Russia (MNN) — While Christmas is long gone, one ministry is just now celebrating what God has done through their Christmas outreach.
According to Anita Deyneka, president of Russian Ministries, a total of 50,183 Christmas presents were given away to needy children and their families or caregivers during December 2009 and January 2010.
In Ukraine, Schools Without Walls students and graduates participated with 45 local churches and 11 other groups to deliver 9,915 Christmas presents to needy children, street kids and orphans in 40 towns and villages in Ukraine.
In Russia, 206 local churches joined Schools Without Walls students and graduates to deliver 40,268 Christmas presents to needy children in regions that included Chechnya and South Ossetia.
Michael Minyazev with Russian Ministries in Moscow says, "[These gifts] helps the local churches to build bridges to these children and to the local population. It's not preaching the Gospel directly, but first we build, and after that, we start telling them about Jesus, about His love."
50,000 Christmas presents surpassed last year's goal by some 20,000. Pray that God will use this outreach to begin preparing hearts to hear the Gospel as the churches follow up this Spring.
