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Denis labors in a church in Belarus while studying in seminary. He is being trained by Anatoly, another pastor in the area serving with HeartCry. At the end of last year, Denis’s brother, Anton, was in a severe car accident. Anton was given little chance of survival. Read the full account from Denis below:

On the night of October 23, 2020, my brother, Anton, got into a very serious accident.  

At that moment when we were informed about the incident, it was obvious to those on the scene of the crash that Anton had suffered a very severe head injury. Doctors said that with such a serious injury, they could not give any predictions that Anton would survive. The shock that our family experienced after such words is very difficult to describe. No one expects such a phone call. At such moments as this, it is very difficult to understand the reality of what is happening.

The only consolation at that moment was only in God’s Word, as no doctor could tell us anything comforting. I understood that Anton was God’s child, and according to Romans 8:28, God had only good intentions in relation to Anton. I was under the conviction that if God decided to take my brother, it would be the best and most correct decision. Our only hope is put to the test in difficult times like these: whether or not we really believe that God’s will is perfect. If it is, we should want what God wants. I prayerfully began to humble myself before the Lord, asking God to give the grace for me to accept God’s will for my brother, no matter the outcome.

Of course, we also asked the church for prayer support. It wasn’t just our local church that joined us in prayer. Many believers passed our needs to different churches to every corner of the country. Friends churches shared our tragic news with sister churches. It felt, at times, like all Christians in Belarus were praying for my brother.

Weeks passed after his accident, and Anton never regained consciousness. The coma which he was in, over time, became only deeper. In the fourth week, doctors began to suspect that Anton’s brain was beginning to die. It was also at the four-week mark he stopped reacting to external stimuli at all.  This was a particularly difficult moment, all complicated by the fact that because of ongoing COVID restrictions, we were not allowed into the room where Anton was lying. It had been over a month since we had last seen him.

Thank God he gave strength to us all, despite the fact that we were exhausted in every sense of the word. The churches who know of Anton’s situation organized to pray as a group: every hour of the day someone from our church was praying for our family and for Anton’s condition. The only thing that helped us not to lose heart was the belief that God’s perfect will is absolutely good.

Finally, Anton spoke two months after the accident, which according to doctors was not possible. After weeks of outward decline, Anton’s first words, after the coma, were: “Lord help.” In their collective medical experience, the doctors explained this had never happened. With this miraculous improvement, we were able to transport Anton from the location of his accident to the hospital which is located in our city. As he grew in strength and consciousness, all of the doctors and nurses said that God obviously saved his life, for there was no medical explanation for his recovery. After 10 days in this new hospital, Anton was finally able to get back on his feet and take a few steps. He talked to us and recounted many details surrounding the accident and his ongoing recovery. God did what we were even cautious about asking him to do: restoring Anton to full health.

For the time being, Anton now lives with us at home. We are engaged in his treatment, closely following the direction of doctors and nurses. Praise the Lord he is fully capable of serving himself and that he is in his right mind. We find ourselves constantly rejoicing and thanking God for his providence in Anton’s life. Anton tells us that he always prayed that God would use him for His glory, making him the honor of being an instrument in the hands of a loving Creator.

Our family is immensely grateful to God. We sincerely thank everyone who prayed for Anton and our family at this time, which is not an easy time for us. God has revealed his righteousness to us through these circumstances by working out his good goals for our lives, and we praise Him for it. God is the sovereign King, sitting is on the throne. He rules and reigns. He saves us, He protects us, and He takes care of our souls. God, through this situation also worked remarkably in our local church. God has used this series of events to teach us to pray and trust Him. The church rallied in prayer for each other and continues to rejoice with us as Anton continues on his road to recovery.