After many years' missionary-evangelism to the Inuit of Canada's Arctic, Bill Prankard discovered there were many groups of Inuit (also known as Eskimos) living in isolated regions throughout Arctic Russia.

To his knowledge, most of these people groups had never heard the Gospel. As his burden to reach them escalated, he organized teams of mature Christian Canadian Inuit leaders to accompany him to the far eastern villages of Chukotka, on the Bering Sea. Some residents were suspicious and wary, but most received the teams with gladness, and many came to Christ.

These missions resulted in the establishment of a strong Christian witness throughout Chukotka and began a revival that continues to this day. Sadly, the authorities forbade the Canadian teams from returning. For several years BPEA continued to send financial support to workers, food for the regional hospital, and life-saving aid to the poverty-stricken villagers. An orphanage to care for the many children who had been left destitute as a result of starvation and disease, was established. Thanks to the faithful giving of our partners, a region forgotten by its government and the outside world now has an army of indigenous believers, carrying on the work of evangelism, started by Bill and his teams!

In 1997 Bill Prankard began taking teams to an even more isolated area of Arctic Russia - to the nomadic Nenet people, living across thousands of miles of frigid tundra, in the Yamal Peninsula. Located at the most northerly region of Siberia's Arctic, the challenge of reaching these forgotten people was nearly overwhelming. The Nenets for the most part, do not live in villages; they travel in family units, following the migrating reindeer, totally dependant on the reindeer as their source of food, clothing, and mode of transportation (the reindeer pull the Nenets' sleighs). Often, as the team visits in the tents of the Nenets, an entire family will receive Christ after hearing the Gospel for the first time! Then the team will continue the arduous task of travelling many more hours to find another camp, and share the Good News with them.

On one of these missions, the team had wearily travelled most of the day in a tank-like vehicle, capable of withstanding the rigors of the rugged tundra. After many hours they were discouraged, because they had not found an encampment. Suddenly they saw a tent in the distance. As they drew nearer, they discovered a solitary man, tending his herd of 1000 reindeer. Through the team's interpreter, he told them his family was camped another 20 miles away. Bill's first inclination was to leave, to go and find the family so they could share the Gospel with them. But one of our missionary workers said, "Shall we serve the one?"
 
In that defining moment, the truth of what missions is all about, was expressed. Bill replied, "Jesus would serve one, wouldn't he?" Jesus often left the crowds to find one person who needed to know His love - like the woman at the well in Samaria, the demon-possessed man, Legion, or Zacchaeus up in the tree. So the team conducted an entire service for one man! The Canadian Inuit team members played guitar and sang songs; others told their personal testimonies and shared the Gospel. And when the invitation was extended to receive Christ as Saviour, the man said, "Yes!" It may have been the smallest service ever, but it was the most successful - 100% of the crowd got saved!! The impact of that dramatic conversion spurs the teams on.

The following year our team visited a village located at the very top of Arctic Russia: Ust Kara. The Nenets have settled in this village, isolated from the rest of the world. The effective impact of Bill and his teams' ministry is clearly seen on the faces of the many Nenets who have given their lives to Christ in the past three years. We have since visited Ust Kara, Laboravaya , Beloyarsk and other similar small communities dotted accress the Russian Tundra. We are happy to report that there is now a strong Christian presence in many of these communities, enabling us to establish DVD churches.

DVD churches have been established in about ten villages or, with a nomadic family who travels the vast tundra. In the absence of mature believers able to pastor these new believers, DVD players, along with a supply of good foundational teaching disks have been set up.

Our workers make it a priority to visit each DVD church regularly bringing encouragement along with a fresh supply of DVDs. The growth in these new believers is staggering! We had opportunity to meet with many of the church leaders on our last trip and could not believe these were the same people.

Each year Bill and his teams go deeper into the Russian tundra to continue the work of reaching souls for Christ.

PLEASE PRAY for Bill and the teams as they go where others have never gone, to take the Gospel to people who have never heard! And you can be an integral part of reaching Nenets at the Ends of The Earth for Christ by investing your missions dollars in this exciting cause!