It’s very difficult to watch how the sins of parents affect children. In the story below you will read about Jasmine, a young girl who was greatly impacted both emotionally and physically after her mother left her family with another man, and her father decided to drink his troubles away. 

Thankfully, Jasmine was brought to SGA-supported Pastor Sergei and his family, and they lovingly took her into their home. She began attending church services, but most importantly began reading the Bible and praying with her new family. Through this, she now has a deep faith in God and has been baptized. And, just as God has done so many times before, He  restored Jasmine’s father by enabling him to see his own sin, leading to his repentance. Her father now faithfully attends church as well. Please pray for this father and daughter as they move forward together spiritually, in new life.     

Sergei tells his story about Jasmine who came to his house when she was 11. Today she is 18, baptized,  finished art photography courses, took part in exhibition, and she is studying in college. She is also a student of Almaty Bible Institute . . .

In the fall of 2015, sister Sunai from a local church, called us and asked us to take in an 11-year-old girl for a while. This is how we first met Jasmine. She seemed a little intimidated; she stuttered, practically unvocal, and she was infested with lice! Before Jasmine came to us, she had lived at her classmates for a month, as it was unbearable for her to live with her father. She did not feel very comfortable at her classmate’s place either, putting it lightly. Her classmate’s father humiliated her, called her names, etc.

There was a time when everything with Jasmine’s family was fine. Her father and mother lived together, even though the family’s well-being was low, but they were a family. Both parents belonged to a Pentecostal church. Then, according to Jasmine’s dad, her mother fell in love with a person of her nationality, and she abandoned the family and went to Russia. As Jasmine’s mother said, she could no longer live with her husband, as he abused alcohol. It all happened when Jasmine was seven. As her mother left for good to Russia with another person, Jasmine got distressed and desperate. Because of the stress, the girl began stuttering. But that was just the beginning. Her father lived here and there, drinking hard. He had no housing of his own at the time and did not care much for his child. Jasmine lost connection with her mother. Often, the father used the girl as a protection from the police when he was seeking for a drink at nights. By taking his daughter with him, the police seemingly would not take a drunken man with a child.

At first, Jasmine mostly did not talk to us. She looked down at the floor, afraid of looking into our eyes. Then she slowly warmed up. I started talking to her, telling her about myself. In the beginning, she was very keen on practicing judo, for the simple reason to learn fighting and for being able to take care of herself and get her revenge upon all her offenders. We had a hard time supporting this idea, so she started to do athletics. As the girl had good physical abilities, she was immediately enrolled into the Olympic Reserve. She trained hard for several years, achieved good results at the competitions, and received many awards and medals.

From the very beginning, as Jasmine came into our family, she would come with me to our church services. Besides, every evening we tried to have quality time as a family, praying and reading the Bible. Because of all this, Jasmine has a deep sense of faith in our Lord, has repented and was baptized at the age of 17 in our ECB church. Around that time, her dad quit drinking. He repented and has been restored and attends a UECB church. He found housing, and Jasmine moved to the new place to live with her father.

Jasmine graduated from a comprehensive school and completed art photography courses, and then entered the institute. At the same time, she started her studies at the Almaty Bible Institute in the Music Department with the mixed education program.

Jasmine has the key to our house, and comes to our place whenever she wants, usually two to three times a week. Sometimes she stays overnight. She considers us her family. Please, pray for her ministry and for her future. Jasmine invites her classmates to the church. At the latest Easter service, her friend Vika, received Jesus as her Savior.

Dear brothers and sisters, this ministry could not be possible to carry out without your support! Therefore, accept our gratitude for your help! Glory be to our Lord!