On
a cold winter night in Ka Hem, Siberia, most people took little thought
of the rundown, two-story apartment building in a poor section of town.
The building barely had enough heat for the winter and little running
water for bathing. Its foyer had holes in the floor and was littered
with broken vodka bottles left by the alcoholics living there. Children
roamed the halls, waiting and hoping for parents to come home from
low-paying jobs with food. Known as one of the worst, most unsafe
apartment buildings in Russia, it was home to 164 people.
Three
women — Clara, Marina, and Ailanma — held a home group in one of the
small apartments. For believers in Ka Hem, this group was their only
spiritual fellowship.
But just after midnight on November 9,
2004, the three women were asleep in the apartment when tragedy struck.
City authorities turned off the electricity in the entire building
because some of the tenants were past due on their payments. Without a
heat source for 20 below zero night, some residents decided to “fix”
the electricity. Their efforts created sparks that soon turned into a
deadly blaze.
Because of the area’s high crime rate, the
building’s first floor windows were protected by bars. As the fire
blazed, people on the first floor were trapped inside with no way to
escape. Clara, Marina and Ailanma lived on the second floor and jumped
to safety. When the smoke cleared, 59 people had died, and 31 others
were hospitalized.
The trauma of the fiery tragedy tormented
Clara, Marina and Ailanma. Clara went into a state of shock. Ailanma
suffered a broken pelvis, and Marina was plagued by recurring
headaches. All of the women’s possessions were lost.
Yet out
of the ashes came victory as the three women persevered. One Sunday
morning Clara came to me for prayer and was healed. Ailanma underwent
surgery and recovered faster than any of the doctors imagined. Marina
also was healed of her headaches.
As the women sifted through
the rubble left by the fire, they found two special items: a photo
album of the home group and the Bible they used for services. Resolved
in purpose, they committed themselves to be even stronger testimonies
to those around them.
With the help of another believer, the
women want to reach the hurting people who survived the Ka Hem fire.
Their goal is to open a church as a safe haven to minister to the
hurting.
The apartment building completely destroyed.
The Christian home group survived the fire.
Miraculously the Home Group's photo album survived the fire.
US ADDRESS: AGWM 1445 BOONVILLE AVE. SPRINGFIELD, MO. 65802 US PHONE: 954.232.0591 OVERSEAS PHONE: 011.7.394.223.5542
