Darit remembered going to church when she was a small child — those were good memories! But then when her parents moved to another town, Darit no longer went to church — and she missed it.
When she grew up and became a mother herself, she wished her children could learn about Jesus the way she had when she was little, but there was no church in their village of Suvorov.
What joy Darit felt when she met our Hosanna Plan team and learned that they specialize in children’s ministry! She invited them to her home, where her four youngest children — along with some neighborhood kids — gathered to watch The GodMan film and receive the Book of Hope.
Today Darit’s children and many of their friends are following Jesus as their Savior! The Hosanna Plan team visits regularly, and they meet at Darit’s house for Bible study and prayer together. Our hope is that soon a new church will be launched for the whole village!
Thank you for sending God’s Word for every town and village in Russia, together with our partners and The Hosanna Plan.
People often ask how we got into Russia during the time of the Soviet Empire — when many were being imprisoned for simply owning a copy of God’s Word.
The Soviet Minister of Education actually reached out to us. I remember meeting with the Russian official who said at the time of glasnost and perestroika:
“If what you are telling me is true and this Book of Hope can bring hope and answers to our children, we welcome you into our nation.”
I walked out of his office with a letter of permission to give the Book of Hope to every single schoolchild in the former Soviet Union, totaling 58 million kids.
“The communists invited us to one of their elite schools filled with their leading students and best teachers,” I shared with my dad.
“I was given five minutes to tell the story of Jesus.” How do you tell the story of Jesus in five minutes to kids who were taught their entire life that Jesus does not exist?
But the sovereign work of His Holy Spirit can do more in five minutes than you and I can do in a lifetime.
I told the story as simply and quickly as I could, and that day 32 children stood to receive Christ as Savior — along with the school principal!
From that day to this, all across Russia, Christians have been sharing God’s Word with the next generation because of your OneHope ministry — and by God’s grace, the impact has been tremendous!
As you look over this report, rejoice in what the Lord has done, and is doing, for Russia’s next generation.
Celebrate 30 years of sharing Jesus with Russia’s next generation!
NATION BY NATION
Vacation Bible School became a point of transformation!
VENEZUELA — Daniela went to Vacation Bible School, but at first, she didn’t participate much in the Bible studies or activities.
She was shy and withdrawn … but she did enjoy the Book of Hope, and by the end of the five days of VBS, Daniela had committed her life to Christ!
She and the other students didn’t want VBS to end, so they asked for continuing classes on the weekends. They’ve been meeting faithfully — and now Daniela is attending church and Sunday school, too.
Her family has even begun attending with her sometimes. Please pray they will soon come to know Christ as Savior, too.
“Thank you for helping me find peace with God again,” she declared through tears of joy
SENSITIVE NATION
In a majority Hindu nation, Pranay had already been put to work as a child laborer. When he was 17, he arranged to take a day off from his job and attend a youth Bible Club meeting at the local church. He received the Book of Hope, and although he couldn’t attend the club all the time, he came to the pastor and asked to know more about Jesus. Today he is following Christ as his Savior!
NICARAGUA
OneHope partner churches visited 4 schools in an impoverished region to share the Book of Hope with the students. The children were delighted to read about a heavenly Father who loves them — and 85 young people have dedicated their lives to Christ!
ARGENTINA
Elias’s mom writes, “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your beautiful work in the work of God. I have a child with autism, and through the Bible App for Kids, he is learning from the Bible. This is very beautiful and fills me with infinite gratitude toward you. The people who shared the app with us are part of OneHope, and they were and are a hope for this world.”
In a bleak landscape, you shined a ray of hope.
This settlement on the Russian border is remote and impoverished.
Many of the men are lost in an alcoholic haze, while the women eke out a living for their families by working on nearby farms.
Jana grew up in this atmosphere of despair, and her life was even harder than most; she suffers with a lifelong disability and has never been able to walk. Her mother struggles to provide for her and rear her younger siblings, too.
They live in a crowded home that they share with two other families — it was here the Hosanna Plan team visited, gave the Book of Hope to Jana and the children, and shared the Gospel. That day Jana, her younger sister Sabah, and their grandmother all chose to follow Christ as Savior!
The team continued to stay in touch with Jana and Sabah, and the two girls faithfully shared the Gospel with their other siblings. When our partners returned, they were welcomed into the home and given the opportunity to tell the family more about Jesus.
Three of Jana’s younger brothers then dedicated their lives to Christ! Her mother also listened to the presentation … and her father, who had remained sober for the visit, listened as well.
Now the family is praying their parents will soon come to faith in Christ, too!
Your gift of love brought hope into a hopeless situation. Thank you for reaching out to Russia’s next generation with the Word of God.
