One wouldn’t usually think that being sentenced to a high security prison would be the way in which God would use you, but God works in mysterious ways. As we go through life, we are constantly tempted by the pull of this world—a pull that can sometimes be so strong that we eventually give into the sinful temptation. That sinfulness can lead to a life of destruction and bondage. 

However, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ saves us and frees us from that bondage to sin. That freedom is grounded in the hope of Jesus Christ. From there, it becomes a beautiful testimony of His plans and purposes for new life. He takes lives that have previously been crushed and broken, and uses them in unexpected, powerful ways. Even from behind prison walls! Once again, God’s story through His people!  And, all for His glory!  

Please pray for Mikhail and his family. Also pray for the many other SGA-supported Prison Ministries. From a Prison Ministry report in Novosibirsk, Russia . . .

My name is Mikhail, and I am 45. I would like to share a testimony of God’s love and glory in my life. I was born in Tomsk, into a full and well-off Roma family during Soviet times. My father was a leading worker at a factory, while my mother sold fruit and vegetables in a grocery store. I have an older brother and a younger sister. We grew up as happy children who lacked nothing.

My life in our family was very smooth. I studied at school, played sports, and loved drawing having inherited this gift from my father. Nothing seemed to foreshadow trouble until, at the age of 14, I first tried opium and very quickly became addicted. Of course, my parents tried everything they possibly could to pull me back from this terrible pull towards addiction. I went to different hospitals for treatment. They took me to extra-sensory practitioners and sorcerers, who performed “healing” rituals, but nothing worked.

In 2003, following the advice of my friends who were former drug addicts, I went to a Christian rehabilitation center in the village of Shtamovo, where the Lord miraculously freed and healed me. But my newly found freedom did not last long, and in 2005 I got back into using drugs, having abandoned my first love and leaving God’s church.

In 2009, I was sentenced to time and served in a penal colony in Anzhero-Sudzhensk, Kemerovo oblast (state). While in a prison cell, I started praying to God and as soon as I finished praying, I saw a Christian magazine lying on the windowsill. I realized that this was God’s answer to my prayer! God was with me throughout my entire sentence. I did not smoke or drink, or do drugs, but prayed and attended meetings with other brothers in faith. However, upon my early release after serving four years and eight months, I backslid again. I left my first love again, didn’t abide in God’s church, and within a year I was solidly hooked on heroin.

I was detained but released on bail. There were many people praying for me: my parents, and brothers and sisters from the church. God showed me His mercy, and I ended up in another Christian rehabilitation center, where Jesus restored me, having freed me completely from the demonic addiction. In the center, the Lord surrounded me with a kind of love that cannot be put into words. I returned to the church a new person. There I met Marina. 

As it turned out, we had gone to the same school together when we were younger. She was the girl I had been in love with back then, but had completely forgotten over the years. So, after 20 years, we met again in the church. We got married and had two wonderful daughters. Together, we studied at the Bible school, served in the church, and couldn’t imagine our lives without God and ministry.

Five years later, in 2019, I was convicted on old charges and sentenced to 13 years in a high security prison. These are the consequences of my sins, but God’s love covered them, and His mercy made them right. The Lord helped me not to fall into despair, but to accept this trial of faith and love for Him.

I have been serving my sentence for over five years now. I got a year and a half off my sentence, and in September 2024, I reached the halfway point of my term. Praise be to God for all things! In the colony, God has established His church, called “The Way Home,” where together with my fellow believers, we gather on weekends in the library, praying, worshiping God, reading the Bible, and reflecting on what we have learned.

Two brothers, Vova and Sasha, whom I started the group and carried out ministry together, have been released and have joined a church outside of prison. Now I am responsible for the ministry in the colony. Twice a month, ministers from Novosibirsk come to visit us. Every four months, Marina, along with our daughters Mirra and Milana visit me. Marina continues to serve in the church, while I serve where I am now. We are happy because Jesus Christ lives in our hearts!

Over the past five years, many prisoners have heard the Gospel, and many have repented and received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Praise be to God! We are the ones sowing the Word, while God is growing it. Glory, honor, and praise be to Him! I pray for everyone who will read my testimony. May God inspire you, and even if you have a falling out, don’t lose heart, but get up and continue walking with Jesus Christ! His love is strong, powerful, and never fails!”

If you would like further information on SGA-supported Prison Ministry, please click on the link below.