I was at a bazaar here in Moscow, buying meat and following up with previous contacts. I found a Central Asian man selling a type of bread I had not yet seen here. Because I really like this bread, I stopped and we began talking. For 30 minutes he told me how tough life was for him and how he wanted to go back to Tajikistan to see his three kids, even though the money he makes in Moscow is quite good ($150/week). I told him that God has given us all we need for life and godliness, but that we can get His help only through knowing Him (2 Pet 1:3). I told him that I had a small book with me—Selections from the Holy Book—that would be a good way for him to get to know God, if he read it every day!

“Can I see it?” he asked. He promised to read it every day, finish the book within two weeks, and call me to return the book. Before I walked away, he gave me permission to pray for him in that public setting, so I did.

An hour later when I was on the subway he called me and exclaimed, “Thanks for the book!  This is powerful!”

Please pray for “Ralph” and the many Tajiks who are working in Moscow—that they would hunger to know God and find the power of salvation that is only available through Jesus.

While most of the world’s Dargin people can be found living in the northern Caucasus region of Russia, some also live and work in larger metropolitan areas where they rub shoulders with Central Asians from places like Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. Recently two workers visited with a Dargin man at a bazaar in Moscow and had an unexpected conversation with an Azeri. Read about the conversation below, and pray that God uses this to open Dargin, Tajik and Azeri hearts to the good news.

We purposefully went to the bazaar on a slow day. There were several Dargin men and a Tajik sitting around a chessboard. The Tajik was perpetually losing to Dema,* our Dargin acquaintance. As they played, conversation flowed around the group. They asked if I was a Christian, and I responded that I submit to God through Jesus the Messiah. They all nodded their heads. I think that they clearly understood what I meant but they did not oppose it. I pulled out the Bible and read from 1 Peter 1, and we discussed it. My coworker took over and was able to give the oldest Dargin man some literature. He warmly received it. We prayed for the whole group before leaving. As we walked out, the Azeri grabbed my arm, told me to sit and said he had a “couple words” for me. He had a friend in Dushanbe (Tajikistan) who had a son who had started following Jesus. The father was very upset and asked the Azeri what to do. The Azeri said, “Look, he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t deceive people, he respects you. What is the problem? Let him continue.” He told that story in front of all the Dargin.

Pray that God will bring many Russian-speaking Muslims to faith as they hear the good news through Christian workers and believing friends and family members.

As Moscow residents continue to struggle through the record-setting heat wave and suffocating smog triggered by more than 49 fires around the city, Christian workers are asking for specific prayer for the Central Asians who are living and working in the difficult conditions.

“Many must continue working outside, even in the unhealthy smoke and heat, for financial reasons. They also have no relief from the heat in the places where they live,” explained one worker.

Central Asians make up the majority of Moscow’s 3 million Muslims. They come from places like Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan looking for work in order to help their families back home. They tend to find menial jobs that require long hours, working as street cleaners, construction workers or as sellers in the local bazaars. While some Moscow residents are finding relief at shopping malls or other public, air-conditioned places, migrant workers don’t get this luxury.

According to the Associated Press, more than 800 forest fires are blazing across Russia. The current heat wave is the worst in 130 years, with daily temperatures reaching 100 degrees compared to the usual average summer temperature of 75 degrees. Muscovites typically do not have air conditioning or use fans. With air pollution reaching dangerous levels, most people are choosing to keep their windows closed and staying indoors despite the heat.

Workers are also asking for prayer for themselves and their families: “All of us are very weary from lack of sleep and the bad air quality.”

Two events in two different parts of Russia show how the story of Jesus is spreading through social networks with the help of modern technology.

In Crimea, I befriended a man in the bazaar who was cooking plov. I visited him three times and we took a lot of photos. The last time I brought him a CD with the photos on it.  At the same time I gave him a Jesus film (in Central Asian Russian and Uzbek—both languages he knows). He received it warmly. After he took it, it was pretty chaotic as I had another guy pestering me at the same time. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a young man come up and grab the DVD out of my friend’s hand and disappear quickly through a door. “That guy is stealing your movie!” I cried out. “Don’t worry,” my friend responded. “He’s just copying it onto another computer.”  Viral marketing!

Another worker tells this story:

We often visit the Uzbek bread bakers near our house. I recently gave them a Jesus film in Uzbek. Immediately the older guy there took it, said thank you, and handed it to the younger guys in the back rolling out the dough and told them to put it in the DVD player so they could all watch it right away. Great! When I returned a week later, the older man gave back to me the DVD and I told him he could keep it. He said he didn’t need to, because they had already copied it, shipped it home to Dushanbe (Tajikistan), and they were copying and distributing it there! So I gave him a Mary Magdalene DVD—a version of the Jesus film told from a woman’s perspective. I can’t wait to go back and see what he has done with that one and where it might be now.

Please pray that the story of Jesus will continue to spread through social networks among Muslims in Russian and Central Asia.

Jay* is a Central Asian believer who has a heart for fellow migrant workers who are struggling to make a living in a big city far from home. One of the difficulties he and other believers face is finding a time and place to meet. The timing is difficult because they work long hours, and finding a place is difficult because of the high cost of renting a flat in Moscow. (Many migrants are housed together on their worksites.) These believers have found that SMS messages can help to bridge the gap. They have been encouraging one another by passing prayer requests and Bible reading assignments back and forth via text messages.

But Jay has another vision. He wants to rent an apartment that can be used for house church as well as a place to which he can invite nonbelievers. A Christian worker explains: “This week we decided to quit waiting for the perfect conditions and we had the first leaders’ meeting. It was a group that Jay basically handpicked himself. Several of them were active in their churches in Central Asia and have had some good training.”

The believers share Jay’s vision to find an apartment for their meetings. They want to welcome nonbelievers to eat meals with them, watch the Jesus film and get resources in their particular Central Asian languages.

“Our first meeting went great and we are so excited and humbled to be on the reaping side of what others have so faithfully sown in the lives of these young believers from Central Asia. It’s so exciting to see this young man get a vision and take the initiative,” the worker says.

Jay is feeling God’s call to ministry, at times turning down work so that he can be at house church. Recently he has been asking the Lord to help him meet at least one person a day. He has made a list of all his new contacts with their names, nationality, phone numbers and a little bit about them. “As we are out and about he goes up to people at my suggestion and does a much better job than I could ever do of engaging them,” says the worker.

Please pray for Jay: that he will have wisdom and faith regarding his financial needs. Pray that God will bless his efforts to reach out to Central Asians. Pray for this house church to be pure and strong.

*Name changed.

     We never know when God will allow us to share something about who He is with those around us.  We may be at a grocery store, coffee shop or as this worker shares below, sitting down having a chat with a friend.  Wherever we are, it is important that we take the opportunitities we are given in everyday situations.

I was hanging out one day with my friend Diana at her house. We were talking and then all of a sudden she pulls out a Bible. I asked her if she had been reading it, and she said she had tried. The Bible was in English, a gift someone had given to her husband years ago when he was in the States. I told her I like to read mine, with the English and Tatar side by side because it makes it easier. She said she would try. I opened the Bible to the book of John and told her that was a good place to start reading about Jesus. I left it lying open on her couch.

Please ask Father that He would give Diana a desire to read the Bible and that she would be able to understand the Gospel as she reads in the language(s) of her choice.

     This month Andrea spent some time with her friend Mindy before she left for Spain. Mindy is a Turkish girl Andrea met through an English certification class she was involved in. 

The night before Mindy left, Andrea went to see her and was praying specifically that Mina and her family would have dreams that would bring them closer to knowing Christ. The next day as Andrea was having lunch with Mindy, Mindy began explaining that last night she, her mom and brother had had disturbing and frightening dreams. 

At this point, Andrea was able to tell Mindy about the spiritual world and the desire that Satan has to keep her from knowing the truth. 

Then Andrea was able to share the truth with her.

Please pray for Mindy and her family to have “eyes to see, and ears to hear.”

   Several local Muslims came to faith over the summer.  Even though some of the new believers are struggling, one man, “Abe”, is doing really well.  Abe has been very bold about his faith. The Muslims in his village hold “the holy places” in high esteem and are considered places of spiritual power.  

   The villagers live in great fear of these holy places. One man in the village, either in a moment of ignorance or outright disregard, defiled a holy place near them. As a result of his actions he became an invalid. The man is still alive today and serves as a constant reminder of the power of these areas.

   Even so, our brother Abe speaks out against the holy places. The villagers told Abe to be quiet or else the same thing that happened to the invalid would happen to him. But Abe’s belief was so strong that he told the people he could even defile the holy place just like the other man had and that Jesus would protect him from any harm.

   Soon after, he made his way to holy place, defiled it, and returned home.  The villagers waited to see what would happen to him, but nothing did.  Abe boldly responded, proclaiming that Jesus was more powerful than the holy places. Abe has taken an amazing stand against the darkness in our area.

   Wouldn’t it be amazing if Abe shared the gospel with the invalid man, this man came to faith, God healed him, and the village was left speechless over the power of God? I’m not sure what God is going to do, but I pray that he does something great for his name’s sake.  

Please pray – right now! – for Abe’s continued growth in Jesus and for God to bring more Muslims to Himself, specifically the invalid man in this village.

   Last week one of the neighbor girls had a birthday and invited our kids over for a little party. They (of course) went, but before they left my son came to me and asked if he could give a Bible to the birthday girl if her mother said it was okay. I was surprised by his request, but of course I said YES!

   I was surprised and embarrassed because it should have been me that thought of giving it to them but it wasn’t. It was my nine-year-old son reminding me to look for and take any and all of the opportunities that we’re given to share. He wrapped it up along with the little bracelet they bought for her and took it over.

   The mother said yes about presenting the Bible to her daughter and the kids went through with the plan. When the birthday girl opened the present she was so excited to receive the Bible and showed it to the other two girls at the party. They each wanted one and after asking their parents permission, the kids also gave them The Bible. It seems that one of the girls hasn’t put it down since and has been reading from it every day.

We wait anticipating what God will do through His words and the faithful work of a nine-year-old boy!

When you finally are able to get into Russia and secure a year-long visa a praise of thanks goes up to Heaven — the first of many! You’ve already had to jump through a lot of hoops just to be able to stay and now face the challenges of actually living in a foreign country.Learning the local language is a priority and forming relationships with nationals is required to maintain some sanity as well as develop language skills! Looking back on their first year of life in Russia, with all of the ups and downs, one family sums up their experience saying,

“I remember a quote from the greatest quarter back to ever play professional football and it’s what I think ‘almost’ every day we’re here.

It was said during the last few minutes of a very close superbowl game when Brett Farve was leading his team down the field for a last second victory. They were in the huddle on a fourth down and long. Everyone in that huddle stressed and worried about the outcome of the next most important few second of their lives.

When Brett leans in, ready to give what could be the last play of the biggest game of their season and most of their lives, says, ‘Guys can you believe they pay us to do this!’ It was typical Brett Favre humor but his point was perfectly made and the same rings true for me each day we do what we’ve been called and blessed to be able to do here. We love it here and count it a true blessing each day.

We thank each of you for all the time you’ve spent over us in the past 365 days and we know it’s because of your prayers and His hand of protection that we’ve had such a blessed year.”