Russia (MNN) ― One of the most-marginalized people groups in Russia is the focus of ministry by Faith Comes By Hearing.
Lori Koch is the manager for International Programs at Faith Comes By Hearing. She says a partner named Sergey had been working among the Buddhists but was urged to begin a ministry to the Roma. "He was resistant, at first, because he shared the prevailing attitude of most Russians: 'These are the Roma; they're unreachable. If I did want to spend my time, it would be wasted time because there's no value in reaching this people group for Christ.'"
The Roma live primarily in Central and Eastern Europe and can often be found in the Balkans and surrounding areas. They are often regarded as thieves, sorcerers, and troublemakers.
While some are fully integrated in the society, most get work as common or migrant laborers. Many live in depressed ghetto communities with very high unemployment.
When Faith Comes By Hearing released the New Testament in the Baltic Romani dialect, things changed for Sergey. Koch says, "His full-time ministry now is to the Roma people. His goal is to establish a Roma church with a Roma pastor."
It hasn't happened yet, so keep praying. As much suspicion as there is from outside the people group, there's a lot inside, too. New things are viewed with suspicion and with the distrust that comes from generations of being marginalized.
That way of thinking was reinforced with Simza's story. In April 2008, she heard about a group of people who were listening through the Bible in their own language. When she went to see for herself what this was all about, she heard the Word of God in her language, Baltic Romani, for the first time. She repented of her sins and began going to church, an action that would have serious consequences.
When Simza's family found out about this, they severely beat her. But Simza didn't turn away from her newfound faith. She continued listening to the Audio Bible in secret. The abuse continued, and she was shunned by other family members.
Simza was forbidden from listening to the Bible and from going to church. Eventually the beatings stopped, but her family still forbade her from believing in God. She asked for prayer that God would strengthen her faith and that her parents would give their lives to Christ.
Now, almost a year later, Simza lives with her pastor and his family. The man who brought the Audio Bible to her is a Faith Comes By Hearing coordinator who goes village-to-village with God's Word to establish Audio Bible listening groups. During his recent visit with Simza, they talked, prayed, and listened to the Word of God on the "Proclaimer," the audio player. Simza was moved and said, "I'm not afraid anymore," and she urged the man to take her to see her family.
The family was afraid when they first saw the Faith Comes By Hearing coordinator, thinking that the police had come to arrest them for abusing Simza. He assured them he was not there to take them to jail but to bring them the liberating news about salvation through the Word of God in audio.
They were invited inside the house, and without speaking, the Faith Comes By Hearing coordinator placed the "Proclaimer" on the table and began playing it.
After a half hour, they looked up and found themselves in the midst of a crowd that had gathered. The family talked until 4 a.m. Simza's family cried and asked for forgiveness for treating her so badly. God's Word in their heart language brought healing and restoration.
The next day, as the Faith Comes By Hearing coordinator prepared to leave, he picked up the "Proclaimer" to take it with him. The head of the house stopped him and asked him to leave it. He said the "Proclaimer" was a blessing for his entire family. This exciting story is not unusual.
What it does show is the unique effectiveness of Faith Comes By Hearing‘s approach. Koch explains: "We're not simply distributing the audio Scriptures, but rather, we have workers and partners on the ground and in the field who are insuring that people are actually engaging with the Scripture in a systematic way."
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