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Ukraine: Addict to Man of Peace to Church

“What is the kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”- Jesus

Valeri, an infamous hooligan from Obolon, the most heavily populated region of Kiev turned to God from a life of drugs, alcohol, and crime a little more than a year ago. He is a classic example of what Jesus called a “man of peace”.  Jesus said, when you find a man of peace, stay in his house. In other words - stay with him in his context. Instead of extracting him from his friends and family, help him reach them. This is a principle we are seeing bear much fruit in the making of disciples and planting of new churches, and especially with Valeri.

Two of Valeri’s childhood friends and drinking buddies quickly followed his example by also giving their lives to Christ. That was only the beginning. From the seed planted in Valeri, the kingdom has spread in many directions. First, a church developed in Obolon, directly among Valeri and his friends. The small fellowship, that met first in a café and later in an apartment, quickly grew as Valeri’s drug addict friends wanted to find out what had brought about the dramatic change in his life. 

As more and more junkies showed up, desperate for help, Valeri started praying about starting a simple rehabilitation center. With little resources, the only option was to start a center in a dilapidated house in a village outside the city. So, several months ago, Valeri and six of his needy friends started living in and working on a broken down house without electricity and plumbing.

Today the house is a stark contrast to its former self, but even more so this can be said about the men’s lives. They have been set free, and their lives are being daily renewed and remodeled. The joy on their faces and fresh hope in their voices is quite evident.

Now what is happening in their lives is spreading in two more places. The brothers, who now number nine, are helping with community projects in the village. As people watch the transformed lives of the former drug addicts “good gossip” is spreading in the small town. In addition, not long ago, some of the guys were baptized and many of their family members were in attendance. We discovered that they are so blessed and surprised by what has occurred in their loved one’s lives, that many of them are interested in hearing more about Christ. Seven or eight of the parents are now attending a discovery Bible study we started especially for them.

What a delight to see the reality of the kingdom of God spread from life to life.

Source: Timmy Powers.