Prayer Calendar Archive

By the National Coordinator of Belarus*

Belarus is a small and courageous country that has been fighting for independence almost its entire history, preserving its own identity, language, culture and mentality. Today, 26% of the population speaks Belarusian, while the rest use Russian. Women of Hope is presented in Belarus in the Belarusian language.

With 73% of Belarusians claiming Russian Orthodoxy as their faith, most women consider themselves believers, yet faith is commonly limited to rituals and inherited customs. Few know the gospel as good news for their personal lives. Generations shaped by atheistic ideologies have left behind fear, silence and a lack of trust – even within Christian contexts. They seem to be a people moving forward, yet unsure of direction or hope.

Belarusian women are strong and capable, often carrying the weight of family responsibilities alone without emotional or spiritual support. Many live with unprocessed pain, loneliness and deep inner fatigue. This is why, when TWR Women of Hope Belarus was established a year and a half ago, our two clear goals were to tell women about Jesus and to create a digital community where women could find support and acceptance from one another.

Looking back, the first episodes felt like the fate of our country, heartbreaking and gloomy with more tears and despair than answers or hope. I feared the emotional side would overshadow the gospel message. After receiving training and the program scripts in English, we noticed that the tone changed. Episodes began to share light and goodness, even while analyzing problems. I’m realizing that through this project, the Lord wants to heal my soul too – -I am the first woman who is being changed by the Lord through the ministry of TWR Women of Hope in Belarus.

Although the audience is still small, the fruit is personal and powerful. Episodes that have been on YouTube for a year or more have been viewed 100 to 300 times. To build the community, I run a Telegram channel and have deep conversations when listeners share how God meets them at just the right moment.

One wrote, “Yesterday I was arguing with my husband and didn’t understand what was happening to me. Today I listened to your episode on ‘Love Languages.’ It opened my eyes to understand myself, and I asked my husband for forgiveness.”

Others speak of restored peace and renewed love. Many describe the program as something that calms and embraces listeners and gives meaning. Yet the most valuable feedback for me was when a listener wrote: “I want to become a woman of hope.”

May God grant that desire to each listener.

* Name withheld for security reasons