Kyrgyzstan has not been what I thought it would be, which is to be expected when I neglected to do any research on the country beforehand. I figured it would have a more Middle Eastern type feel with a flat, desert like scenery.
To my surprise, it turns out I actually fit in around here. There have even been a few times that I was asked for directions! And then to their surprise, I shake my head, smile and say, “Niet Rooskey!” (which means, “No Russian!”). They usually follow with a smile and continue talking in Russian. Part of me thinks they are welcoming me to their country and trying to see where I am from – but I have no real way of knowing. What I do know is that the people of Kyrgyzstan are friendly and welcoming!
But, There is one thing that I do not like about Kyrgyzstan and it is their national drink. which is fermented horse milk. It pretty much tastes how you would imagine when you have fermented and milk in the same name, but the locals here love it as it is served on every street corner.
For more insight on this peculiar drink, check out the video below.
The scenery is very beautiful as well, we are in Bishkek (the capital) and to the south there are snow capped mountains that you can see throughout the city. I especially enjoy the view on my morning runs. (Since we as a team have decided to start working out together, it has been a real motivator to get outside and workout). To the east there is a large lake surrounded by mountains and grass plains that we hope to go to next week for some adventure and sightseeing.
We have been staying in an amazing house that is used as a bible school in the winter. Our host, Vladimir, is from Russia, but helps run the school. He is a great host and a very funny guy – especially when we play Russian card games! We also are blessed by Maria who is a missionary from Brazil that cooks and takes care of the house during the bible school. She provides us breakfast every day and occasionally cooks us dinner. It has been really great living in a house. Instead of a typical hostel, here we have a lot of space and we can use the kitchen for a home cooked meal that we can eat around the dining room table.
Last week, ministry looked different almost everyday. We were paired with an organization that partners with orphanages, churches and youth programs. We did many things such as work projects, clean, garden, renovate, serve the poor and pray for churches. Along the way, we were able to work with some of the youth from the organization and spend the day with them and share about our lives and what God is doing in us and on our journey. It was great to be able to serve the Church, but also serve alongside the locals. It excites me knowing that the youth we spent time with will be the face of the church in Kyrgyzstan in the future.
To those reading this, please continue to pray that God would bring our team closer together as a family. Pray that we would learn from each other as well as be willing to lift each other up and call each other out when needed. Our squad has huge travel days ahead of us as we will be going 3,000 miles over four countries. I am in the process of planning that right now with two other guys so prayers would be appreciated! Pray that things would come together and be as smooth as possible. Thank you!
