Compassion and the Gospel of Christ transform souls in Siberia . . . and beyond!
At the end of Genesis, the powerful story is told of how Joseph was reconciled with his brothers who had sold him into captivity in Egypt. Little could they have realized that years later, the young boy they had sold out of jealousy would become prime minister of Egypt where they had come to seek relief from famine. And God worked through Joseph to protect not only his own family, but also an entire nation! Joseph assured them . . . As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive (Genesis 50:20).
Tragic events such as the COVID-19 pandemic can be hard to understand as we see the human toll they take. Yet since SGA began the Christ Over COVID prayer campaign and related food distributions to afflicted families, we have seen example after example of how God is at work through His people in the midst of the sorrow. Lives are being changed and souls are being saved as the love and compassion of Christ are on display, and you have been a vital part of it all through your prayers and generous support. As we ended our fiscal year at the end of June, you helped SGA-sponsored missionary pastors and church workers distribute grocery parcels across Russia and her neighboring countries. These food parcels helped provide the equivalent of 1.5 million meals! And as we have shared in our daily email prayer updates that went out to those who subscribed, these food distributions helped open up many opportunities for missionary pastors to lovingly share the Gospel with those in need.
In the Russian city of Omsk (Siberia), these timely visits from local churches are bearing much fruit . . .
Families that have been visited often are always appreciative of our concern for them. When they see others in need, they let us know about it. A week ago, we learned about a family with four children. The only breadwinner in the family is the father, and his work hours have been reduced to only one or two days a week. The family is in severe need. We came to them, got acquainted, and gave them groceries. Also, not long before the self-isolation period, a schoolboy and two preschoolers began to attend our Christian club for children and adolescents. We made friends with this large family, who had just lost the father at the beginning of the quarantine. The family felt God’s care and love as we gave them a grocery pack. We are grateful to God for His provision for these families!
Other evangelical churches in the Omsk region say people are being drawn to the church through these encounters. As the pandemic wanes, please pray with us that the Gospel seeds being planted will take root and grow, with many coming to saving faith in Christ. And thank you for your part in supporting the Christ Over COVID outreaches!