Mission to Marina Gorka and More: Fruitful Ministry for Christian Youth in Belarus

By Dima Podrez

Last August, 14 young brothers and sisters from Minsk’s Golgotha Church traveled to the village of Marina Gorka to visit the church. The weather was good, and we were in a joyful mood. The brothers and sisters there gave us a warm welcome before the service.

There are some 45 members in the Marina Gorka church, mostly elderly people who live in surrounding villages. They need encouragement so much!

While there, we sang songs, recited poetry, encouraged, and pointed them to Jesus. Then we met with the six young people who made up the church youth, and we invited them to visit our church in Minsk. I was also glad, because this visit encouraged a young brother from Minsk in learning how to preach, and it helped the youth to learn to conduct Bible study. We thank you for your prayers and support, which enable us to bring small churches encouragement and joy.

Orphan Ministry and Construction

In the spring, God blessed ten of our youth to visit Druisk in the north of Belarus. There, a 35-year-old missionary pastor named Nikolai labors in a very small church. Local school authorities allow him to take children to Christian summer camps. He asked us to help him build an athletic field so that the children from the orphanage can come and have fun. The whole day, we cleared wood and cut it.

Afterward, we went to the orphanage, where I met a young girl who ended up in the orphanage when her grandmother got sick. The girl has been worried and has been praying about her grandmother. We encouraged her to keep praying and trust the Lord. The next day, we started to repair the roof and build the athletic field. There were a lot of people who came by and asked us why we were doing this. “Why did you come here? What motivated you to come here and work?” It was a great opportunity for our testimony. We are really grateful for your help with funds for this ministry. We don’t know what we would have done without your help!

Editor’s Note: Dima Podrez is the son of Piotr Podrez, director of SGA’s Minsk Regional Ministry Center (RMC) in Belarus.