One of the most inspiring turnarounds I’ve seen in recent years in the heart of a young minister on the mission field has taken place in Omsk, thanks in great part to spiritual and material support from the Greater Eurasian Mission Society contributors in the US, and to great cooperation and partnership between churches in Eurasia.

Misha Pavstiuk moved his young family (above) from Novosibirsk to Omsk in 2010. During the next three years in the full-time ministry, Misha says, “I felt a lot of doubt about whether or not I was called to be in the ministry.” Consumed by worries, frustrations, lack of results, Misha began to be in a personal crisis of wondering who he was and why he was in the ministry. “I just wanted to be a simple disciple again, to just be able to come to church and enjoy life — listen to the sermon, sing, and go home. I was feeling like, I have so many problems, I am just exhausted all the time. I really lost faith. I felt a deep burden in my heart. I didn’t want to set any kind of goal for the church at all.” In 2013, Dima and Elya Belanov, region leaders in the Novosibirsk church, entered into a discipling relationship with Misha and his wife Nastya. Misha says, “I went and prayed with Dima a lot. I cried. I told him, I don’t know who I am, I lost my moorings. We had a lot of deep, open, honest conversations.” It took a couple of years before there were really any measurable changes in the church. Then, in 2016 and 2017, the Novosibirsk church sent mission teams of young people to serve in Omsk (below left is the 2016 group, 2017 on the right). They lived in apartments that were rented by the Novosibirsk church and their expenses were paid for by Novosibirsk.

The 2016 mission team met three people on the streets of Omsk, who eventually were baptized. Sadly, two of these are not currently faithful to the fellowship, but one woman student, Tanya, who was baptized a year and a half after being met by the team, is doing great. Tanya is 20 years old, and was raised in an orphanage. After the two mission teams came to Omsk, the teens in the church were revived. “We don’t feel alone anymore!” they said. Misha began to get a vision for what God could do, but was feeling like he and his wife desperately needed more help. Thanks to an unplanned, unbudgeted, generous contribution, orchestrated by Tim Sherrill and the Heartland churches, a young married couple from the church in Novosibirsk was asked to move to Omsk to help. Read more…