For decades, many countries within the former Soviet Union were closed to the Gospel, their borders acting as barriers to the free flow of the Word of God. Today, while physical and political walls still exist, a new digital frontier has emerged. Millions of Russian and Ukrainian speakers in Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan are no longer looking for truth in secret—they’re searching for it on their screens.
At Global Media Outreach, we believe that where there is a search, there must be a Gospel answer. That’s why we are thrilled to introduce you to Aylin [name changed for safety reasons], our new Russian and Ukrainian Ad Campaign Specialist.
Based in a former Soviet Union country, Aylin doesn’t just manage data; she manages hope. By leveraging search engine optimization and digital advertising, she ensures that when a seeker in a remote village or a crowded city types a question about God into their phone, they find a path to Jesus. She also serves as a GMO Online Missionary.
In this exclusive interview, Aylin shares what it’s like to serve on the digital frontlines of a region shaped by struggle, and why she believes technology is the modern-day “messenger” for the Great Commission.
What inspired you to get involved in GMO’s work?
I was inspired by the unique opportunity to preach the Gospel to many more people than I see every day. People need God and many seek God, but they do not always have the courage to come to church or speak to believers. They are looking for answers on the Internet. And this is a huge audience that I can’t see, but which I can access from the comfort of my home, at any time convenient to me. Along with reaching seekers through digital ads and connecting them to GMO’s resources and OMs, I can also support, encourage, or pray for them as an OM myself.
What keeps you and your team motivated in this Gospel work day to day?
The people who are lost. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world, and many of them are at a crossroads, searching for the truth. It is our desire and prayer that our ads and the Gospel Presentations become a light of hope for them to find truth and salvation in Jesus Christ.
In your own words, why do you think what you and your team are doing is important in reaching seekers with Jesus?
The difficulties the team helps to solve, like telling people where to find the right church or encouraging them in a difficult situation, are so important. When people search for answers on the Internet, we give them answers to difficult questions in their native language and in their cultural context, helping them find hope in difficult situations. This work is truly changing lives every day.
Your region has faced several years of struggle and challenge that not every nation or people group faces. In what ways are GMO and its ministry helping people in this difficult time?
For the countries of the former Soviet Union, this ministry is new, as is the fact that the Word of God is spread on the Internet. For a long time, our countries were closed and did not have access to sources of information and to the free reading of the Word of God. Therefore, I am glad I can join this unique online evangelism project and, with the support of my supervisors and mentors, work with this team. I think it will be a big deal for my own country and the people in my region. Now the younger generation and older people are actively using new technologies and social networks, and if the Lord gives us such opportunities, then we need to take advantage of them.
When it comes to your area of outreach, what types of things are you seeing that give you hope?
I am inspired by the hope that I can share the Gospel every day and help provide a moment of encouragement or salvation for some soul who has been searching for something on the Internet for a long time and may have lost hope, thereby fulfilling the Great Commission from the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 4:18-19 says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; for he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, and has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives and give sight to the blind, to set the weary free, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And He left us the same command.
If you could say one thing to thank the people who make this work possible, what would it be?
I would like to thank all of them on behalf of the GMO team. I would like to say that your support is so valuable and meaningful, and it will be noticed and rewarded. This is an important and necessary job to reach people who are looking for God at this difficult time, people who have any difficulties or who need help. The fact that new technologies allow us to reach people who are far away from us every day at a convenient time, without leaving home, and we’re able to pray for them, and encourage them…it’s a unique opportunity and a wonderful blessing from God. This is important and bears fruit for the kingdom of God.
Is there anything you’d like to add about joining the GMO team, the work you’re doing, or the way God is moving in your region?
God undoubtedly works in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and around the world through people, but people can also use the technologies that God has blessed us with. So we need to use every opportunity; in this case, through a ministry I am happy to join and work with. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “Therefore we are messengers in the name of Christ, and as if God Himself were exhorting through us; in the name of Christ we ask: be reconciled to God.”
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Aylin’s work reminds us that the Great Commission doesn’t stop at a border or a firewall. Despite the risks, she is committed to ensuring that the weary find rest and the brokenhearted find healing.
As Aylin noted, we are “messengers in the name of Christ.” Your partnership fuels the technology that allows us to turn a simple internet search into an eternal encounter.
Will you join us in supporting Aylin and our global teams as they reclaim the digital landscape for the Kingdom of God?
How You Can Join the Mission:
- Pray for the Harvest: In terms of global impact, pray that every ad Aylin places finds a heart ready to receive the truth. Please also lift up any local ministries in these regions, such as pastors, underground churches, and communities of believers, that are spreading the Gospel and sharing the love of Jesus in dangerous areas.
- Support the Strategy: Your financial gift empowers specialists like Aylin to bypass digital blockades and place the Gospel where it is needed most. Donate Today
- Serve as a Messenger: You don’t need to be a tech specialist to change a life. Join our global family of OMs and answer the questions seekers are asking right now. Become an Online Missionary
