-of-Turkey.jpg) Prayer Requests
That the Lord would raise up laborers to share the Gospel with the Mingrelian.
That God would reveal Himself to the Mingrelian through dreams and visions.
That God would embolden Mingrelian believers to share Christ with their own people.
That the Lord would raise up faithful prayer teams who will begin breaking the soil for the Gospel and taking authority over the spiritual powers that keep the Mingrelian bound to darkness.
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The Mingrelian (Laz) of Turkey
26 Mar 2007
Location
The highest concentrations of the Laz are in the black sea area with the greatest numbers closer to Georgia, where the originated from, but segments can be found all along the coast, all the way to Istanbul.
History
The Mingrelian of Turkey and Georgia speak two different unwritten languages. Even though they are closely related languages, they are not mutually intelligible. Most Turkish Mingrelians speak the local Turkish dialect where they live. Historically the Mingrelian have the reputation for being pirates and kidnappers of young children for slavery. Today, however, they are respected as industrious, educated and trustworthy people that have melded seamlessly into modern Turkish society. Traditionally the Mingrelian have existed on farming, fishing and breeding livestock. In Turkey they are heavily involved in the tea, tobacco and foresting industries. The general Turkish public use the name "Laz" for all inhabitants of Black Sea provinces to the east of Samsun. The name Lazca (Laz language) usually indicates the Trabzon dialect of Turkish to the non-Laz, although it actually is a South Caucasian language, unrelated to Turkish. On the other hand, Laz are keen to differentiate themselves from other inhabitants of the region. Also non-Laz refuse the naming, preferring to call themselves as Karadenizli ("from the Black Sea").
Spiritual Identity
The Mingrelian send all of their children to school, placing a high importance on education. As a result, a large number of them have become doctors, engineers and businessmen. At the beginning of the sixth century, the Mingrelians were converted to Christianity, their cousins in Georgia still being Eastern Orthodox Christians even today. However in Turkey only 2% of them are still Christian, having coverted to Sunni Islam in the fifteenth century.
Status of Christianity
Today 98% of them profess to be Muslim and are known for their conservative faith. Bibles, Christian broadcasts and the Jesus film are not yet available in the Mingrelian language. There are few tools to reach these people; consistent prayer must be offered if this people group is to have an opportunity to hear the Gospel. Some of these people have believed and are a part of Turkish fellowships, but there is not outreach focused on them as a people group.
Resources for more info – secular or religious (web sites, books, etc)
For general info, visit:
wikipedia.org |
