Perhaps the incarcerated are not the first mission field we think of when we consider where to go to share the Gospel in our day-to-day lives. God gives each of us different assignments of where to shine His light in the darkness of our world. For SGA-supported Pastor Alexander, it is in a penal colony in Belarus.

In his outreach, Alexander is bringing the hope of God’s Word and sharing that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life with those who may feel forgotten or beyond redemption. But as they soon hear, in God’s eyes no one is. Please pray for Alexander and his team as they minister to inmates, as well as those who have been released and are adjusting to life outside of prison. May God be glorified as broken individuals receive His grace and salvation, and are made new in Jesus Christ!

Here is Alexander’s report . . .

Peace be with you, friends!

Praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for giving us the opportunity to preach the Gospel in a maximum-security penal colony. There are those who heard the Gospel for the first time, there are those who heard it, but trusted in their own strength and returned again, and there are those who visited the church, but through the fall the evil one brought them back to their former place. The son (26 years old) of one of the ministers (there are nine children in the family) of the evangelical church is now serving a sentence in the penal colony. He was baptized at the age of 16, and after school he went to Minsk to study, but “bad communities have corrupted good morals.” Talking to him, he understands everything that has happened, but he cannot free himself from carnal addiction and “friends.” His prayer lacks brokenness, boldness, and trust in God. His family is constantly praying for him and prayers with him in the penal colony complement them in the heavenly cup.

In the photo you can see Nikolai. Out of 62 years of his life, he spent 38 years in the colony, and his last term was 16 years. During his stay in the zone, he married a single woman (the main motive was to have help from outside and to have visits). He visited the church in [a town in Belarus] for four years. After his release, I gave constant spiritual care for him, and now he is constantly consulting me to make the right decisions. Together with his wife, they now live in a small town and attend the church. Praise the Lord, only He can change people’s hearts.

Andrew is in the photo. Out of 53 years of life, he spent 22 years in a penal colony. The last sentence was for 13 years, He believed in prison in 2016. He had a family, his wife divorced him and alone raised a daughter who is over 30 years old. The daughter now has a family and two children. There was a time when his family all gave up on him, however, when he heard the Gospel and repented, he began writing letters to them telling them what Christ had done to him. It wasn’t until four years later that the daughter’s heart melted for her father. She visited him in the colony, this reconciliation was accomplished only by the Lord. Now that he is free, he solves all his worldly and spiritual questions only in consultation with the ministers. The Lord is especially working with his heart, and he has a desire to make a covenant with the Lord.

Needs for prayer:

• Pray that the Lord will continue to dispose the hearts of the administration of the penal colony to hold meetings there.
• For strength and boldness to sow and water God’s seed.
• For the repentant, for their good example of life and faith among the convicts and superiors.
• For the spiritual protection and care of those who are already free.