November 2009

The key event of the month (if not of the year) was a mission trip to Uzbekistan. Thank you very much for your care and prayers – the trip was highly smooth and safe, as well as extremely successful and fruitful at the same time.

The first half of the trip goal was making the workshops at Uzbek Apologetics Association Summit. It was called “summit” as a gathering of top leaders of Uzbek national Apologetics / Creation Evangelism movement – ethnic Uzbeks, Koreans, Kazakhs, Russians, Ukrainians, Turkmen. Sorry, but I can share the picture with the participants from their backs only for the safety reason since several of them are professors at state universities and their involvement should not be exposed to the authorities. For the same reason no observers were invited, speakers only, but all workshops was videotaped and are available for others now.

Sharing the ways the Lord works through individual ministries helped all of us to encourage, edify and enrich one another as well as to see the big picture of the Kingdom spread in the country as well as to make some strategic decisions for the network, approaches and strategy further development. It was extremely exciting experience for everyone, as well as a great joy for us to see the first fruits in Uzbekistan produced by our strategy of finding, training and equipping local leaders in the regions we would never be able serve ourselves – both geographically and culturally. Praised be the Lord for His great work in post-communist part of the world!

The rest of the trip goal was international retreat of Eurasian Apologetics Society coordinators. Key Apologetics / Creation Evangelism movementleaders from Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan spend extremely valuable time together sharing the vision, experience, challenges, dreams, prayers and praises (see the picture attached). Making Uzbek Summit and International retreat back to back allowed the coordinators be involved and share their experience at the Summit at the one hand, and Uzbek national leaders be involved into the retreat to better see themselves as a part of the international movement on the other hand. The very first time we had at the retreat someone from Turkmenistan – the most closed country of Central Asia. While it is hard for a Western missionary to enter Uzbekistan where Ukrainians and Russians can go freely, Turkmenistan is closed even for the foreigners from former Soviet Union. But through devoted national Christians the Good News penetrates even that stronghold! Praised be the Lord!

Please join our praises for both Uzbek national Summit and international retreat and prayers for better fruits form everything there for the sake of the Kingdom!