Jesus did not allow him to do so, but He said to the man: “Go home,
to your own town, and tell them everything
that the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you!”
(Mark 5:19)

Vlad is a chaplain at a Christian rehabilitation centre in Almaty, Kazakhstan, though he has only recently become a follower of Jesus. From the age of six, he had been a member of a gang and had spent 28 years of his life in prison.

Following his most recent release from prison, he wanted to turn his life around. However, a group of plainclothes police officers planted drugs in his home. He was still grieving the death of his wife, and now it was highly likely he would be sent back to prison.

Although Vlad is not a believer, this time he prayed and pleaded with God to give him one more chance. Above all, he wanted to say goodbye to his elderly mother. “My mother and grandmother are believers, and they have never stopped praying for me,” he said.

His release was a miracle
Vlad prayed and fasted, and miraculously the prosecutor declared that he could be released. At that moment, he remembered a Christian he had met in prison—who had also once been a gang member—who had told him that God loved him. Vlad knelt on his knees, which bore a gang tattoo inscribed with an oath never to bow down to anyone, and this time he prostrated himself before God. “God has transformed my life and I want to serve Him,” he said.

The words of the Lord Jesus in Mark 5:19 came to his mind: “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.”

 
Since 2012, Vlad has been serving in Christian rehabilitation centres in Kazakhstan, and he says that there is currently a huge demand for the Holy Scriptures amongst addicts undergoing recovery.

Rev. Viktor Grishko, a pastor and leader of the Kazakhstan Bible Society, has witnessed the fruit produced by God’s Word in these rehabilitation centres through Vlad’s ministry.

This is a ministry by and for those who have suffered persecution
Vlad recalls his meeting with Victor as follows: ‘When I arrived at Viktor’s house, it was raining, so I tried to wipe my feet on the doormat. When I looked up, I realised I was standing inside a church. There were Kazakh-language Bibles on the soft church pews, and a lovely indoor garden surrounded the pulpit. Victor and his family had been living in a small house adjoining the church for 25 years.

In 2015, several years after Viktor began leading the Bible Society team, the Kazakhstani government passed a law restricting the preaching of the Gospel and the distribution of spiritual literature outside registered religious buildings.

Whilst these regulations sought to hinder the mission of Bible distribution, the support of Bible Friends from various places has, in fact, provided a lifeline and a breath of fresh air for the ministry of the Kazakhstan Bible Society. “Thanks to God’s grace and the loyalty of Bible Friends, we have become the primary source for the spread of the Good News and spiritual literature in this country,” said Viktor.

The support of Bible Friends has brought hope and transformed the lives of people in the deepest despair. Viktor told Vlad that the rehabilitation centres supported by donations from the Bible Society’s partners are one of their major projects.

One man whose life has been transformed through Vlad’s ministry is Aslan. For 40 years, he was addicted to drugs. Aslan attempted to take his own life on several occasions. When he arrived at the rehabilitation centre, he was at the lowest point in his life, having lost his family and his home.

One day, Aslan received his very own Bible and read about Jesus’ sacrifice for him. He was moved by Jesus’ love and decided to become a Christian. A member of Vlad’s team said: “Aslan is part of our Bible Study group, which meets regularly every week. It feels as though God has brought him back to life and given him a new life.”

Freely adapted from: biblesociety.org.uk