Donate
An Answer to a Prayer
Kropotkin | By Timothy
Story from the Russian Conference
In Russia, churches and Young Life are often like oil and water – very difficult to mix. For an old religious establishment, the ‘playful’ spirit of Young Life doesn’t fit into the socially accepted concept of God, making it unworthy of the church’s attention.
I saw it with my own eyes when the pastor of my church refused to support the ministry for four years, even after his son became a follower of Jesus at a Young Life camp. Praise God, he finally saw the value this ministry offers to teens and is now one of our strong supporters.
One of our veteran leaders, Lena, encountered similar issues. Here is her story, and the awesome testimony of God’s provision and faithfulness.
When I moved to Kropotkin to start Young Life, I built relationships with two churches: we held our club in one, and the other was the church I went to on Sundays, where I also hoped to find support for the ministry. My desire was to build one big team from the two churches. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that my church didn’t want to have anything to do with Young Life.
Kropotkin is a small town, and it isn't easy to do ministry without the church support. For us, it meant that we wouldn’t grow until the church community accepted us.
So, we kept praying.
Several years later, a new pastor joined the church, and things started to change. This was our opportunity to approach the leadership once again. I started building friendships with the pastor’s family, and after a while, I shared with them my heart for the teens and the ministry. At first, they thought Young Life was only fun and games, but eventually, they realized we shared the Gospel with the kids. Slowly, the stereotypes began to dissolve.
While the pastor became more open to the idea, he was still not convinced. So we kept doing what we knew to do: praying individually and as a team, and we asked our friends and other teams in other cities to pray for us. We trusted God would make it happen.
Three months ago, my pastor invited me to come over for dinner. As we were talking, the topic of the Young Life ministry came up. I couldn’t help but ask, “What’s stopping you from helping us right now?” The answer he gave me was what I had been waiting to hear for many years:
“Nothing. When are we going to open the next club?”
Now there are two teams in Kropotkin. For us, it’s a significant growth, a blessing, and an answer to our prayers. We knocked on the closed door for so many years, and after all this time, it is finally open. We hope this is just the beginning!
We are asking you to pray for Kropotkin and our relationships with churches in Russia. We need their help, and they need Young Life's mission. However, we often cannot find a common language. But we remember to continue knocking. “Knock, and the door will be opened.” We believe this truth and are prepared to wait, pray, and trust in patience. The fruit will come.
Join us in prayer by knocking together!
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8
Next Story >
There is a treasure trove of powerful, transformational stories that take place almost daily in our ministry!
And we want to share them with you to encourage and uplift you, and to make sure the world hears about the miraculous work God is doing across the ocean in the nations that for almost a century denied His very existence. Sign up for a once-a-month Saturday Morning Stories from the Field to make sure you get every one of them! We hope you enjoy them.
Join us
We invite you to be part of this life-changing journey. It will transform your life and give the next kid in Young Life Middle EurAsia an opportunity to hear the best love story ever told.
share hope, change lives, impact a generation.
Young Life Middle EurAsia introduces teens in Armenia, Belarus, the Baltics, Central Asia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine to Jesus Christ and helps them grow in their faith.
Donate
partner with us
Partnering with us will give you unique opportunities to experience God’s gift of provision. We value thoughtful stewardship and accountability and will ensure your resources are directed toward the most critical needs.
partner with us
join our community
Do you love Jesus and want the kids in Young Life Middle EurAsia to get to know Him too? Then consider joining a group of like-minded adults on one of our Action Teams!
join an action team
Go & See
Want to explore the countries in Young Life Middle EurAsia? Come adventure with us and experience ministry on the ground by participating in a Young Life Expeditions trip.
