The prison ministry has always had enough things to do. However, lately, those who are involved in this ministry have been unproductive. Due to the pandemic, they are not allowed to come to prisons, and every form of communication with the inmates happens through writing. However, over the last two to three weeks, the Lord has accomplished amazing things in this ministry. In the past, we have never ministered to women. Suddenly we were approached by a woman named Natalya. She is 28 years old and about eight years ago she stopped coming to church. When she was attending church, she had a great joy of fellowship with Christians and enjoyed reading God’s Word. But then she grew cold and walked down the wrong path and ended up in jails.
We met with her, talked with her, she cried and was repentant. When she wrote to us later on, she said that this meeting gave her great joy. At the same time, it brought back many memories of her past Christian life and how everything changed when she turned her back on the Lord.
She then began to witness to other women, and soon we received letters from her with a list of 15 women names who would like to meet with the members of our team. Over the last two weeks, we meet with some of them. It is difficult to listen to their stories, their confessions, their stories of what they have done, as well as about their children who are living with various strangers. How joyful it is to share the message of the Gospel with them, the Good News of salvation, and encouragement for them.
After the end of the trials, all of these women will either be imprisoned for many years or be released. Regardless of what will happen to them, we hope to continue ministering to them. We ask you to pray for them so that the Lord would grow the seed planted so that they would be saved. Pray also for us to have further opportunity to continue this ministry. We are in need of God’s power to continue ministering the Gospel to these perishing women so that the message that we bring would be empowered by the Holy Spirit and would give them new life.
Viktor Butayev,
Leader of the Prison Ministry
