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Editor’s Note: An SGA-supported pastor in a former Soviet nation provides the following ministry report.

An older woman, because of dementia, did not even recognize her daughter, but she shared these words with Pastor Sergei, who came to bring Nelly and her family much needed food. “A young man met me on the street and told me everything from the Bible for a long time. I remember that meeting well.” That meeting was well over 50 years ago; however, God kept that memory engrained in her mind and heart, even when she was forgetting everything else around her. 

God works in mysterious ways and reminds us daily that none of this is about us. It is about His amazing grace and how He holds each of us in His hands. Even when Nelly was in a place where she might’ve been feeling very alone, God was present! Please continue to pray for the men and women who faithfully take food aid to those in need through SGA-supported Compassion Ministry.

Peace be with you, beloved brothers, and sisters in Christ Jesus. I am thankful to God that I am able to do outreach ministry with you through food relief.

I want to share with you the story of a family I met two weeks ago. The family consists of three people. Nadezhda, a disabled woman of a second-group, her son Timothy and the old woman Nelly, Nadezhda’s mother, who is 86 years old. They live poorly. Nadezhda cannot work because of her illness, she receives a small disability pension, and the old lady Nelly has a small pension. All the furniture in the house is old, and the house itself is in poor condition. The stove in the house has fallen into disrepair, and Nadezhda buys two dozen bricks every month to rebuild the stove. Nadezhda told me: “It’s good that our neighbor took it upon himself to build us a stove and doesn’t charge us for the work, otherwise we would be without heat in winter.” The situation in the family is difficult.

The most amazing thing happened when I talked to the old woman Nelly. Her memory has become so weak that she doesn’t remember what happened to her five minutes ago. She doesn’t even remember her daughter Nadezhda. She keeps asking her: “Who are you? And what are you doing here?” But when I started talking about Christ I was amazed at her responses. I told her that it was necessary to believe in Christ and that it was impossible to have eternal life without Him.

Suddenly something happened to Nelly, her eyes became clear, and she began to say something that I did not expect her to say. She said: “Yes, you can’t live without Jesus. He died on the cross so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life. You have to repent to Jesus of your sins, or you can’t live without Him. You need to read the Bible; it says everything about how people should behave with God.” When I asked her how she knew all this, Nelly answered: “It was a long time ago. I was about 30 years old. A young man met me on the street and told me everything from the Bible for a long time. I remember that meeting well.”

Fifty-six years have passed since that meeting, but the Word of Christ is alive and well. It lives in this woman and enlightens her mind when it comes to the great works of God. I was surprised, God taught me a good lesson as a missionary: “Speak the word of Christ to all, and it is not your business to know the times and dates when it will lead the hearer to repentance and a living faith.” Thanks be to God!

I am thankful to God and to you that this ministry exists and that we can continue to labor in it. It is very important for our church, and we are ready to continue working in this ministry. May God bless you all! 

Pastor Sergei

The Word Of Christ Is Alive And Well

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