Yo Tay, where exactly is Kyrgyzstan?
GREAT question, friends! Until this trip, my ignorant self didn’t know it was a country. My lack of expectations for this month led to the greatest memories this trip had to offer. Below I’ve included a map of Central Asia, my home for the past couple months and will continue to be for the proceeding.
As we crossed the border from China into Kyrgyz, we were met with rolling hills, kind-faced soldiers (I took note: China police were just slightly more stoic), and a sweet old man that drove us seven hours to the nearest city. Guys, we even stopped by his home and his wife came out and greeted us with a kiss.
I knew at that moment I would fall deeply in love with this country.
As we drove, my eyes grew a little bigger, and my mouth gaped a little wider– wild horses, nomadic yurt families, and mountains as far as I could see. I was caught up in my feels, LORD, You are so good. You’re the Creator of all of this and You see me?
This was the first country that our skin and hair blended in, aside from our apparent backpacker persona (I was told my chacos gave me away as a visitor). In fact, I was frequently asked if I were Russian, or so I gathered through the little Russian I know, which happens to be none.
The weeks that followed were filled with mare’s milk, loads of kebabs, and lakeside views. But here’s the punch line, the Gospel was made known to people who have actually never heard the name of Jesus.
Let me tell you how exhilarating that is, to see a face change, to hear genuine curiosity in a voice, to hear them repeat the Gospel back to you, it’ll forever change your life. It’s an itch that can never be suppressed; if fact, the more I share, the more eager I am for the next conversation.
Take a walk with me..this is just one story.
In the first week, two of my teammates and I cultivated a relationship with a sweet, young mom of two boys. She came back to Kyrgyzstan and moved in with her parents when her husband left her. She is an absolute rockstar of a mother, working fifteen hours a day at her parents fruit stand just to make ends meet and to feed her boys.
So what does she do? She takes a day off to bring us to the lake.
I brought my soccer ball and sunscreen and we headed out. Throughout the day, I was able to share Jesus with her. She hung onto every word, she pressed with questions. And when her older son asked what we were talking about, I patiently listened to her repeat the Gospel in Russian to her 12-year-old.
GUYS, WHAT?!
We left the next day, to head to the capital to partner with a VBS and english center for the following three weeks. But please continue to pray for the woman without a name. She was so ready to hear the Gospel, and I pray fully believing that the Lord will continue to reveal Himself in the years to come.
Oh, and book a flight to Kyrgyzstan. The harvest is plentiful.
