1. Thank God for the opportunity of visiting Iranian homes! Pray that the seeds sown with a family we recently visited will be watered through future contact. 

2. Praise our Lord for recent encounters with Azeri people.  Ask that a partnership for additional work and workers will be mobilized in order to see more people coming to faith.

3. Pray for S to come to Christ. He has already been presented with the Gospel on several occasions. Now, he is taking interest in reading the Bible, and is asking many questions about our faith.  Ask that more Azeris be able to hear and respond to the good news!

From one of our young single workers:

I got to spend alot of time with our neighbors this past month.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed by their disinterest.  But they were quick to tell their friends in my presence last time I visited that we are different because we are Americans. I got to share Truth with them again in much detail about how we’re different because of Christ and why, not because we’re from America.  So, I was really thankful for that.
AND…I led my discipleship group for the first time since we started it last fall!  The girl who usually leads is gone for the summer and I’ll be leading every other week.  In the national language of course—that’s the big deal!  My language helper and i met three times the week I led (talk about exhausting) to help me prepare and practice my lesson.  And, it went so great.  I was on cloud nine!  God totally blessed the time.  He blessed my language skills and gave my language helper such wisdom to help me.  It was all Him, and really none me.  But, I just felt so encouraged that He was even able to use my language in that way at all.  I really felt like everyone walked away that night with a Word from Him and I couldn’t have asked for more.
I met with my new friend Zara*.  I got to introduce her to Beth*—from disc. group—and that was really encouraging.
So, next weekend something exciting is happening… two of the girls in my discipleship group (including Beth*) are getting baptized!  I am so excited for them and may even get to help baptize Beth*!  They’ve both been through an in-depth discipleship class through our church and I’m absolutely so humbled at being able to watch them grow from professing faith in Christ to where they are today sharing their faith and helping disciple our new friend A.J.*  It’s just been incredible.  I’m telling you, God is working over here…thank you for being a part of it!  Please lift up these girls as they grow in their faith and please lift up Zara* And Tracey* as we invite them to the baptism.  I’ve really tried to be intentional about introducing my friends to these girls, asking that God will build frienships and use them as a testimony and I just think it would be huge for these girls to see their fellow national friends being baptized and standing firm in their following of Jesus and what He’s done in their lives.  Pray that it will not only be a blessing to our church, but to these girls’ unbelieving friends that will come.  This summer, in total possibly 6 new believers will be baptized here.  I mean, i don’t know what you’re thinking, but that just gives me chills!  I love it.  Our God is so faithful.  The work is slow and it’s hard and sometimes frustrating here.  But, it’s His work and He is Sovereign and in a place where the darkness is so overwhelming and His name has never been spoken to so many among the masses, we eagerly wait for salvation here in this place and He is working and drawing men unto Himself.  Amazing.  The God that we serve is unfathomably great.  As exciting as it is, we realize that the many who don’t know greatly beyond my comprehension outnumber those that do.

*Name changed for story

Recently one of our workers (Jan*) was chatting with “Rose,” the mother of a local believer when a neighbor and friend of Rose came by to visit. Immediately it was clear to Jan that the old lady was having trouble walking because of pain in her legs, which were swollen. Jan learned that despite going to the doctor and taking different types of medicine for the past five years, she could not find relief. Her leg felt heavy and hard as metal. Jan had compassion on her. “Jesus healed many people of their sickness,” she said. “He can heal you of yours, too. Would you like me to pray for your leg to be healed in Jesus’ name?” The old lady’s countenance had an eagerness that came from faith.
“Yes, please pray for me.”

Jan prayed for her, and then massaged her leg while telling her of God’s love for her. Then she got up.
“My legs feel light!” she said. “Praise God!”
“Praise God!” Jan and Rose said together.
The lady was so overjoyed. Immediately she thought of her grandson who had begun stuttering since his parents left him five years before.
“Can you pray for my grandson, too?” (more…)

1. Recently, the Persians of Turkey team had to vacate their refugee center and re-open in a new location. Praise God that they were able to quickly find a new location to rent and that it is in a strategic location. Also, give praise that it has lower rent than the last location. Pray that many Persian refugees will find rest and peace when they come to this new center. Ask that they will hear of God, who is their only true refuge.

2. Recently, S and her family were relocated to a small city in eastern Turkey, where they will live for 9 months as they await word on their refugee case. This city is in a very dangerous area with much military and terrorist activity. Pray for this family’s safety while they are there. Also, ask that they would have opportunities to share the love of Christ with those they meet in this new place.

3. Another person named S is the pastor of a church in Turkey that is reaching out to Persian refugees. Recently, the church was threatened because they continue to preach about Jesus. Pray for the safety of S and his church. More importantly, ask that they will be emboldened, rather than threatened, and will continue to reach out to people who need to hear the Good News.

1. Please remember a gathering of house group leaders who are attending a leadership conference.  Please pray for the teaching team that is leading the conference. Ask that those teaching will share not just information, but their passion, experience and devotion to the Lord and His church.

2. Please remember a small team of national believers that is making regular trips to strategic cities. The purpose of these trips is to share the Good News with the lost and to strengthen a fragile group of believers.

3. Please remember a small team of national believers as they are seeking theological training. Pray that the training materials will be delivered safely. Also, ask that this training will ground their minds and their character deep into the word of God.

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the annual locust invasion on wheat crops is worse than usual further compounding the drought crises in these republics.

Please pray that God would have mercy on the peoples of the Central Asian Republics and provide rain and relief for the locust problem.

Pray that this time of crisis would turn many peoples’ hearts to spiritual things and that they would find Life in Christ.

One aspect of Central Asians converting to Christianity that so few of us in the west can understand is the issue of burying the dead.  Muslim burial rights are strictly followed by even the most nominal Muslim families out of tradition and, possibly, a hope to earn merit in the afterlife.  This story from Forum18 explains a recent struggle for a Baptist family in southern Kyrgyzstan to be able to properly bury their son.

Pray for Christians who are seeking to live honorable lives in their villages and communities.  Pray that they would be able to honor Christ and love their neighbors and that through their lives many would come to know God through Christ.

One of the challenges of living in a part of the world where we cannot label ourselves with the word we are most usually labeled is coming up with another understandable reason for us to be where we are. One of the things we as Americans have an ability to do that a native here might not be as good at is teaching English, and that sometimes ends up being what our coworkers do, and what we consider doing in the future, but there are other more creative things people have come up with. Some have, for example, worked by roasting and selling coffee beans to people and restaurants all across this country. (Believe me, it is good stuff, and I’d rather buy their coffee than the coffee at Starbucks!) Others have been doing all kinds of different media projects involving computer graphics, web design, video, photo, other recording, and just about any other way to either get Important things out, or involve you in what is going on over here. (They put together the Central Asia Former Soviet Union Calendar that some of you have for example.) Some have run an art studio and sold their artwork. Some have done services for foreigners, (translation: they’ve done accounting and other administrative things for our company. We all have financial reports to turn in every month, of course, and someone has to check them! And somebody has to make doctor’s appointments for people coming in from all over!) People have imported different products from here in the past. There is an international school here, and some people have been teachers there.

There are so many things that can be done, but sometimes it’s hard to find something that just FITS YOU. Since we are not “sit behind a desk” kind of people, we have to be a little bit more creative. We’ve thought a lot about this lately; what we will do when our formal language training is over. Please be in prayer about this for us, asking that God inspire us with something, whether it is already in existence or not. We want it to be something that will give us as much time with the local people here as possible. This is our desire, and this is a very big prayer need.

On the flip side, lots of the types of jobs I mentioned have needs for more personnel. If anything sparked your interest, or you have ever dreamed about going somewhere, but just don’t feel you have anything to offer, pray about that. Ask God if He might want to use you in a way you never dreamed possible.