Peace be upon you; peace to your homes, to your churches and to your country! Let the Word of God fill you up to be a blessing! Your support is very, very important to us in Belarus. As a missionary, I am working to bring renewal to an older church in Vitebsk. I had been planting a new church when I received this opportunity.
Of course, it is often easier to build a new congregation with new converts. When I built my own house, it was more of a problem to reconstruct the old home than it would be to construct it a new one. But I worked on the problems and built the house. I hope that God will give me the grace to build a new spiritual home in this old church.
I recently visited the hospital where I shared the truths of the Bible. Three elderly women and one man listened. The mother of this man is a Catholic, and his father is a Muslim. After our conversation, he sincerely asked for directions to visit our church in Vitebsk. I pray that not only will he find the building, but also first and foremost find the Lord Jesus Christ as His Savior!
Also, a youth service was conducted in Kamina with missionaries from the small city of Seno in the Vitebsk Region of Belarus. The city is small but the faith and dedication of the people is enormous. Our young people spent several hours in warm fellowship. This meeting strengthened our young people and showed them that people everywhere are living in difficult circumstances. Yet, they remain dedicated to the service for the Lord. I pray that more of these opportunities to share with others who serve the Lord in planting new churches will be possible.
God blessed our Christmas celebration. Around 50 new people attended the service. We did not have a children's program, but geared the worship service toward the adults. I praise the Lord and trust that results will follow. Pray that the church will grow stronger. Pray for spiritual understanding and unity among the members. I pray that God will continue to bless you with His grace!
By the way, our family has grown. We adopted two new boys in the summer. Their names are Gleb (four years old) and Nikita (two years old). Gloria, our oldest daughter, has been a great helper to the family as the two boys assimilate into the activities of our home. And Marta is overjoyed that now she has two brothers with whom to play. May God help us to show them the love of Christ and the joy of eternal life that they can have by trusting in Him!
Victor Zoletilo,
SMS missionary
