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Impacting Uzbekistan for Christ
Even though Christians in Uzbekistan often suffer religious persecution at the hands of local authorities, the School Without Walls (SWW) coordinator in the capital city of Tashkent, and a group of SWW graduates, organized a round table discussion on the Next Generation Professional Leaders Initiative (NGPLI) for 35 young professionals from four different churches. The lack of religious freedom in Uzbekistan makes NGPLI even more relevant in that context, as traditional means of sharing the Gospel are very risky. “I’m prepared to go out of my way to help my clients resolve problems with our product. I do my work well and respect my clients. They see this and value it,” shared Shahrat (name changed), a Christian businessman who spoke about the impact his faith has had in his professional context. “I never hide my faith, and my good relationship with my clients allows me to share the Gospel with…
Shaping the Culture: Christian Professionals in Kyrgyzstan
“When I first started working, I had to choose whether to be an accountant or a teacher, and I chose to be a teacher, because I wanted to impact young people’s lives,” shares Nargiza (name changed), a math teacher from Kyrgyzstan who attended Mission Eurasia’s Next Generation Professional Leaders Initiative (NGPLI) Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in November. “My parents were also teachers, and my father was considered a master at his craft. From them, I learned the value of hard work, and from the Bible, I learned that my work should be glorifying to God. There is a great need for the gospel in the intellectual environment that I work in, and the best way to respond to this need is by talking with people. God has entrusted me with my students, and I believe He has called me to use my job for ministry, which is a great responsibility….
Vlad’s Story: A Life Changed at Bible Camp
Vlad is a 14-year-old boy from Russia who was born into a military family that has lived in many different places, including the United Arab Emirates, Greece, and Turkey. Sadly, his father died from a heart attack at the age of 39, so his mother is raising Vlad and his younger brother, Ruslan, on her own. A few weeks ago, Vlad and Ruslan attended a summer Bible camp led by our School Without Walls (SWW) students and graduates in Ardon, Russia. During camp, the boys received their own copies of 101 Favorite Bible Stories for Children, which Vlad began reading whenever he had free time. The stories made him very interested in God, and he started asking the camp leaders insightful questions about Jesus and the Bible. Our SWW students had many significant conversations with Vlad, Ruslan, and even their mother about Jesus, and they plan to continue their friendship with…
Faith Under Fire: Turkmenistan’s Courageous Believers
Rahim (name changed for safety) is the pastor of an underground church in Turkmenistan that some of our School Without Walls (SWW) students attend and partner with to spread the gospel throughout their country despite increasing persecution of Christians. Rahim has a miraculous faith journey that began in the days of the Soviet Union: Rahim was born in 1979 during the height of the Soviet era. In 1993, when Christians were still able to openly preach the gospel in Turkmenistan, Rahim attended a screening of The Jesus Film at a local church. After watching the film, he repented and joined the church! However, a few years later, religious freedom in Turkmenistan came to an end and Christians started suffering harsh persecution. All foreign missionaries were expelled and many Christians fled the country. Rahim’s church was also forced to close. At this time, Rahim was 18, so he was drafted into…
Sharing the Gospel with Muslim Neighbors
Mara (name changed) grew up in a Muslim family in Azerbaijan, but was introduced to Jesus when she fell in love with a Christian man! After graduating from School Without Walls (SWW), she and her husband now host a SWW group in their home and mentor young Christian leaders, while sharing the gospel with their Muslim friends and neighbors. Mara shares how God changed her heart through the faith of her husband: “I grew up in a Muslim family, so my parents raised me according to Islamic law. From a young age, I was told that my purpose was to get married and have children, just like my mother and grandmother did. I never imagined that my husband would be a man of God, but when I first met him, he talked with me about the gospel, which was so different from what I was taught by my family. “At…
Called to Serve: Alexei’s Story
Alexei Yuditsenko is our School Without Walls (SWW) coordinator in Berdyansk, Ukraine. He believes that Mission Eurasia’s SWW leadership program—which he participated in and now helps lead—was the driving force behind the restoration of his spiritual life and the beginning of his holistic ministry. Even at a young age, Alexei was a strong leader. He grew up in a family of believers, and as a child he went to church, Sunday school, youth group, and many other church-related activities. When he was 17, Alexei started a youth ministry in a Baptist church in Berdyansk, and he soon became the leader of this ministry. While he was leading, the ministry grew significantly, and a lot of young people came to Christ. Alexei was motivated to start this ministry because of the training that he received at SWW seminars, as well as his personal relationships with the SWW teachers. Some years later,…