Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world, with a welcome just as wide. At over a million square miles, this country has it all! Mountains and glaciers, and over a hundred and twenty nationalities!
The word “Kazakh” itself translates to “free, independent nomad.” The Kazakh people have a long tradition of peace, tolerance and co-existence. This is reflected in the wonderful hospitality offered to all guests and travelers. The culture of hospitality is supreme among the people of Kazakhstan. The culture of hospitality among the people starts with a cup of tea by a host to any person who visits. Kazakhs are dominant in Islamic religion, and known as the second largest Muslim population in the world, yet Kazakhstan is regarded as a very peaceful and respectful country.
Although I did not get the chance to see beautiful mountains and glaciers and experience Almaty I encountered a different kind of beauty in the city of Nur Sultan/ Astana where we were staying. After coming to terms with the cold as hard as it was for me to overlook and not complain about this; the city had its charm in the people!
We had a host this month and our ministry was working with a local English Club targeting university students. We had club Monday through Thursday in the evenings as well as going into a university once a week for English corner. During the day, our goal was to spend time, hang out, and develop relationships with the students. Having them take us out and show us their city, learn as much as we could about them, their culture, and beliefs.
This month brought out a whole new side of me that I did not know even existed. I had entered the month of October full of emotions and was going through a lot and wasn’t sure how this month was going to look like.
The Lord has a great sense of humor when tackling a new thing/ problem/ or in other words your Goliath. Sometimes you just laugh inside at what He is doing and say to yourself “Ok Lord…” That happened!
For one I got over my fear of teaching my peers. That may sound a little odd coming from a teacher. However, children are a different ballgame compared to your peers. That just may have been because the students were very patient, kind and gave me a lot of grace and that gave me such joy and confidence to have the privilege to teach them.
I was also going through a process of forgiveness with men and yet the Lord threw me in to a ministry with a male host that I had to trust and submit to and work alongside male teachers and students. I was nervous and apprehensive. However, because of this I was able to learn to trust and forgive men and welcome them as friends instead of allowing them to intimidate me and allowing myself to judge them right off the bat. I was able to make some really good friends, invest in them, and be vulnerable with them each in a different way.
Our host and the students we worked and invested in were AMAZING! They are such hard workers and have such kind hearts. We had so many opportunities to hang out with them one on one and as a group. They showed us their city, we got to play sports with them, and share each other’s customs and traditions. They were always willing to help in any way. Wether it was going to the farmers market to pick up groceries, translate, walking us home, and/or making sure we were safe and having fun. They were so open and welcoming they even came with us on our last day to the train station to see us off. It was very sweet and I will never forget them.
I really enjoyed my time in Kazakhstan it went by so fast and wish I could have stayed a little longer. I felt so much growth happen with in me this month that I found so much joy and contentment that I had not felt in a while. This spurs me on and makes me excited and confident for what the Lord has next. Bring it on!
