Joy of Christmas in Tevriz, Siberia, Russia

Alyona always has mixed feelings at Christmas time. They take her back to her childhood... a sad childhood. Her mother and father were constantly drunk, while Alyona and her little brother waited for someone to look after them. In vain - if it hadn't been for Aunt Valya! Oh, these memories of her were a completely different part of Alyona's childhood, full of joy, warmth and hope!

Aunt Valya and the Christians from Tevris had taken care of children like Alyona and her brother. At church, they had cooked for the children, washed them, helped them with their homework and told them wonderful stories about Jesus. Under the loving care of the believers, Alyona had grown into a lively child who actively participated in the children's programs of the small local church. She later married and started her own family. With her husband Sergei and their three children, she had moved to another Siberian village where there was no church. And over time, Alyona had moved further and further away from God.

Then, three years ago, Alyona had suddenly met Aunt Valya, and this long-forgotten feeling of loving care had literally flooded her heart. Aunt Valya had told her about the church's new prayer house, the Hope Center, where the believers care for children from poor families. While Aunt Valya had been talking, Alyona had been fighting back tears, and suddenly she had realised what she had to do!

She spoke to her husband, who didn't want to know anything about God, and convinced him to bring her children to Sunday school and church services. They immediately felt at home and have been coming to church regularly ever since - just like Alyona, who lends a hand wherever she can. She often supports the ministry at the Hope Center with food from her farm, because she knows how it feels when children are constantly hungry and are not provided for in their poor families.

Alyona and her whole family have come to celebrate Christmas in the new Prayer House. There is a severe frost and icy snow flurries bathe the village of Tewris in a silent white. Just as well, thinks Alyona, because at -29 Fahrenheit even the children from the other side of the river can cross the ice to get toChristmas. And now there are 60 children, with their mothers, fathers, or grand parents. Red-cheeked from the frost, they have piled up their coats, hats, and woollens in the hallway. Now it's time to start, and everyone hears the message of Christmas. Alyona cries. She remembers how she had celebratedChristmas with the believers at Aunt Valya's hand, how she had held a present to herself for the first time, how she had thought this was the best day of her life. Full of gratitude, she now observes that her children feel the same joy when they hold a Christmas package in their arms. Through the tears in her eyes, she also sees that her husband is listening intently to the Christmas story, and she prays quietly for him, for the first time in a long time...

Interesting fact:

Alyona is now 34 years old. When our Child Sponsorship Project was launched over 20 years ago, it was children from the Siberian village of Tevris who were the first to be cared for through the project - including Alyona. Thanks to the support through the project, she was able to receive monthly help, especially food and clothing, lovingly brought by aunt Valya. 350 children from Tevris and the surrounding villages have received long-term help through the project to date. All of them and their families have learned about Jesus Christ as a result, and many have found their way into the church. To God be the glory for His work!

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Thank you for sharing the Joy of Christmas with children and their families! All together, we were allowed to distribute 33,697 Christmas packages in these countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Pakistan and Mongolia.

That's 33,697 times Joy of Christmas and 33,697 times the message of the Gospel for children's hearts!

Thank you!

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‍Thank you for sharing the Joy of Christmas, and thank you for impacting the lives of children and families living in countries that are closed for the Gospel, countries of a Muslim dominated world!‍