Here is a flashback to our most comical and memorable moments during 14 ordinary hours in Beyneu, Kazakhstan back in July. (A collaboration blog with input from all my teammates!)
After a 37-hour train ride spanning two nights and two countries (Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan), and being woken up at midnight for several hours of border checks, we arrived in the two-camel town of Beyneu. Each of us was a waterfall of sweat (#noAC) desperately hoping for showers, breakfast, and a shelter with AC to shield us from the 107°F projected to blaze through the day. Although the hotels we stopped at were fully occupied, God provided through a kind worker who allowed us to pay for showers and breakfast and store our bags without renting a room.
Jenny—(Deep sigh.) Everything was going well. After my shower, I enjoyed getting my nails done. The salon girls were so sweet that they took photos with us and bought ice cream for us! We were in the middle of laughing at Heidi’s miming for “melting ice cream” when Brandon walked in and everything went downhill. He was the messenger telling us we were getting kicked out of the hotel. Then, I bore the brunt of the hotel manager’s yelling.
Parker—Mid-shower, the hotel manager started knocking on the door and yelling for me to come out, then ran all the way around the building to knock on the window because I didn’t come out immediately.
Jake—Mid-workout, I realized we were getting kicked out of our hotel because Brandon messaged me. I ran back to find the others preparing to take our bags somewhere else. “Can I finish my work-out first?”
Suze—While the guys carried our bags to a different hotel, I guarded the rest of the bags and played my guitar. A man came up to listen to me singing and started taking selfies with me. He left and returned with a friend and started taking videos. When Parker and Brandon showed up, I exclaimed with relief, “Look! My friends!” Then they started taking videos with the guys.
Suze–After we settled into our new hotel lobby and Parker drank his fourth cup of coffee, Brandon and I went to the market to see if anyone would take our Uzbek money (we were right on the border with Uzbekistan, so we figured we might have a chance). We were shocked to see two camels roaming free in a parking lot across the street.
Brandon—At the market, we found only two stands that would accept the foreign money. With both her arms, the raisin lady reached forearm-deep into her box of raisins. “Suze, what’s happening?!” “You just used the rest of our team budget to buy two kilograms of raisins, Brandon.” (The money would have been lost anyway, if he hadn’t used it!)
Heidi—Mid-dinner at our second hotel, a Kazakh military officer grabbed a Sprite and sat at the head of our table for a chat. The hotel manager turned on the AC, then turned it off when he left. When Jenny politely asked for the AC back on, the hotel manager only shouted at her. The young woman working under her grimly turned it on after her boss went back into the kitchen. Feeling unwelcome again, we decided to head to the train station a few hours early. Then I thought, “We’re meant to transform atmospheres—shine Christ’s light to others. Beyneu will not get the best of us! We’ll bless them.” The young woman eagerly allowed us to pray for her, thanked us for sharing the Gospel with her, and shared a deeply moved smile with us. My compassion grew: I can only imagine what her life is like and what hardships she faces because I don’t know what her past has been like or how her morning started at home, or how her family treats her. I want to be part of loving her and helping her have a better day!
*To this day, we do not fully understand why both hotels were displeased with us; we tried so hard to be polite and pay for everything! Even so, we found many individuals in Beyneu who were kind and hospitable to us.
- “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (Romans 12:14)
- “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
- “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
