By Jami in Siberia — A couple of years ago, as Jami and her family were packing up to move from Ulan-Ude, Siberia, to a small village populated by the Buryat people, they were struck by an overwhelming need to gather prayer support for their ministry.

“We felt a fresh desperation to come to God, seek him, and ask others to engage in the spiritual battle of prayer with us,” Jami said. The SEND team in Siberia has sought to pull together 1,000 people committed to praying for the Buryat people.

Now, the team says God is moving in hearts like they’ve never seen before! God graciously is allowing our teammates to see answers to some of those thousands of prayers. Jami shares about one answer that encouraged her family:

A few years ago, as we drove through some towns near Lake Baikal, we picked up a Buryat lady who was hitchhiking. It turned out she was a believer, and we had a lovely conversation. She asked us to pray for her son, who was far from God. We did pray for him, but then we lost connection and didn’t think much about her as time passed.

Then we moved to our home in Spring Village. For the last several months, a Buryat guy in his late 20s has been coming to our home group. At first, he seemed a bit abrasive and antagonistic, but through the months, he has grown softer and HUNGRY for the Word. He reads the Bible ravenously every day, and comes to the group with questions that he writes down throughout the week.

He’s starting to share about the changes that he sees God doing in his heart. Six months ago, he would frequently get into fights with another guy. They were together recently and ended up in a disagreement that would have ended very badly in the past. But this time, our friend felt a calm in his heart; God helped him to keep his mouth closed and to walk quietly away.

We believe that God has plans for this young man. He is a leader and has a heart for God and for his people. He shares his faith with enthusiasm and boldness, bringing unbelieving friends to church, our home group, and other evangelistic events.

At last month’s Buryat Partnership meeting back in Ulan-Ude, we spotted a face we knew: The hitchhiking lady! And, as it turns out, the young man in our group is her son, the one we prayed for years ago!

It was so kind of God to show Jami and her family one prayer coming full circle. We know there are many prayers we pray that we won’t see the answers to until heaven; nevertheless, prayers are important. Your prayers are valuable, and we thank you for them!