It’s amazing to see how the family of God works together to touch the lives of men and women needing to hear the Gospel message. Through the many faithful men and women who support and pray for SGA-supported missionary pastors, to the missionary pastors themselves, the Gospel message is shared throughout the lands of the former Soviet Union.

This Gospel message becomes a light to the many people who can’t find their way through the darkness in their hearts and society around them. A new person in Christ becomes a beacon of hope and a way forward. It changes their personal life and worldview. It brings strength, peace, and comfort to those who are living out their lives for the sake of the Gospel. And the cycle continues, as new believers begin sharing the light of the Gospel to those living in spiritual darkness. Generations come and go, but the Gospel message lives on. 

Please continue to pray for SGA-supported missionary pastors as they sacrificially shepherd their congregations in order to build the family of God for the future, and to be a light for the Gospel among their people.

From Pastor Yegor in Far East Russia . . .

I praise the Lord for His good work in the life of my family, my church, and the Yakutia Churches Association. I’d like to thank SGA, and all my brothers and sisters in Christ for your help and support for my family and my ministry. God keeps working in our lives, showing us His mighty hand and His wisdom.

In my previous reports, I told you about a Yakut man named Ooygoon who had come to the Lord Jesus after many years of being an aggressive, pagan Shamanist with a criminal past. It’s so great, praise the Lord! But we know that very often, after a man repents before Jesus, he might have to go through some tests. The devil might approach him with the intention of scaring him and to drag him away from God. Unfortunately, the authorities have put Ooygoon under very much stress because of his business failure, and ultimately gave him two choices: either he joins the army and goes to the Ukraine war, or he goes to jail. Ooygoon told them that he cannot carry weapons, nor kill anybody since he has become a Christian, not even at war. Because of this, he was even ready to go to jail. After this decision, the authorities agreed that Ooygoon has a right to join a Voluntary Unit and can serve there without carrying any weapon. In late November, Ooygoon was drafted by the army officials and sent to one of the Russian Voluntary Units for a one-year term. Please pray that he can endure all the challenges there, that he will not lose faith, trust in Jesus, and will be God’s witness among his fellow soldiers.

I’m very pleased to see that Ooygoon’s wife Svetlana keeps attending church services and Bible study group at my house. She is very interested in knowing more about God and His truths. Her interest has grown even more since her husband was drafted by the military. She saw how much her husband had changed after his repentance, and these changes simply amazed her. She said: “I never saw Ooygoon being so calm, peaceful, and wise. I think God must really be alive if He changed my husband so completely.” Svetlana shares the Gospel with her friends. Last Sunday she even brought her friend Elena to the church service. Please pray for Svetlana to finally turn her whole life over to Christ.