Belarus Ministry and Seminar Report
Volume XXXX No. 7

We departed St Petersburg, Russia by train, for a crowded 16-hour trip to the capital city of Minsk, Belarus. 

We were looking forward to this ministry and we were not disappointed. The enemy tried to hinder us as it took over 6 months to receive our visas.  Belarus is the only country in Western Europe where the Church still has persecution.  The president of Belarus is the last dictator of Europe.  Even though he has passed laws trying to stop evangelism of any type, God is adding souls daily to the Church.  The new law says that you cannot open a new church without having a church building and you cannot buy or build a church building unless you are a registered church. It is an impossible situation.  However, God is still doing many wonderful Works amongst the people. There is no law that says how big a church can become.

Tony with his Belarus interpreter

So they are winning souls and the hundreds of existing churches across the country are becoming great large churches as they continue to grow. Then there are hundreds of house churches springing up across the country as a home can have up to 10 people, without it being more than a get together. It is against the law for a church to advertise but a person can invite someone to come with them.

I am reminded of God Word in Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? We had not been in Belarus for a few years because we could not have outreach ministry. However, we heard wonderful news of the churches we planted a few years ago. They are growing and being blessed.

One thrilling testimony from a pastor that took over from our church planting crusade about 5 years ago, said that everyone who came to Christ in the crusade are now in the local church along with their whole families, serving the Lord and growing in the Spirit. Praise God! We would love to see one hundred percent from every crusade. We were very busy teaching and preaching the Word.

We had wonderful Miracle services where God stretched forth His hand to heal. The best miracle, of course, was seeing precious people coming to Christ.

Part of the crowd in Minsk Crusade. We had over 1,200 Ministers attend the Seminar in Belarus!

During the day I would teach twice in the morning and afternoon and then at night we would have a great evangelistic service with up to 2,500 in attendance. During the conference, we had over 1200 ministers from all over the country.

We were able to impart that which God has given us over the years so they could take the message back to their cities, towns and villages. Everyone needs the Gospel.

Tony & Walter

The leaders in Belarus told us the same as the spiritual leaders in Russia did when we were there, that if it was not for Walter Zygarewicz and Tony Abram, they would not been able to have this conference, which did wonders for them.

Thank God we were able. We could not do it without you.

Belarus is a country with an interesting history. After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet Republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic incorporation. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious execution has yet to take place.

Belarus is sometimes known as "White Russia". Slavic tribes did not arrive in Belarus until the sixth and seventh centuries. The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of the founders of the USSR. (The following countries in Europe were members of the USSR with Russia: Belarus, Estonia (from WWII), Latvia (from WWII), Lithuania (from WWII), Moldavia and Ukraine; the following countries in Asia were members of the USSR: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Stan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan).

Belarus suffered from radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl accident, which occurred in 1986 in Ukraine (USSR). It is because of this reason that there are more deaths than births and Belarus has a negative growth. One out of four die with cancer. At the end of 1991 the USSR was dissolved. Belarus became an independent state. The first settlements in present-day Belarus date back around twenty-five hundred years ago. At the end of 1991, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine dissolved the USSR and established the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Mike & Tony stand at the "Center of Europe" marker

The Republic of Belarus became an independent state with its capital city, Minsk. The population of Belarus is just over ten million, three hundred and thirty-five thousand. We were told that before World War II, over half of the population were Jewish. The second language of the country of Belarus was Yiddish. My father was born less than 200 miles from Minsk in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Vilnius was called the Jerusalem of the North before World War II.

Minsk has a marker that states it is the center of Europe. It has the distances to the various parts of Europe, including Vilnius, where my father was born.

Thank you for your prayers. We know God uses people like you to carry us with your faith through the ministry God has given us. Please continue to pray for Marge and I. God bless you and yours is our prayer.

Tony & Marge.