Story Title
The Wonderful Gift of Mobility
For many years, Svetlana worked on a collective farm in a small village in the Chernigov region of Ukraine. This was very challenging, because she was often in poor health, but didn’t have time to take care of herself. For 15 years, the only thing that kept her going was her dream of retirement. She longed to spend time with her grandchildren and have a small farm of her own. In Svetlana’s words, “Life is so unpredictable.” When she was finally able to retire, her health worsened and she needed help with even the simplest of household tasks. Her husband lovingly cared for her, but sadly, he died not long after Svetlana’s retirement. His death was too much for Svetlana to handle, and she suffered a stroke, which left her bedridden. Since her children were working and unable to stay with her during the day, Svetlana just laid in bed…
Alesya’s Testimony: Ministry to Children with Disabilities
“I love serving those in need, especially children and orphans with mental disabilities,” shares Alesya, a School Without Walls (SWW) student from Pinsk, Belarus. Alesya coordinates the team of 5-8 dedicated volunteers from Church Without Walls that visits a local boarding school for children with special needs twice a month and organizes a summer Bible camp, Gift of Hope program, and other special projects at the school. “We spend as much as time as possible with the children so we can form strong relationships with them and support them beyond our regular visits.” Alesya says that SWW played an important role in helping her discover her calling and in equipping her to fulfill it. “After assuming this leadership role, I felt the need to grow as a leader. It’s one thing to be a volunteer, but it’s another thing to think about ministry in a more holistic sense when you’re caring for…
Alex’s Testimony: A Miraculous Transformation
Alex is one of our School Without Walls students and Bible camp leaders from Russia. His testimony is one of miraculous transformation that began when God saved his life after repeated suicide attempts. Today, Alex is a thriving leader who is serving the church, ministering to hurting people, and reaching his community for Christ. Alex’s testimony: “You could say that I came to know God through many challenges. When I was younger, my heart was filled with emptiness, loneliness, pain, and resentment toward many people who had betrayed me. In order to stifle the pain, I started doing martial arts. But that wasn’t enough to heal me, so I tried committing suicide twice. The first time I tried to kill myself, my mother was able to stop me in time. I think this first attempt was a cry for attention, because I wanted people to know the inner pain I was…
Outreach to Muslim Students in Kyrgyzstan
Alima is a young Christian professional in Kyrgyzstan who teaches math to primarily Muslim students. After attending one of Mission Eurasia’s Next Generation Professional Leader’s Initiatives (NGPLI) forums in Bishkek, Alima was encouraged and filled with new conviction and ideas for sharing the gospel through her profession. She shared her story with us: “I am a math teacher at a Christian school in Kyrgyzstan. I’ve always had a penchant for numbers, and when I had to choose between working as an accountant or a math teacher, I chose to be a teacher because I wanted to be able to connect with students. Moreover, I believe that, as a Christian, my calling is to work professionally while also building relationships with people so I can share my faith. “I am a second generation teacher, as my mother was also a teacher. My father worked in technology and was considered a master…
Ambassadors for Christ
Mission Eurasia’s School Without Walls (SWW) program is a flexible leadership and ministry training program that trains and equips young Christian leaders in Eurasia and Israel to transform their communities from within. Some of our SWW graduates go on to traditional ministry roles after graduation, like church planting, pastoring, and full-time evangelism—all God-honoring vocations that are crucial to the body of Christ. But many of our graduates emerge from School Without Walls with the vision that their personal mission field is their own schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces. They put the tools that they’ve received from the SWW program to use as they share the gospel within their unique circles of influence and live their everyday lives as a testament to the transforming power of the gospel. Veronica, one of our 2013 SWW graduates from Belarus, recently shared with us how her SWW training gave her a new perspective on how…
A Story of Hope in Eastern Ukraine
Like any mother, Angelina wanted the best for her children. When war broke out in eastern Ukraine, she and her husband had three children and a fourth on the way. While her husband was off fighting for their country, Angelina’s hometown of Andreyevka was targeted in several bombing attacks, so she made the difficult decision to move to Russia, where she had many relatives, so her children would be safe. Not long after the move, Angelina gave birth to a baby girl. She went back to work as soon as she could, and thankfully, she was able to afford all of the food and clothing that her children needed. But sadly, things changed very quickly. After Angelina’s neighbors found out that she was from Ukraine, they started treating her and her children with great disrespect and hostility. At first, Angelina tried to be patient, but eventually her neighbors’ behavior became…