Russia for the past six months. She has been living in OM Russia’s Discipleship Centre with 20 Russian students, taking part in their outreaches.

“I serve an amazing God!” exclaimed Anna, my teammate. 

We were walking the streets in the town of Kuybyshev, Russia, asking people what Easter meant to them and offering them a Bible. We were part of a team of students on their final outreach.

During the day, Anya shared with me about the journey God has led her on through the OM discipleship course. She explained how God has changed her heart about sharing the gospel with others, and since then, visible things in her life have changed, as well. Friends and workmates are asking her about God, and our interactions with people in the town of Kuybyshev are also different.

Anya told me she used to feel she needed to convince people of her beliefs. This made her anxious, and it made outreaches stressful. However, following a significant lecture at the OM discipleship course, Anya says she has come to see in a new way just how big God is. He is not someone we need to defend or protect. “I don’t need to protect Him. He can protect me!” Anya said. This truth has freed her to relax and enjoy talking with the people she meets, no defensiveness or convincing necessary.

As the discipleship course ends, it is encouraging to hear Anya’s story. She leaves the course with a changed heart, and along with the others students, it will be exciting to see how the last six months will propel her into the future.

During the outreach, the group visited a hospital for drug addicts. "The place was like a prison with steel doors locked to keep the patients in place," related one student, Azamat. "They were either there voluntarily or had been sent by their desperate parents or by the police. We were given permission by the staff to give a seminar about HIV and AIDS and drug abuse, and then nine of us shared our testimonies and sang."

Azamat shared about being a former drug addict and taking synthetic drugs for a year. "These drugs lead to death very quickly, but God freed me from my addiction," he said. Afterward, the students invited the patients to pray with them and told them they could experience freedom if they came to God for help. "Three of them prayed a prayer of repentance," reported Azamat. "One of the nurses said afterwards that she had felt God's presence in the room, and another left in tears."

Praise God for these three people who repented. Pray that they will come to know the truth about Christ and grow in relationship with God. Pray for these 20 students and future students trained for missions by OM Russia.