Sasha works full time in student ministry which involves evangelism and discipleship. He also has a burden for the local church and is committed to helping students in their walk with God in direct partnership with the local church.
Testimony of Conversion
It is not very easy to remember a particular moment in life when I became a Christian. I attended a local church since I was a small kid (my elder sister brought me there). I adapted to the sub-culture of the church very quickly.
I knew there was a God, but I was unwilling to commit my whole life to Him. I was not ready to humble myself and recognize that I was a sinner. I knew the gospel truth but I would not repent of my sins, and would not relinquish my pride. This struggle within me was going on for years. I sought relief in a lot of things, trying to “do good”. I had always been looking for ways to help people who suffer. At first, I thought involvement with politics could help it. However I realized I had nothing to offer, so I was incapable of helping anybody. Even if I did something good, it could hardly help anyone in this life, especially in eternity. Thus, I realized I tried to escape admitting the existence of sin, which is rebellion against God, and my utter inability to do something inherently good.
Praise God that he overcame me with His grace, showing me that his Son Jesus died as an atoning sacrifice for my sins! I had no other choice than believe that He was the Lord of my life and all I should do should please Him. When I realized that God accepted me, I found a desire inside me to serve Him. It was then when I realized that the Gospel of Jesus Christ of which I can be a messenger, can help turn everything around.
It was about that time when I left my home town and went to study at a university. I settled in a dorm where I met people from student ministry. At first, I was a little cautious about them, but they were persistent, so I began to learn more about the concept of their ministry. I attended their events and started hanging out with the guys. I was especially impressed with the zeal they had for the gospel that everybody needs to hear. I was also very motivated by the fact that their ministry was very consistent with the same principles and ideas that I had.
As a student, I was very confident that I wanted to serve the Lord in fulfilling his Great Commission for the progress of the Gospel and the advancement of Christ’s Church. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was how I would be involved with this ministry in Belarus. By the very end of my university studies, it happened so that all staff people in student ministry had to leave for Ukraine for two years. The whole ministry had to be given into the hands of the students. They asked me to be in charge of the student-led ministry and during this time I became even more confident that the Lord was calling me to full-time ministry. It was a difficult but fruitful time. So when the staff (only a few Belorussians) returned from Ukraine, there was no question about how I would go about ministry, and I began full-time ministry.
In 2011 I graduated from seminary, where I met my wife, Violette. We got married in April 2012, and she joined the student ministry. I praise the Lord that I can share my calling with her and pray that the Lord would use us in every way as we work to reach students with the Gospel for His glory.