Besarab had come to Christ only a few short years before his murder. Before then, his life was filled with criminal pursuits and the punishments that resulted. He was in and out of gangs, selling drugs, committing robbery and other crimes. He served his first sentence as a young man in a youth jail and moved from jail to jail as he grew older. His final sentence was served in a prison near Dushanbe. It was there that he first learned of Jesus.
Besarab was introduced to Christ through a prison ministry held by a local church in Dushanbe. His faith grew, and in 2001, Besarab was baptized. That same year he married Tamara, an active volunteer in the prison ministry. In 2002, Besarab and his family established a ministry in Isphara, his hometown.
In Isphara, Besarab and his family set to work spreading the Gospel. They bought a small house and fixed it up. One hall was used for services and another room was designated for prayer. The family lived in the remaining two rooms. Besarab and Tamara started ministering to a small group of people. They also preached in neighboring villages and cities in their region.
As their ministry grew, so did resistance. On two separate occasions, the local newspaper ran articles slandering and discrediting the ministry. Besarab and Tamara often received threats, and these increased as more and more people came to Christ. But they continued to preach the Good News.
On January 12, after a youth group meeting had ended, Besarab went to another room to pray by himself. After about an hour, he took out his guitar. He had only played a few chords when he was shot through the window. Tamara ran to him from the next room, but he was already dead.
The identities of those responsible for the murder of Pastor Besarab Sergey are unknown and the case is still under investigation. Besarab was only 43 years old at the time of his death and left behind his wife, Tamara, and two young children.
Lutheran Hour Ministry in Kazakstan, a ministry center of Lutheran Hour Ministries, helped to support Pastor Besarab Sergey’s ministry with religious materials and supplies. They ask for prayers for Besarab’s family as well as for the ministry in Isphara, Tajikistan. If you would like to find out more about the ministry center in Kazakstan, including how you can help support their ministry outreach efforts, visit
http://www.eurolutheran.com/kazakstan/.
