God is in control of everything—even the stories we tell. We wanted to share an update on Ilya’s story—how he graduated from an orphanage, and how we loved him, cared for him, and visited him often. We wanted to ask you to pray for him. But yesterday Ilya died after his life had taken a heartbreaking turn. So this will be a story of dear young man, who we will truly miss.

Dear friends, do not let this story pass you by. See the faithfulness of God through the lives of the dedicated team who loved this young man named Ilya through the highs and lows of life. Every SGA team member pointed Ilya to the Gospel. Let it also be a cautionary tale to never take your eyes off of Christ, and to have compassion on those who have, and are struggling to find their way back.  

Here is Ilya’s continuing story . . .

Ilya was a very special boy from the very childhood. When we came to the orphanage, he jumped into our arms at once. He was very short and liked some of the adults to hold him up. And we were those adults who were not tired of his hugs. He was a very funny little boy, with a wonderful sense of humor, full of life and readiness to give and to receive love. It was impossible not to notice him, despite he being the shortest in his class. He was the most active, communicative child in the whole orphanage. He was very active at our lessons, he asked a lot of questions and was the first who answered ours. All the teachers said that this boy had a future. You can very seldom hear such words about orphans.

When Ilya finished the orphanage, he received a little apartment from the government. Because he had no relatives, the state provided him with a place to live. He was very happy. He invited us to visit him at his OWN apartment. There was no furniture, nothing, but he was so proud of having his own little placed. We helped him with some pieces of furniture. He showed us the place where his Christian calendar hung on the wall.

Ilya told us that a lot of his classmates from the orphanage were in prison or became alcoholics. He said that he did not want to go the same way, so he chose another way – to follow God. He came to church—not every Sunday—but from time-to-time. He got married, found a job in a supermarket. We were happy to see this young man finding and growing a family.

But then Ilya decided to earn more money and went to Moscow. It was the beginning of the end. When he returned, Ilya was the person he never wanted to become. It was as a drug-addict, tired of life, skin and bones, with empty eyes. He had contracted AIDS. His wife had left him. He could not find a job. His apartment that he liked so much became a place where drug-addicts and homeless people gathered. Neighbors began to complain. He had no more money for drugs and parties. His friends left him. He had not paid his rent for the apartment, so he had no hot water. He was living the story of the Prodigal Son.

Ilya did not come to church any more. But we did not lose contact with him. We were in touch. When he lost everything and everybody, we stayed near him. His health was deteriorating very fast. From time-to-time, he lived at the hospital. We regularly visited him there or at home. He had constant diarrhea, so we brought him diapers, food, toilet paper. We were the only people who visited him and took care of him. He could hardly walk. Once we brought him soup from church lunch, and when he realized that it was from church, there were tears in his eyes. He said that he remembers how good it was at church.

We brought him home from the hospital, bought the necessary medicine, and visited several times per week, to bring some food and diapers. It was painful to see him suffering. He appreciated it very much that we were near him. Sergei, who visited him regularly, discussed the topics of death and life after death with Ilya. He was very attentive, listened, and responded with tears in his eyes. He realized that he was dying, and prayed every day.

Yesterday Ilya died. He was 27 years old.

Ilya was in our constant prayers. Now he will stay in our hearts and memories.

There is nowhere we can run where the love of God won’t find us. On the highest peak, in the lowest valley, or on our deathbed—Jesus is there. Though we grieve the loss of Ilya, we also celebrate the truth that we serve a God who welcomes all prodigals to come back home.