Belarus

“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…

Maksim, one of our current School Without Walls (SWW) students from Belarus, grew up in a Christian family going to church, and always knew a lot about God. However, as a teenager, he chose to stop going to church and turn away from God. One day, when he was 17, a non-Christian friend invited Maksim to a concert, and when they arrived at the concert venue, it turned out to be a Christian concert in a church! Although at first he felt uncomfortable, Maksim enjoyed the concert, and was impressed by the Christians’ honesty and sincerity. Because he already had the church background, he understood the message of the songs, however this time the message touched him like never before. Soon after the concert he prayed, repented of his sins, and invited Christ into his heart. Maksim had been smoking for six years, however he prayed, asking to be freed…

Slava is a current School Without Walls student from Belarus in his first year of study. For many years he was an atheist who made fun of Christians for their faith. But after making some friends from School Without Walls and attending one of Mission Eurasia’s Empower Conferences, God began to work in Slava’s heart and transform his life:  “I’m 23 years old, and I grew up in a non-Christian family. For people like my father, I have a special name, ‘aggressive atheist,’ as he completely denies God’s existence. In fact, when I was growing up, the only person who talked with me about God was my grandmother. She taught me the importance of reading the Bible and praying, but I still didn’t want to believe in God. I needed proof, and I even made fun of Christians for their faith. However, my grandmother patiently listened and continued to talk…

Anastasia is a young Next Generation leader and School Without Walls graduate from Belarus. Along with serving at our summer Bible camps, she also started a ministry that reaches out to young people on the streets to talk to them about God, faith, and other important topics. Together, she and her husband produce and edit videos for their church and ministry. But it was a long journey for Anastasia to accept her true calling to serve God, and she shared her powerful story of faith with us. Even though she fell away from God many times, He was always faithful to lead her back to Him: “I was born into a non-Christian family. My parents divorced when I was only two years old, and after a while, my mother remarried and had a son with my stepfather. Sadly, my stepfather didn’t believe in God, and he and my mother devoted…