Soon we will be into February, the shortest month of the year. Fewer days means fewer God-given opportunities … may we not let them slip by.

Our Heavenly Father gives us many opportunities for witnessing … people we encounter everyday … people we see just once on a bus, train or airplane. And there are daily opportunities for doing good deeds, and even opportunities to serve as a volunteer on the mission field.

Louetta and I recently had the opportunity to visit two churches that are part of the Western Michigan Antioch Initiative Coalition — East Bay Calvary Church in Traverse City and Jenison Bible Church in Hudsonville. At East Bay, five men reported on their trip to help excited new believers in the town of Panino, Russia, construct a modest church building.   They had volunteered their time and skills, and were greatly blessed in the process.

At Jenison Bible Church, a young man told us that he, too, had been to Panino, and that it was the third new church in Russia that he had helped in building their house of prayer.   When he goes to Russia, he loses two weeks of business, but seizing these Kingdom opportunities and the blessings that come with them, he said, “is more than worth it.”

Thank you so very much for seizing the opportunities to partner in the Gospel. Your prayers and support are making a great difference for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sergei Naboychenko
SGA-Sponsored Missionary Pastor
Kaluga, Russia

The Russian region and city of Kaluga has quite a lot of history behind it. Napoleon’s armies mounted a failed attempt to escape from Russia through this region in 1812. Hitler’s armies occupied Kaluga during World War II. Most notably, Kaluga was the home of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky — a scientist who was Russia’s Werner Von Braun or Robert Goddard in terms of developing rocket science.

Today, SGA-sponsored missionary pastor Sergei Naboychenko finds the Kaluga region to be a fertile spiritual harvest field, despite occasional obstacles to their ministry …

During the summer, we held our evangelistic bicycle rally and God blessed it. During July, we visited eight towns in the Kaluga region and were met with a great amount of interest. We encountered obstacles thrown up by the local authorities, but God always turned them around for our good.  

For example, in the town of Sorensky, the mayor demanded that we stop our evangelistic meeting even though we had already received permission from higher regional authorities. After a long negotiation, they gave us another “unpopular” place from their point of view for our meeting. But as it turned out, on that precise day many of the inhabitants of the town came there for various reasons. We were so happy that God brought evil out of good yet again.

So many children have yet to hear of Christ's love.

In late July, Sergei’s church held two outreach camps for children and youth in the towns of Maloyaroslavets and Sukhinichi. Many of the children heard about Christ for the first time, and did not know about the Bible or even how to pray. And they have such deep needs! One young Roma* boy even asked God to help him so that his parents would allow him to go to school instead of begging on the streets. The church has photos of each child along with their prayer requests. Sergei believes that the seeds have been sown for a great spiritual harvest. The church also has an active small group ministry, with three in progress and several more to begin soon.

Please pray for Sergei and his ministry, and especially for the follow-up contacts that will be taking place with the children.

*Editor’s Note: “Roma” is the correct name for the people group commonly known as “gypsies.” Among the Roma, the word “gypsy” is considered highly offensive.  

9 participating countries: Russia (125 camps), Ukraine (52 camps), Belarus (34 camps), Kazakhstan (14 camps), Uzbekistan (7 camps), Tajikistan (7 camps), Turkmenistan (6 camps), Armenia (1 camp) and Azerbaijan (3 camps) …

7,728 children from non-believing families …

2,151 children from orphanages …

306 participating churches …

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord … (Psalm 127:3).

At our youth camp this year, we studied the qualities of a real Christian in the camp. We had Bible classes every day and also reached people in Melnikovo. We organized a volleyball tournament one evening, and a team of local people played with us at a local college. After the game, we gave each member of the village team a New Testament with testimonies of Christian sportsmen and DVDs. We then invited unsaved kids to our camp for fellowship.

The Lord blessed us richly. More than 40 people attended the camp, and ten of them expressed interest in learning more about Christ. They saw our lives as Christians, listened to the Gospel, and we will continue to keep relationships with them. Pray!

Another blessed year of camp ministry in the Tomsk region is over, and we thank God and all those who worked together with us! More than 150 were in our camps, with 23 children repenting and 8 now come to the church. Fifteen kids said that they heard about the Bible for the first time. We had a youth camp and a sports camp as well. More than 100 local Christians helped with these activities, and more than 300 people were reached with the Gospel.

One of the camp highlights was a skit about the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus prepared by some older boys. All the camp workers were deeply moved and even cried. Even we adults wanted to pray to Christ afterward and confess our sins! On the final day, 13 kids came forward and asked the Lord into their hearts. We had never seen so many children repenting in the camp at one time!

There were children from unsaved families and orphans. We took it as a miracle that unsaved children came to our Bible classes, even when they had dancing or other amusements taking place at the same time. They preferred to fellowship with us. One boy from the orphanage repented at the service. Glory be to our God! It would not have been possible without your prayer support and financial support!

Pastor Alexander Yurovskikh
Kurgan, Russia

In the summer, God blessed us to serve orphans and other children in four villages.

We prepared everything we needed for the camp sessions. We formed a team with eight people, and the children readily took part in the program. They invited their friends to come. Parents, their children, and other adults came to the club to observe, listening to what we said and watching what we did.

Even the staff of village clubs and the orphanages not only watched, but joined in the activities! They were surprised to see the zeal and love among Christians who were working with the kids without any payment, serving them freely. The children eagerly took part in all the games with great interest. They learned the Christian songs, listened to Bible stories with interest, and loved to attend the craft lessons. At the next Bible class, the children repeated the biblical stories they had learned word by word. We saw God’s blessings in all these events, and it was the answer to our prayers. The children did not want us to leave. They said they would be looking forward to meet with us again.

The Lord blessed us with nice weather during the children’s activities and we received it as God’s blessing. There were thunderstorms and heavy rains, but it did not hinder our meetings with children. We had blessings and also had some difficulties. We needed permission to enter three villages. As we had come from Kurgan, we needed to have permission for entrance, as the villages are on the border with Kazakhstan. It took me several days to obtain permission for the visit there.

One more challenge was that my wife, Nadia, had a gallbladder attack, and she was in the hospital ten days. Despite the challenges, we succeeded in holding all planned activities for the children in the villages. The Lord blessed our ministry in a special way. There were 152 children who heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

When you consider all the ministries sponsored by SGA partners across the lands of Russia, sometimes it can get confusing. Supporting missionary pastors in their evangelistic, church-planting labors . . . sponsoring Orphans Reborn workers as they reach orphan children with the Gospel . . . reaching needy and unreached children during the Christmas season through Immanuel’s Child and other outreaches . . . sponsoring Bible training for future pastors, youth leaders and Christian education workers — it truly can be overwhelming to consider.

But the Bible-preaching churches we serve wouldn’t have it any other way. Whether the church has been long established in a region, or is a new congregation, the goal is the same: to reach the lost with the Gospel . . . making the most of the opportunity (Colossians 4:5).

Russian orphans respond to God's love with great joy.

Yevgeny Dushakov is an SGA-sponsored missionary pastor in Russia’s Mari-El Republic. In the city of Ioshkar-Ola, he and the faithful workers in his church are visiting local orphanages. And they are impacting more than just the children . . .

“We have been able to have wonderful Christmas meetings with your help, and after those we get ready for Easter outreaches. We are happy that each time we visit the children and their caregivers in the orphanages, they treat us with more and more confidence, and we can share Christian values and truths with them. One of the vice directors of the orphanage began to profess Christian values. She wants to communicate with us and she asks many questions. We have known her for many years and only now are we seeing the results of our prayers and labors. Praise God for the opportunity to see the exciting fruit of ministry.” 

In another orphanage where other brothers associated with Yevgeny work, a program was conducted called “Myths about Life.” As a result of hearing the Gospel, 18 orphan teenagers began coming to the church and half of them were baptized in the summer of 2010. Yevgeny’s teams try to find every new opportunity they can for Gospel preaching, and are excited to see the fruit. The support of SGA partners has helped make it all possible!

Yevgeny communicates a vital truth to seeking teens ... His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

Reaching Into the Community

Yevgeny has also had opportunities to speak to young men in Ioshkar-Ola who are already successful businessmen and represent various companies. They have grown up in a self-centered culture, and as he witnesses, Yevgeny speaks to them of how important it is to think of the needs of others, and to have a spiritual foundation in their lives. He also has opportunities to speak to students at local schools, and they often ask him very serious questions about life. The topics vary, but all are based on Scripture and the importance of the Word of God as the only solid foundation is stressed. Right now, more than 20 teenagers are involved in these lessons, and Yevgeny feels that this is a wonderful opportunity to help rescue them from the consequences of a godless life.

“Recently, I received a message from a young man who used to attend our church, but then drifted away for various reasons. God continued to work in his heart, and now he wants to come to the church again. But he feels ashamed to come, and we have been communicating through email. His example assures me of the fact that God’s Word is never sown in vain (Isaiah 55:11). It will bring forth its fruit in due time!

We are going to visit children in the orphanage again in the next few days, and we will be discussing the biblical topic—“whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” We want to prepare the children for adult life when they have to leave the orphanage. We also plan to hold a tent camp for the graduates. Please pray with us for the resources and the opportunity to do this. It is very expensive, and we appreciate all your prayers for this project.”

Yevgeny and his church members are thankful for SGA partners and their faithful, prayerful support . . .

“We thank you, our dear friends, brothers and sisters, for your concern for us and for our ministry. It is great to know that other Christians are praying for us and taking part in our ministry. We thank God for you, and may He bless your ministries and your churches!” 

By Dr. Bob Provost
SGA President

During my initial visits in 1989 and 1990 with the zealous pastors of the Soviet Union and their church families, I was deeply moved and captivated by their devotion to Christ. There were five 2-3 hour worship services each week — joyfully attended by all members and their families.   Everyone was singing all the verses of all the hymns from memory … and often in parts. In the corporate prayer sessions, people were competing for who would pray next … and no pauses between the prayers. And so much more.

Dr. Levan's church is vibrant and growing.

Dr. Levan (left) excelling in medicine and evangelism.

Twenty years later, I was invited to the Republic of Georgia by the leader of a new missionary church planting movement. My experiences there have taken me back to my earliest experiences in the Soviet Union. Through a caring medical practice, Dr. Levan has planted ten churches. As a general surgeon, he currently operates a free evangelistic clinic for the poor while personally pastoring three churches and two developing groups. In addition, Dr. Levan leads a fellowship of six other pastors, who together serve 600 believers spread over 24 little churches and ten developing groups.

Earlier, as a young surgeon in a large hospital, he witnessed of his faith in Jesus so much that many of the staff complained. The director of medicine called Levan in to respond to the complaints. Levan requested that he be given the opportunity to address the entire medical staff. The director agreed, and called 120 physicians and nurses to the meeting hall.   For two hours, Dr. Levan preached the Gospel. Afterward, one by one, 20 doctors came to him asking him to teach them. In time, ten of them were saved.

Dr. Levan's ministry has even reached into the lives of Muslims.

In a neighboring Muslim country, Dr. Levan became acquainted with the leader of a mosque, who invited him to teach an Old Testament series. After several months, the regional Muslim authorities heard about it and he was asked to stop. Twenty of his students left with him and a new church was planted. Levan’s photo was placed on a wanted poster at the border crossing.

Dr. Levan never misses an opportunity for the Gospel.

As a surgeon, he has spent most of his life with seriously ill and dying people. Many times, it has been impossible to save their lives … and it has served to make him a very aggressive evangelist. Physical life and death are not the most important issues. The paramount issues are spiritual life and spiritual death! All souls are eternal. People do not realize that if they refuse to listen to the Gospel, that they are willing themselves to endure horrible punishment in hell forever!

Dr. Levan says, “We must take away their freedom not to listen!” He says that we cannot worry about offending them. We cannot be concerned that they will reject us. We must make them understand that to reject the Gospel is to will themselves to eternal suffering in the lake of fire. May the Lord help us all to more fully grasp the importance of being lovingly aggressive in our witness for Christ!

The Lord has been gracious to bring us through another year of service to Him.

He has worked through your prayers and sacrificial support. Our hearts are filled with gratitude to Him, and to you for your faithful partnership in the Gospel.

Recently, SGA partners helped gather faithful servants of Christ from 13 nations. There were hundreds of pastors from the CIS, the Republic of Georgia, and Israel. Included were pastors from six Muslim countries where oppression is severe.

It was refreshing to spend time with such zealous soldiers of the King who daily endure hardships and keep pressing on with no complaints. They give little thought to turbulent economic and political conditions. To them the big picture never changes. Men, women, and children are headed —unknowingly— to a Christless eternity of unimaginable suffering. Compared to this, all other issues pale in significance!

What matters most is faithfulness to Christ and to His Great Commission. Their priorities are rescuing people from hell and gathering them into a Bible-preaching church, where they will learn how to serve Christ and make a difference … an eternal difference!

The Lord is powerfully changing lives in the most unlikely places. It is our joy, together, to serve such faithful brothers in Christ through our prayers, support, and provision of study Bibles, commentaries, and other study aids.

As we did in last month’s InSight, we invite you again to join us in intercession for Immanuel’s Child and other Christmas-related outreaches directed to children and their families. As several SGA-sponsored missionary pastors relate, the fruit of the previous year’s outreaches often lead to further ministry opportunities …

In Lyubashevka, the Lord opened doors for us among the local Roma people. After we conducted Christmas services last year, a Roma woman named Kalava allowed us to conduct a group Bible study in her house. We have these studies every Saturday. About ten adults and the same number of children are attending, and we are planning   to start a children’s ministry in this village. Every time, some new people come to our study. They open their hearts, telling us of their worries and problems. Please, join us in prayers for their repentance.  

Andrei Stanchev
Ukraine

Our Christmas outreaches last January 7 were festive. We prepared small gifts and invited children. About 30 children came to our program at our church. Praise God! Among them were kids who had never been inside a church before. Most importantly, their parents came with them! It was a great joy for us. We have two women who have been regularly coming to our meetings. Even though they experience opposition from their relatives, they like to be with us, singing and listening to God’s Word. Also, three boys have been coming to our Sunday school. Their mother brings them, although she is not yet a believer. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of my ministry!

Alexander Mandshiev
Russia

Together with youth from our church, we visited bedridden children. We greeted them on Christmas and gave presents to them. We visited 30 families, some for the first time, and they were very surprised to see us! Their children were also very glad because not many people care for them. Our youth are a great blessing to us. They are very zealous in this ministry, and they share their love with the children. Many parents invited us to visit them again. We also conducted Christmas celebrations in the orphanage with our youth and gave the children presents. It was such a joy for them that somebody cared for them. Please keep praying for us and for our ministry!

Viktor Opalinskiy
Ukraine

Through Immanuel’s Child each year, thousands of children, their families, and caregivers are reached with the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.   Then follow-up ministry continues throughout the year, yielding much fruit for the glory of God.   May He open many more doors this coming year for men, women and children to hear of the love of His precious Son, who came that … they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10).