A Report from Eric Mock
SGA Vice President of Ministry Operations

Pastor Tsiskara comforts Natela Margieva and talks to her about the Lord.

SGA-sponsored Compassion Ministry is near and dear to my heart. With your help, this aspect of our mission’s many ministries has a powerful impact as the churches we serve across Russia and her neighboring countries reach the forgotten with the Gospel.

One example came to us recently from the former Soviet country of Georgia in the Caucasus region. Pastor Tsiskara visits many families who are living in poverty, giving them food packages and talking with them about the Lord. Several have even visited Tsiskara’s church and are interested in hearing more about God’s Word.

Not long ago, he visited a family of seven—parents, grandparents, and three children.

No one in the family is currently working at a job as the father had a stroke. He is now paralyzed and bedridden. When Tsiskara and fellow church members visited and prayed with the family, the father prayed along with them and wept when it was concluded. Tsiskara is thankful for the support you provide and asks that you continue to pray for him as he reaches out with Christ’s love.

More Compassion: Taking Christ to the War Zone

Another moving report came to us from church teams in Ukraine who are taking the love of the Lord Jesus into the conflict zones in the east. We will withhold names for security reasons, but the reporting pastor tells us that your support is making a tremendous difference:

In the past month, we were able to provide food assistance to several locations where people have suffered the most from the hostilities. Many have lost their homes due to the shelling, and some have even had loved ones killed. The local authorities say more than 140 houses are beyond repair, with 600 that are repairable.

Those who could leave moved to other cities, but most of the non-displaced population are elderly, people with disabilities, or those who have no family elsewhere. They are open to the Gospel and interested in Christian literature. Unemployment and long distances from larger towns make the needs for basic food and necessities the most pressing. One special elderly lady is so thankful for the Word and a fresh loaf of bread that she comes every Saturday to a former community center that is now a new church. The young will also bear consequences of the armed conflict, but we hope and pray that little girls like Lera will forget the sound of exploding shells, and will instead remember their first steps in following Jesus. On Saturdays, Lera recites Christian poems that she learned by heart to one of the village congregations. We are thankful for your continued prayers and for your financial support of Compassion Ministry!