There is a place where time goes slowly, and life seems to stop and lost the sense for many people. A place where no one will help you, where you have to rely only on yourself. A place that takes your health, nerves, home, family, freedom … A place where it is not difficult to get to, but a place from which not everyone goes out.

Approaching this place you begin to feel anxiety, and worry. Gray, low houses, most of which look abandoned. High fences. Rings of barbed wire, bars on the windows…

It is a prison. This is the place where broken, chewed up and spoiled souls are collected, a place where daily is broken what hasn’t been damaged by sin on freedom.

These places especially should be visited. Because the Lord said, “I was in prison and you visited Me”. Looking at the prisoners, the prison guards see only criminals who are serving their legal punishment. Relatives of criminals see only “unjustly condemned” loved ones. For us, there is Christ! We must constantly make a special effort to see Christ in prison.

It is necessary to speak out about people who visit such places with preaching. Usually, these are people who were in a prison as prisoners and have passed through this horror themselves, but they left a prison becoming new creatures, becoming Christians. And now, knowing the entire prison life from the inside, knowing prisoners’ their state of mind, they testify to them about another life, the life with God.

In July, we had the opportunity to visit colony #82 in Ostroe together with our brothers who visit this colony regularly. Colony #82 is one of the largest in the Donetsk region. It is located on an area of ​​16.55 hectares. More than 1000 criminals of serious crimes are there. The prisoners keep a lot of anger and resentment in their souls. Talking about God is not easy. But many, while being in prison, begin to think about God.

We had about two hours of fellowship there, and most of the time we sang, and talked about life, about God’s love. These people in particular need the Savior and forgiveness of sins. We pray that the Word of God would be sown and would give good fruits in the hearts of the condemned.

On the territory of colony #82, there are 7 communities, and 7 prayer rooms, where chaplains serve. Pray for them and for us that God would give us the opportunity to serve people whose lives are broken by sin. Pray that the seeded Word of God would give good fruit.

P.S. Photos are of poor quality because we were not allowed to take a camera there, only musical equipment.