Diana writes in the story below about a widow who lost her husband in a tragic accident when a short circuit started a fire where he was sleeping. Alla not only saw her home destroyed that night, but she also said goodbye to the dear man with whom she was going to build “a home.” That’s when SGA team member Diana and her family began to reach out. 

At first there were “closed doors” and more trials, but slowly the light began to appear again and not only for them, but for an entire village . . . and as Diana says, “the light came on for this village.”

Sometimes God uses great hardship and grief to bring people to faith.  And then, He uses them greatly to impact the lives of others. This is exactly what happened to Alla and her family. In a house that once had closed doors, their home is now called a house of peace, where Bible lessons and prayer take place! “Alla became our ambassador for the local residents,” Diana says.Please pray for Alla and her family as they continue to be a bright light to those around them.  

A story of a widow . . .

We met Alla when a great tragedy happened in her life. She and her husband had spent 10 years building their house. They both worked multiple jobs to provide for their two daughters and buy building materials. Construction of the house was nearing completion. Finishing work remained. Every evening after work, Alla’s husband spent several hours in his house to bring the day closer to when they would finally move into the house of their dreams with the whole family. One evening he stayed overnight in the house to fix some electrical problems. A short circuit of current led to the start of a fire. Alla’s husband burned that night along with the house. It’s horrible!

Alla became a widow that night, without any means of subsistence and without a roof over her head. She and her two little daughters went to live with Alla’s mother. She was at her lowest point in depression, and her life had lost all meaning. She was full of despair and confusion. We learned about her trouble and came to bring food, clothes, shoes and support her. We began bringing help to them more often. When Alla and her mother realized that we were Christians, they closed the doors to us.

They said: “Another faith is alien to us. We will not allow sectarians into the house.”

We continued to pray and support. They only accepted help if we left everything at the gate. As soon as we left, they opened the door, took the box of food and coal, and closed the door. 

Sometime later, Alla’s sister died. Her little daughter (Alla’s niece) was left an orphan. We were there to help again. Alla and her mother opened the door for us this time. First, they allowed us to pray in their house. They cried, and we cried with them. We started coming once a week again. We read the Bible together with them and prayed. Alla’s mother, Alla herself, and three girls listened to all the Bible stories. They asked a lot of questions and began to learn to pray with us.

Last winter, due to low temperatures, the water in the water supply froze. They were left without water. Since the house is very old, there was a problem with electricity. There was problem after problem, and only women lived in the house. There was nowhere to wait for help. We gathered a team and came to help. Someone repaired the electricity and laid a new electrical cable. We started working through frozen soil to get to the water pipe and lay a new water supply. We all worked towards the end result, which was not long in coming.

The house has a new insulated water supply system and water is in the tap again. New electricity with bright light. Through this virtue, our relationship reached a completely different level. We became closer than ever before. Alla’s house has become a “house of peace,” where Bible lessons and prayer take place. The girls began to come to our Christian camps. We believe that Alla and her girls have begun a new family story. The light came on for this village. Now Alla invites neighbors and friends to her house so that they can learn about God. Alla became our ambassador for the local residents. Local people know her, see Alla’s changed life and now trust us more. Alla, her mother (widows) and three orphan girls. Women of three generations received the fatherhood of Christ and a new life with Him. I cry as I share her story. God is incredibly good!