Mission Eurasia works in Belarus and the other countries of Eurasia to train and equip young Christian leaders for effective ministry.
Belarus is the birthplace of the Deyneka family, Mission Eurasia's founders. There are many overwhelming needs in Belarus that Mission Eurasia is equipping our young leaders to address. The country is considered to be the last dictatorship in Europe due to a long history of human rights violations and political corruption. Additionally, there are as many as 50,000 orphans in Belarus, many of whom were abandoned by their parents. Even those living in orphanages are facing horrific conditions, including starvation, due to a lack of funding.
Although most Belarusians identify as Christians, the majority of them are part of the spiritually stagnant Orthodox Church. In fact, only about one percent of Belarusians are evangelical Christians. Following a strict religion law established in 2002, all religious activity must be registered with the government and take place within approved church buildings, which means that home Bible study groups are illegal. Establishing new churches is almost impossible, because registration is rarely given to Protestant congregations. In recent years, authorities have even raided churches accused of operating illegally.
Help the Church in Belarus Grow, Despite Restrictions
Thankfully, Mission Eurasia was officially registered with the government before the 2002 religion law took effect, so we were grandfathered in as a recognized religious entity. Foreign missionaries are not allowed in Belarus, which means that our School Without Walls (SWW) leadership training model of equipping national Christian leaders for ministry is one of the most strategic and effective means of preserving and growing the church—and we continue to see much encouraging growth in Belarus, even in the midst of many challenges!
Prayer Requests
- Please pray that God would be at work in the hearts of Belarus’s leaders so that they would be moved to end persecution against evangelical Christians.
- Please pray that the many orphans and other people experiencing financial difficulties would find new hope in Christ.
- Please pray that our SWW students and graduates would find innovative ways to impact their neighbors for Christ, even in the midst of the limitations facing Christians in their nation.
- Please pray for God to provide ways for Belarusian Christians to plant new churches, despite government restrictions, and for existing churches to continue boldly sharing the gospel in their communities.
Alesya's Story: Caring for Children with Disabilities
“I am a SWW student in Pinsk, and I love serving those in need, especially the children and orphans with mental disabilities that live at a boarding school in Molotkovsky. My church has been involved in this ministry for five years, and I started as a volunteer three years ago, but now I oversee the ministry and coordinate our visits to the boarding school.”
“Around 250 children live at the boarding school, and about 50 of them are orphans. Most of these children have mental disabilities, which can be challenging, but our team is very dedicated to serving them. We also maintain strong relationships with the teachers and administrators. We visit the school two Saturdays each month to lead Bible lessons, crafts, interactive games, and other activities. We also lead Bible camps in the summer and during the Christmas season. We spend as much time as possible with the children so we can form strong relationships with them, and support them beyond our regular visits. In the future, we hope to start a mentoring program during our Bible camps.
“Along with these activities, we also collect goods that the children need. For example, during the Christmas season, our church collects Christmas presents for the children. We also recently hosted a Give a Book event, during which we collected about 80 books for the school’s library. Additionally, we collect children’s clothing and shoes. I would very much like to work with even more people who have new ministry ideas, because I believe that, as Christians, we are called to serve the poor and needy.”
