Ivan (right) accepted Christ as his Savior through Operation Centurion. Roger Hogan (left) founded the ministry with his wife nearly 15 years ago.

Russia

Operation Centurion

Bibles provided by Samaritan's Purse are helping a ministry in its outreach to young men serving in the military

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Ivan decided to pursue a career in the Russian navy when he was 14. He left the comforts of home and moved to a military academy in St. Petersburg.

Like most young soldiers in an unfamiliar environment, he was lonely. He wanted someone to talk to, to share his burdens, to be a friend.

The Russian naval student found what he was looking for when he was befriended by Roger and Margaret Hogan, a couple from Tennessee who founded an organization called Operation Centurion almost 15 years ago. Ivan found Christian fellowship and the companionship he desperately needed at the Samaritan's Purse-supported ministry.

“I want to thank you for everything you have done for me,” wrote Ivan in a letter of appreciation. “If it was not for you, it would have been much more difficult to cope with life at my Navy school and with life in general. I will always remember your kindness toward me, and will always love you as my own family.”

The St. Petersburg-based ministry offers centers where servicemen gather for meals and worship. They hear God’s Word through weekly Bible studies, and receive prayer and counseling. Soldiers receive special Bibles with camouflaged covers and care packages containing basic hygiene items.

Ivan is one of countless soldiers who have found a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through Operation Centurion.

“My faith in God has strengthened, and I know that God watches over me from heaven and every time I need His help He won’t refuse me,” Ivan said. “Here I found my salvation and shelter.”

There are plans to open additional centers to reach more servicemen in Russia and Germany. Samaritan’s Purse is partnering with Operation Centurion to distribute Bibles to the German military this year, so that they also will experience the “living and enduring Word of God” (1 Peter 1:23b, NIV).