Ministry to Children in Russian Prison Camps
Showing God's love to the children in Russia's prisons
Isolated From The World
The first snowfall of the year had just fallen
in Ufa as our vehicle pulled up to the gates
of the detention center. The three-meter (9
feet) high grey concrete walls with double barbwire
trimming encircled the compound.
There was one iron-gate in the wall. It did
not open. We had to enter through a door that
was guarded by a police officer with a submachine
gun. Off to the left side of the yard was a
two story concrete building to which only security
personnel had access. Any attempt to escape
from this compound would prove futile.
If you wish to know more about this special
gesture of God’s love in children's prisons in Russia you may
contact our staff at 
or call toll free: 1 877 674-5630 (Canada) or 1 877 640-5020 (USA).
Click
to view video of Russia's children in prison (60 seconds, 8.3 MB)
Brochure created for the Christmas Campaign :
Your Love is their Miracle pdf
To give a tax-deductible gift visit ON-LINE DONATIONS
Warm Winter Clothes Needed
Inside the building we were introduced to 16 children, ages 10 to 14.
The boys heads were shaven. Their clothes
resembled oversized rags. For footwear they had running shoes that
barely held together. Laces were nowhere to be seen.
The smell of urine was in the air. The supervisor explained that the
boys urinate in their beds every night. This is due to the traumatic
conditions at home. From home the boys had been forced onto the streets
and eventually wound up in prison.
Pastor "Oleg" from the Ural Mountains recalled that they had frequently received calls
from the authorities appealing for humanitarian aid. “ Bring bread, no
fruit, vegetables or butter – just bread!” had been the heartbreaking
message. They had run out of food and allocated government subsidies
had long been exhausted. The subsidies had been insufficient to begin
with. Because of its own poverty the Church has been powerless to
respond in a meaningful way.
Christmas is a Myth
For these children and thousands of others already in Russian prison
camps and interim places of detention Christmas is a myth. They have
never seen a Christmas meal or a Christmas present. They have never
heard a Christmas carol or the Christmas story for that matter. It was
evident that these children would never know the Lord Jesus who came to
make life meaningful for them as well.
With IRR/TV chief producer Laura translating for the boys one of our
team members, Kosti, an ex-convict himself, shared an experience from
his life.
“My dad came home drunk on Christmas Eve. Instead of getting Christmas
presents and singing Christmas carols dad tore up our home. As he
barged through each room smashing furniture, he took a thick leather
army belt and beat me and my sister until we bled.
In desperation mom tried to intervene to intercept the horrendous blows
from dad’s belt. Dad grabbed a bread knife and struck mom repeatedly.
Bleeding uncontrollably mom had slumped on the kitchen floor and with
her last ounce of strength had pled for mercy on behalf of her children
“do not harm these children!”
Miraculously Kosti and his sister had managed to escape the house.
Fleeing into the winter night they found shelter by a heater in the
hallway of an apartment building.
“Our greatest celebrations can turn out to be nightmares” added Kosti.
“But God can restore a life that has been smashed in a thousand pieces.
For God there are no hopeless cases. Your life may seem like a curse
but God can make it a blessing to others—no matter who your parents may
have been!
If you wish to know more about this special
gesture of God’s love in children's prisons in Russia you may
contact our staff at or call toll free: 1 877 674-5630 (Canada) or 1 877 640-5020 (USA).
To help with a tax-deductible gift visit our ON-LINE DONATIONS
Orphans and Outcasts
In rare cases some of the convicts are
only 10 years of age,
others are just
beginning to learn the alphabet at age 14.
I remember one boy, Ivan, especially well.
Passing by the prisoners lined up before us we stopped in front of him.
Ivan had been brought to Kamyshinskaya six months earlier.
“How much time do you still have to serve?”
“Six years.”
“What about your mother and father...?”
“I don’t
have a father or mother.”
I could see pain in the boy’s eyes. They begged for warmth, love. He
was astonished at our unannounced interest in him—as if he was saying,
“I can’t believe I really mean something to someone!”
No Kisses!
Ivan knows when he walks through
the gates of the prison camp years from now no one will be there to
meet him. There will not be a warm embrace or kiss or teary cheek
pressing against his from his mother. Ivan is alone. True, someone knew
him six years
ago, but not anymore. On that day the only moisure on his face may be
the
pelting rain driven by an autumn wind...
“Boys don’t leave this prison camp as good men,” admits Colonel Sankin
with a painful sigh. This matter is heavy on the chief administrative
officer’s heart. Few officials really care. Sankin is an exception.
“After their release many of these boys turn up in different prison
camps.”
Please help us to provide these children with the basic necessities they lack such as winter clothing, food and love and continue with their care in the long term. Make your tax-deductible donation at our ON-LINE DONATIONS
Russia Closing the
Door on Missions?
What is happening in
Russia? This question deeply worries both Russia’s Churches and mission
organizations alike. Recent events suggest an organized campaign to
halt all evangelistic activity in Russia. Contrary to the hopes of
millions of Russian Christians and the international community Russia
is reverting back to tactics once practiced by the Soviet Union. In
August 2001 David Wilkerson warned that Churches in Russia would face
hard times and that restrictions were on the way. This prophecy is
becoming reality.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union churches in Russia were
allowed to hold outdoor meetings, use stadiums, movie theatres and
other public buildings for their evangelistic purposes. Schools,
hospitals and prisons were open. It was possible to hold religious
services for those in the military. Christian publishers sprouted up
across Russia. State TV and radio were open to quality Christian
programming.
After 70 years of oppression Russia breathed freely. The suffering was
over for Christians in Russia. It was hoped that difficult times were
history.
Today public opinion is being carefully manipulated against the
non-Orthodox community. Churches have been have been denied access to
major state television and radio media. A massive slander campaign has
been mounted in the mainstream press against protestant Christians.
Believers are not allowed to comment or refute these accusations.
Churches are being been denied access to public buildings and
government facilities for worship. Protestants are being denied
participation in social life, including administration of humanitarian
aid. Churches can no longer minister in schools, hospitals or the
military. Leasing of stadiums for large public events is impossible.
Though the situation continues to deteriorate all is not lost yet.
IRR/TV continues to support outreach in Russia through the mega city
campaigns that are tied closely to the local church in Russia. We can
still act and we must move as fast as possible. Call or write IRR/TV
for your free monthly Russia & Asia Report to learn more.
Russia—a Huge
Challenge
From its inception, IRR/TV's
main focus has been on Russia, the CIS countries and the former Soviet
Union. From 1980 Hannu and Laura Haukka have pioneered the Russian
radio and television ministries of IRR/TV.
Together with the ACB of Russia, IRR/TV conducts an annual national
missions conference focusing on media to train, equip, envision, and
vitalize the faith of media ministers across Russia and the CIS.
IRR/TV has founded a Christian school of broadcast where students are
trained in the skills of Radio and Television—see media school.
New Strategy
Today a new strategy for proclaiming the gospel has evolved. IRR/TV is
actively engaged in reaching Russia ’s largest cities in a way never
before seen in Russia. The “City Missions” program is an effort
requiring the full cooperation of all evangelical churches in each city.
Mega City Campaigns in
a Nutshell:
hundreds of volunteer workers from most local churches of various
denominations
-
daily radio broadcasts
-
daily TV programs
-
live TV at prime time in evenings
-
giant billboards
-
ads on the sides of city buses
-
ads in largest daily newspapers
-
50,000 “Power To Change” campaign books distributed in each city. The
book is a
-
tailor-made testimonial to changed lives. Included
are the
first steps of salvation.
-
50,000 Mission Volgograd magazines printed for each city campaign
-
Call center operating 24/7 receives thousands of telephone calls from
TV viewers
-
local press picks up story and headlines it often
-
a special Experience The Power To
Change website is created for
internet surfers
Read more about
city campaigns
