Every day at noon, members gather in an apartment that serves as a church to pray for Taimyr, the peninsula where Khatanga is located. On average, 5-10 people come for prayer. High unemployment makes such daytime prayer meetings possible.
And boy, do they pray! The pastor leads in prayer. They pray for every village and call the village by name. They pray for administration, for all of the region's people groups, and for specific needs in individual villages.
The worship leader has even composed a special song that includes the names of the villages. It is sung in church, frequently and with gusto, by children and adults alike.
This church is not only a singing and praying church; it is a church of action. Every Thursday for three years, Pastor Juriy Karaulov has taken a guitar, a couple of song books, Christian literature and some volunteers from church and piled everything and everyone onto any available transport. In winter, this is a sleigh pulled by a snowmobile; in summer, it's a boat.
Whatever the seasonal mode of transport, money is needed for fuel. Even if funds are not a problem, they must still search far and wide for petrol of sufficiently high quality not to destroy the engine.
Fuel sourced, they set off in a sleigh (or boat) packed high with humanitarian aid like clothes or food, and head for the villages.
One summer, Asa Dalfjard joined the church team on a visit to Kresty village. "This was an adventure I will never forget," she recalls. "We arrived at the village at the end of the month, on the day everyone received their pensions and salaries. Out of almost 400 villagers I think we were the only sober ones!
"This was heart-wrecking to see. We decided to visit all the householders and invite them to a meeting, where they sobered up.
"We stayed in Kresty for four days. On the last, we organized an evening gathering in a clubhouse. About 40 people showed up, and we were able to pray with them. Many wanted us to pray for their health and for their problems.
"Late at night, we got a distressing message. Masha had drunk a lot of vodka and got into a fight with her husband. She left home and was found dead far out on the tundra. Even though this was summer, the temperature was only about 10o Celcius at day and much colder at night.
"Masha's death struck the team and the church hard. We saw the importance of speaking up and taking the gospel seriously.
"As Pastor Juriy says, we are indeed responsible for our neighbour's salvation - not only our neighbours back home in Europe, but also our far away neighbours in Siberia."
Asa's story powerfully demonstrates how people in this part of Siberia are ready for the Good News. Children of Siberian families especially need to see alternatives to the typical lifestyle of vodka and shamanism.
Supporters of WorldShare / Gift of Hope have enabled churches in Siberia to travel to these remote villages, both to bring essential help and supplies, and to share an alternative message of hope for the future.
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