CENTRAL ASIA (BP)–Javanshir* was a devout Muslim when he first met Anne-Marie Bennett.* A university student in the former Soviet Union, he enrolled in Bennett’s English classes to improve his job prospects.
The student-teacher relationship soon developed into friendship, and he began attending a Bible study at Bennett’s home. It provided a safe setting for her to share the Gospel and answer his questions about Christianity. He soon accepted Jesus as his Savior.
Many students in the former Soviet Union wait to hear the life-changing message of the Gospel just like Javanshir. But his salvation couldn’t have happened apart from Southern Baptists’ prayers and faithful gifts to the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Those gifts are what make Bennett’s work with students possible, enabling her to engage in fulltime ministry without the worry of raising support.
“Through Lottie Moon giving, I’m able to have a home that [students] are comfortable to come to,” she says. “Every time I open [my home], it’s full of people and they’re just glad.” To Southern Baptists, she offers a humble, “Thank you.”
“Because of giving, we know there’s also praying,” she says. “And those two going hand in hand mean we have a quiet assurance that we are loved and cared for.
“I am so thankful and so blessed by all of you providing support.”
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*Names changed for security reasons. Don Graham is a writer for the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.
