Damir sat by the side of the road, destitute and crying. He prayed God would either help him or let him die. His employer hadn’t paid him; he couldn’t pay his rent and his family disowned him because they remembered the days when alcohol ruled his life.

Damir just graduated from an alcohol rehabilitation program in Central Asia that helped him kick his crippling habit, but he struggled to get on his feet after he left.

After dropping his car off at the repair shop, Yuri, a Central Asian Christian, saw Damir by the side of the road and invited him to House of Hope, a halfway house for recovering alcohol and drug addicts. This is what Damir, and many other Central Asian men need.

Yuri and his wife, Elmira, realized many men relapsed after graduating from the alcohol rehabilitation centers. Men had trouble finding a job, getting back on their feet and staying clean. They opened the House of Hope as a remedy.

House of Hope provides a place to stay, job skills training and fellowship for Christian Central Asian men who are recovering addicts. Men staying at the House of Hope participate in Bible studies and prayer times, and learn how to weld, which gives them a marketable occupation. They also raise and sell rabbits and grow vegetables for sale.

The men are mentored and discipled so they can grow in their personal faith and also impact the vast lostness in their region.

A Central Asian Christian feeds chickens that belong to the House of Hope. The men staying in the halfway house sell the eggs in the local market for income. IMB Photo
Four local churches, national believers and International Mission Board missionaries Aaron and Melanie Stoval are present, living alongside these men to invest in their healing and discipleship.

Aaron visits House of Hope and studies the Bible with the men. He said national believers are leading the effort, which is one of the goals of the IMB — local ownership of the gospel task.

Aybek is one of these local leaders. He was once a Soviet soldier in a neighboring country and that’s where he fell victim to the vice of vodka. Back at home, he became a police officer but lost his job due to alcoholism. He committed his life to Christ in a rehabilitation center. He’s now the director of House of Hope and he joyously guides the men toward Christ. Everyone Aybek talks to — whether it’s the vegetable seller or the vendor who buys the rabbits — hears his testimony of how God transformed his life.

Because you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® and House of Hope’s special gift fund, men like Damir are set up for success so they can be gospel witnesses in their community. Damir is now a successful welder. He has a place of his own and is thriving.

Aaron and Melanie thank you for giving to Lottie Moon. It allows them to support and encourage Aybek and Yuri. Your generosity supports the House of Hope, which answers the desperate pleas of men like Damir.

Some names may have been changed for security purposes.

House of Hope Mission Statement: Through biblical teaching, job training, brotherly love and accountability, recovered addicts will be given skills to assimilate back into society and to reduce the number of relapses by helping each man become active and productive members of their church, society, and families.  

Our leadership team noted that a high number of the recovering addicts relapsed within weeks of leaving any of the six like-minded rehabilitation centers. There are many factors that play into this; family rejection, no place to stay, lack of marketable skills and no job are just some of the hurdles they must overcome. We decided that the best option was to open the first halfway house in this country. 

The property was purchased in the spring of this year and we spent the summer training staff and getting the property ready for the first residents. The first two residents arrived in late August and September. Two more residents arrived November. They are all seeking employment and working towards successfully relaunching fully into society with a firm biblical foundation and community. 

Your partnership has been vital to every phase of this successful launch. Two of our partners came from America to see the facility, encourage the men, pray with them and share meals. Their visit was extremely meaningful to the staff and residents, helping them see the wider family of God joining them in their walk to full recovery. 

Here is an example of the impact the house has had on the first two residents: 

Denis sat on the side of the road, hopeless and crying out to his Heavenly Father to help him or allow him to die. His employer had not paid him for his work, he had no money to pay rent, his family had disowned him months earlier when he was addicted to alcohol, and he was not eligible to return to the alcohol rehabilitation program since he had graduated from there. He had no options. 

Sergei left his car at the repair shop and was walking along the same road when he saw Denis sitting there obviously in deep despair. Recognizing this meeting as a divine appointment from the Lord, Sergei took Denis to the House of Hope. We welcomed him into the program. Now, Denis is using his skills doing carpentry and maintenance for the renovations at House of Hope as well as projects. He has a place to live and is actively participating in prayer and Bible study times with the other men.   

At another time, Sergei and I were driving out of town, Sergei’s phone started ringing. He answered it and it was Marcel’s wife. She thanked Sergei profusely for taking Marcel into House of Hope. She said that he had changed so much through the program’s influence, and she could tell that she was going to have her husband back the way he was before alcohol stole him away. 

The next phase of the project will include: 

1. Expand the self-sustaining projects to make the facility as independent as possible. We currently have a milk cow, egg-laying chickens, broiler chickens for meat, and rabbits for meat and selling the skins. We plan to build a greenhouse to add on to the garden for year-around vegetables. 
2. Tweak and refine the curriculum to meet our specific needs and circumstances. 
3. Expand the job-training skills offered to the residents. Currently we have agricultural skills and welding. We would like to offer plumbing, electrical and machine-shop training. 
4. Expand the capacity to house eight residents at a time. 

Prayer Requests 

• Prayer for the residents: Please pray that the residents will go deep in their relationship with Christ, their family relationships would be restored and their families would come to know Jesus by witnessing the change in these men. 
• Prayer for funding: Will prayerfully consider what the Lord would have you give to the House of Hope to provide funding to build the training and enhance the self-supporting projects? 
• Prayer for focus: Pray that we would always keep God’s kingdom in focus in all that we do. 

Thank you for your amazing generosity that has made this project a reality. The House of Hope started off as a dream three years ago, and now it is up and running because of your faithfulness. Your gift is furthering God’s kingdom and restoring broken men to Himself and their families. We love to host guests! Please consider coming and sharing your skills and your love of Jesus with the men. 

Also, now that the House of Hope is a reality, we are changing the name of this webpage from “Hope and Recovery for Addicts” to “House of Hope.” 

One of the first projects at the House of Hope – raising rabbits to sell. The original 4 rabbits have now become 30 with more on the way!

Dairy is a very important part of the Central Asian diet; the milk cow supplies enough milk for the House of Hope as well as some to sell each day. 

We enjoy each of our visits to the House of Hope. We always feel blessed as we visit with the men and see how they are working together, encouraging one another, and depending on the Lord every step of the way!