Maxim
SGA-Supported Missionary Pastor in Russia

Peace and grace be to you, co-workers in the harvest field of God! I want to share with you the good fruit of our ministry in Far East Russia, and to share prayer needs. 

We witnessed an amazing Gospel opportunity in the fall of 2023. We were doing road repairs around the church building. We had to hire bulldozers and backhoes to move the ground. The neighbors of the church building were curious about this work, so they came and watched. They asked different questions. We gave them a tour around the building, and we used that chance to tell them about God. It was an unusual opportunity. While none of the neighbors have yet come to our church services, one man named Vlad—the owner of the firm from which we hired the machinery—came to our church service as the result of such a tour. Later he also came to our meeting with the men. 

We had a lengthy conversation with Vlad about God and he asked us to pray for him. At the end of the last year, he was elected as a representative of the Communist Party in local government. He came with that news to our church, and we were able to have more fellowship with him, and I prayed for him. Presently Vlad attends our meetings for men, and comes to different church events, but he has not yet repented before Jesus. Therefore, pray with us that God would open his heart! Amazing thing is that this man, while being an unregenerate person, is an active witness about Jesus in his business, in the administration, and among his neighbors. 

He regularly comes to the church during the week in order to get the Bibles or New Testaments, which he distributes as he tells people about Jesus, and he shares testimonies that the Word of God helps people in their life. He never comes to church alone. He always brings new unbelievers with him. This is somewhat amazing for me, and I am surprised by the way God is reaching out to people with the Gospel!

For our Christmas ministry, we were able to be bold in taking the Gospel to many people. We spend time in preparation for the celebration. We ordered Christian calendars, made and signed postcards for our friends, organized special dinners, and prepared a Christmas play for the children, which we showed in our church and at the orphanage. On the next day after our outreach at the orphanage, we had another in our church building. God brought about 200 children and adults to the Christmas celebration. 

This was unbelievable! We received many messages from believers and their non-Christian friends, expressing their gratitude. Several adults with their children started to attend church services on a regular basis. One woman, who came to church after the Christmas event, was weeping a lot. After the church service, I came up to her and asked whether she was all right. She told me that just two weeks ago she lost her husband at war. Now she has no husband, and the children have no father. All those days she lived with no hope and she had such a depression, but today she saw the light from God and found hope in Jesus Christ. The sisters from our church came to her and prayed together with her. 

We are so glad that the Lord, who was once born in Bethlehem, continues to enter many hearts even today! Please keep praying for our ministry!