As we continue to travel everything seems to be getting better and better! During our time in Kazakhstan God was not holding back in revealing Himself while we were here. We went in not really having any host or connections (well sorta one) and praying for God to open doors for us. Boy oh boy did He do that!
Once we arrived we hit the ground running with the one connection we had. We helped with English clubs, met with students, had game nights, and developed friendships with everyone.
We had the privilege to be there during one of their biggest holidays, Nauryz. From what I understand it is kind of like their new year I think? It really seemed like an awesome excuse to have a big festival and celebration, which I was not mad about because it was craziness. In the square, there were people packed in walking around everywhere, people dressed in cultural clothing, many tents serving cultural food and drinks (including a country favorite – kumis which is fermented horse milk), men taking turns climbing a telephone pole trying to get a bag of goodies hanging from the top, and lots of music. It was quite the experience.
After we left, two of the girls on my team and I decided we should go try “the best ice cream place” in all of Kazakhstan. After standing in line for over an hour and trying to order our ice cream using a mix of sign language and English we finally got our treat and it was delicious (probably not worth standing in line for an hour, but still super good). As we devoured this colorful goodness a man approached me and asked where I was from (very common question that we were asked on a day to day basis). After a little bit of small talk he was very excited to tell us he was a local pastor and planting a church there in the city and having their first service in two days. As he was explaining all of this I was shocked and thinking, “what are the chances that we just happened to meet this guy?” He asked if we wanted to come to the grand opening and of course we were pumped and told him we would definitely be there!
The city of Almaty is not small and the chances that we “just happened to be in the same ice cream line on the same day at the same time” could not just be a coincidence. I know it was not accident and that God orchestrated it all to happen – proving that He really does have a grand plan! AHHHH He is just too cool to fathom sometimes.
So to continue the story we went to the grand opening two days later and let me tell you I was blown away! I was expecting a small little building with maybe 10-15 people there TOPS….but no way José! They rented a space for their grand opening and it was quite the event! There was worship, teaching, lights, cameras, dancing, testimonies, and a meal for everyone… I mean they did it BIG. All of the lights, the raffle for prizes, the loud music was great and all, but the coolest part was inviting the Holy Spirit to be a part of all of it. He was there and present in that place. Over 150 people heard the gospel that night, many people were healed (including my teammate who had a torn ACL/broken knee – read his blog here), and most importantly there were 18 people who made the best decision of their life that night to follow Jesus! It was one of those experiences I will never forget for the rest of my life.
The church is on fire for Jesus and has a HUGE vision for reaching Asia. It was incredibly encouraging seeing their faith for God to do big things there! I cannot wait to see how God uses their church to impact His kingdom.
There are many others who we had the privilege of partnering with in Almaty who are doing incredible things for the kingdom, and it was so fun to be part of all of it!
Please be praying for the country of Kazakhstan, the city of Almaty, the new church plant – Compel, Pastor Ruslan and his family, and the many other workers and believers there!
Here is a recap video of our time in Kazakhstan! Hope you enjoy!
