 |
 |
 |
DAGESTAN Spring 2008
Southern Hospitality, Caucasus Style
|
With smiles on their faces, the people of Dagestan are very hospitable towards guests. “It doesn’t matter if they like you or not, they will still treat you as an honored guest,” said *Violet, a native of the former Soviet Union, about her friends from Dagestan.
“In their culture, they don’t ask you if you want tea or something to eat; they just put it in front of you and let you decide.” Violet further explained, “It’s as if they made a dessert especially for you, because they have it ready when you come into their house.”
That warmth, however, is not be confused with openness to the Gospel. It is costly to be a believer in Dagestan, a predominantly Islamic republic located in Russia’s Caucasus region. Believers can be rejected by their families and killed for following Christ. In addition, only small portions of the Bible have been translated into any of the various languages spoken in the Republic.
According to Violet, Dagestan is a dangerous place for foreigners as well, due to the the political unrest, sporadic violence and the potential kidnappings of foreigners. “It is much safer for believers from the former Soviet Union to share the gospel with them, since they are not as likely to be targets for kidnapping.”
It is Violet’s prayer that God will use Russians and others from the former USSR to take the Gospel to the people living in Dagestan.
*Names changed to protect believers. Photos do not represent the people in the story.
Please pray that God would:
- Burden the hearts of Russians to live among and share the Gospel with the many people groups located in Dagestan.
- Provide translators who can accurately translate the Bible into each of the languages used daily by the Dagestani peoples.
- Use the political unrest to cause people to look to the Prince of Peace for answers.
Resources
Dagestan PowerPoint Slideshow and virtual prayerwalk
Download
now: 10 MB
Learn more about the peoples of the former Soviet Union
Kazakhs :: Kyrgyz :: Muslims of Moscow :: Tatar :: Turkmen :: Uzbek