Russia & Asia Report
International Russian Radio/TV
Cutting-Edge Media Missions
March 2009
Powerful Campaign on the Shores
of the Caspian Sea
IRR/TV conducted unusually sweeping city saturation campaigns in 5 of Russia’s major cities in 2008.
One of them was Astrakhan, situated at the mouth of the mighty Volga River on the northwestern
tip of the Caspian Sea.
In 1547 the first Czar of Russia, Ivan
The Terrible, invaded the southern medieval Tatar city of Kasitarkhan and established a military outpost that was to become
modern day city of Astrakhan.
Czar Ivan was true to his name­—he
was terribly cruel. He murdered his own
son and beat his wife so hard that she had
a miscarriage. Later, the wife was rumored
to have been assassinated by this ruthless
czar. It seems the czar needed God’s power
to change as much as, or perhaps much
more, than any of his subjects. For Ivan
the terrible, the mega-city campaign came
centuries too late.
Four Hundred seventy years later, this
past December was a time of visitation for
the present day 500,000 residents of the
city! Czar Ivan may be dead but his foul
spirit has lived on in this city.
The proclamation of the Gospel was
massive. Night after night, prime time television in the city telecast powerful testimonies, stories of changed lives, restored
marriages, people saved from suicide, others delivered from addictions.
The same stories went up on billboards,
huge outdoor TV-screens, they were heard
on radio, read in newspapers, picked up in
homes from flyers dropped into 100,000
mailboxes. Neither the city nor the churches had
ever witnessed a comparable push to touch
the lives of every citizen in the city.
Prompted to turn on the TV
Alexander, 22, called the campaign hotline and said there was no longer any point
in living a single day. He was about to end
his life. His girlfriend had left him and his
parents would not associate with him.
He had bought enough pills at a local
pharmacy to end his torment. At home he
asked his mother to forgive him for past
failures. In his room he locked the door in
order to overdose without interruption.
At that moment a strange irresistible
sensation swept his being. He walked over
to his TV set and turned it on. There was
a former drug addict sharing how he had
been delivered from his addiction miraculously through a new-found faith in God.
Alexander jotted down the call number
on the screen. Some inexplainable power
forced him to dial the number. He just had
to do it.
Counselors were dispatched to meet
Alexander. They told him about the true
meaning of life and of God’s love for him.
Alexander received a campaign book con-
taining powerful life-changing testimonies and the four spiritual laws, steps to
salvation.
When contacted later by phone Alexander wept and was hardly able to speak. He
managed to say, “I have read the book. God
has helped these people.”
Alexander experienced salvation! Pastor Nokosirev told of at least 9 other people
at the brink of suicide whose lives were
saved from destruction.
Over 1000 families have received help
and the power to change as a result of the
Astrakhan campaign. At the farewell supper
the pastors expressed their deep gratitude
to the friends of IRR/TV who prayed and
gave to this campaign. Pastoral committee
chairman, pastor Kalinin said, “I know one
day up there they will see the many saved
souls, changed lives that their giving helped
bring about.
“We clearly see that these mega-city
media campaigns together with churches
on the ground are a divinely ordained,
immensely effective tool in carrying out
the Great Commission, in reaching entire
cities throughout Russia and the former
Soviet Union with the saving message of
Jesus Christ,” says IRR/TV Director Hannu
Haukka.
Wardens, prison guards, pastors and Hannu walk through the yard at one of Siberia's
prisons for children. Conditions at these prisons were some of the worst that we have
seen.
These inmates are obviously just children who did what they had to to
survive, not hardened criminals. Almost 100 boys cried out: "Jesus,
forgive me and change me!"
Children’s Prison Camps in Siberia
"I Got 2 Years For 2 Cell Phones!"
Missions Director Hannu Haukka, accompanied by members of the IRR/TV team delivered humanitarian aid
and the Gospel to two children's prisons in the far reaches of frozen Siberia. 150 boys out of 250 between the
ages of 12 and 18 made heart-wrenching commitments to Jesus as their Lord. It was a deeply moving experience to see those boys pray out loud, with hand over heart: “Jesus, forgive me and change my life.” Representatives from the Ministry of Justice of Russia signed agreements with local church ministers in the presence of
the IRR/TV team, allowing them to continue to minister to the boys unhindered. Here is Hannu’s report:
“It was early morning with temperatures
dipping down to -20 C in the Siberian city
of Omsk when we left our hotel. Omsk is
located about 2700 kilometers (1800 miles)
east of the Ural Mountains, a 3-hour flight
from Moscow. It has a population of 1.5
million. The people of Omsk have been hit
particularly hard by the global recession.
We visited two prison facilities and
delivered desperately needed aid to these
prisons. The first one is located on the
outskirts of Omsk, with 200 inmates
between the ages of 13 to 18. Most were
incarcerated because of petty theft but
some had committed more serious crimes.
Most boys were homeless and abandoned,
destined to roam the streets doing whatever
it takes to survive.
I could see from the look in the eyes of these
kids that they were not hardened criminals.
Through no fault of their own, they had
never known the safety and refuge of the
home. They have never known the love of
a mother or father. In most cases they had
no knowledge of their parents.
The first facility was a 100 year old
prison camp with high walls, barbed wire,
Kyrgyzstan: Religious Law—Renewed Persecution
During 2007 and 2008, IRR/TV held
city Campaigns in the Kyrgyz cities of
Bishkek, Osh, Dzhalal-Abad and KyzylKija. The timing of these campaigns was
providential because repressive religion
laws have since been passed. The Kyrgyz
Christians are very thankful for the
timing of these evangelism campaigns.
Because the full impact of these new
religion laws will take some months to
be realized, the churches are still asking
for help with evangelistic campaigns in
northern Kyrgyzstan this year.
The new law, passed January
16, 2009, severely restricts church
outreach activities and missionary
work. According to the new law, every
church in Kyrgyzstan with less than 200
registered members will be outlawed
and shut down. Most Kyrgyz churches
fall into this category. The Church in
Kyrgyzstan needs our prayers during
this ominous time.
Rotting flesh on the faces of these boys
indicates a serious case of malnutrition.
The boys are happy to receive much needed warm winter clothing, food and hygiene packs from IRR/TV prayer
partners. We were able to tell them that God loves them and so do we. Your support has been crucial.
guard towers and armed guards. To pass
their time, the boys either work or go to
“school” inside the high-security prison
camp. At night they sleep in dormitories
crowded with 30 beds. An infrared security
camera system monitors the entrances to
the dorms.
Entry to this prison camp is not an
easy matter. We needed to pass through no
less than four electronically controlled and
monitored chambers, doors and iron gates.
In contrast with other camps we have
visited, we were allowed to keep our cell
phones and camera equipment.
Humanitarian aid packages were
delivered for every prisoner. Packages
included winter clothing, items for personal
hygiene, brand new textbooks and a new
fridge to replace the broken one in the
kitchen.
"Change my life Jesus"
At a special service at the first prison
we spoke with 80 to 100 boys. I told the
boys that these clothes, hygiene packs and
food were from people who had never
even seen them. This was an expression of
their love for them. “These unseen friends
have given sacrificially, so that you might
know that you are not forgotten and that
someone out there loves you, cares about
you and prays for you. It is their prayer
that the curse that is in your lives will be
changed to a blessing. It is the work of the
devil that you are in prison; but the Son of
God came to destroy the works of the devil
in your lives,” I told the boys. Other team
members ministered as well.
The Word of God struck home. Almost
every boy prayed aloud, with hand over
heart: “Jesus, forgive me and change me!”
These Little Guys Had Scabs on
Their Faces
Later that day, we visited another
children’s prison that was completely
unknown to us, inside the city of Omsk. The
conditions in this prison were a lot worse.
It housed 110 boys from all over Central
Siberia. The average age was 13 to 14.
Bullying was the norm in this prison.
The older boys used physical violence
to exercise total control over the smaller,
younger inmates, practically treating them
as slaves. The prison warden just turned a
blind eye.
Judging from the scabs on their faces,
malnutrition was a problem for many of
the boys. They also lacked warm clothing.
We pledged to help address these needs.
We encourage you to pray and to
consider helping by giving towards the
needs of these boys. Your love may be the
only miracle these boys will ever know.
“Final” Push To Reach 20 Major Cities in Russia!
As you know, we at IRR/TV have been targeting Russia’s
large hub cities with nonconventional and effective media
saturation evangelism campaigns since 2003. Through the
grace of God, the prayers of our partners and your sacrificial
giving; we have reached over 55 million people, printed
and distributed close to one million copies of our 100-page
evangelistic campaign book, tailor-made for each city. We
have logged over 110,000 telephone calls to our counseling
lines, with thousands of people receiving Jesus as Lord and
Savior as a result of the campaigns.
It has been an adventure in the Holy Spirit that is
impossible to portray in words. Scriptures say that one life
transformed and saved from destruction and hell causes
jubilation amongst heaven’s angels. Lord, thank you for
letting us be a part of your great works in lives of multitudes
of men and women!
To date, we have done 20 cities; one at a time. The Lord
willing, this spring we hope to do clusters of cities. How is
this possible if Russia is closing its doors? True, Russia is
closing its doors; but thanks to the global financial turmoil,
which hit Russia broadside; there has been a temporary lull
in hostility toward evangelical churches in Russia. We don’t
know what the days ahead hold; but this may be a God
given opportunity to make a “final” push to reach Russia’s
major cities.
So, we called 60 of Russia’s Christian leaders and
pastors from the hub cities to Moscow in January to plan
and pray for the upcoming campaigns proposed for 20 cities
this spring. Practically every church in each city will be
involved. Thousands of believers will man the phone lines,
deliver campaign books to homes, and counsel people one
on one. It is a mammoth undertaking. These Russian cities
have never have seen anything like it before.
Twenty cities means 20 million people that we will be
able to reach before the summer. We are dead serious about
the Great Commission and we need your help! The eternal
destinies of millions of Russian people are at stake!
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