In the story below, you will read firsthand testimony from Diana, an SGA team member in Central Asia. She is a faithful servant alongside her husband Sasha, who ministers 24/7. They are always there for orphans and families in need, and she often even sends stories after midnight. 

Diana shares how this can sometimes make her feel weary or how a certain circumstance may seem so unnecessary. But God continually shows her that in her obedience and faithfulness, He brings about great blessing in His plan. 

Please pray for Diana and Sasha, as they continue to sacrifice much in meeting the needs of others and making disciples of Christ. Also pray for Diana and her young friend Aizhan, as they continue to develop a godly friendship and growth in Christ.  

“In this letter, I want to talk about the ministry in the villages and how God works. We really see how it pleases God to communicate in home groups and make monthly trips to villages to distribute things and products. We thank SGA for helping with food baskets that will allow us to go to places where there is not a single Christian. But now the voice of the Gospel is heard there. We are excited to be part of God’s plan for communities. I have to admit that I did not understand the point of going to this particular distant village, where we have gone several times. It took four hours to get to the border of China and another four hours back. I have always been happy to visit villages closer to our home every week. But God has again and again led us to go that far. We came back very tired, and I didn’t expect fruit because it’s far away and we don’t have a home group there. Sometimes I cried because a lot of strength was spent and there were no spiritual fruits. I don’t like long processes and I felt burnt out. God also felt this and gave me this gift, which I will write about below. 

Please share this testimony. This village is 217 miles away from our home, a broken road and again four hours of travel. We pray to God to send us “the angel of this village.” We always ask God to introduce us to someone who lives and loves the people in this village. We do not like to work through government agencies, since the lists of those in need do not correspond to reality and most often this is assistance to their already wealthy relatives. We come to a village and look for a “man of the world” or, as we say, “the angel of this village.” 

Here, we met Aizhan, a young female doctor. She treats people and knows everyone who really needs help. Aizhan and I became very good friends. Aizhan has three children. When we met, she was expecting her third child. I always tried to communicate by phone and bring gifts to her and the children. Two months ago, Aizhan called me at night and started crying. Aizhan told me about her husband, that he beats her and drinks alcohol. He goes to other women, and when he returns, he beats her again. Her child was a year old and on this particular night she stood alone with the children on the street and did not know what to do. She is an orphan and has nowhere to go. I realized that it would take about four hours to get to Aizhan. I found a taxi in this village, and we were able to bring her to us.

Aizhan and her three children spent a month in an adaptation center for women and children affected by domestic violence. My husband and I were always by her side. We talked and prayed a lot. Aizhan always asked us to pray for a miracle to save her family. She said, “I don’t want a divorce. I want happiness and peace in the family.” And God gave her a miracle! Her husband managed to talk to my husband, and he realized that he had lost his family when he returned home and did not see the children. A month later he came for Aizhan and the children. He promised all of us to be responsible, to care and not offend her. His parents promised to help Aizhan defend herself. But the most important thing this month is that she was there, and we could all influence her. Aizhan saw the power of God’s love for her. She said, “Through your love and care, I felt God. I used to think that we are servants of God. And now I know that we are all His children. I never knew my parents and felt lonely. Now I’m not alone forever.”

Aizhan returned home to believers. She prays every day! She is constantly in touch with us, and now they are waiting for us as a family to visit them at home. We believe that God will continue His work! In the photo is our first meeting with Aizhan and the photo of Aizhan, when Christ was born in her heart. Do you see how God makes people beautiful and young? Aizhan constantly says: “It was God’s plan for your team to come to our village and I could get to know you. I still don’t know why I called Diana that night. because I thought I would be very embarrassed. but now I understand that this was God’s plan for my family.”

 Now I also thank God that this testimony inspired me. How I cried in despair about working in remote villages. But now I see God’s plan for the outlying villages. God is good!