Thank You for Your Prayers!
Dear CoaH,
Thank you for your prayers!
I just finished my ten-day visit to Kyrgyzstan. Our group (made up of myself, elder Ken Baik, and pastor Tim Song) had a very tight schedule, but by God's grace, we were able to carry out everything we had planned. So we are grateful. In the first week, we visited and encouraged the seminaries established in Karakol and Osh. Although Kyrgyzstan's population is not very large, the land is quite large. It took us more than six hours to drive from the capital to Karakol, and then we had to take a plane to Osh. It was so encouraging to witness how these seminaries were faithfully raising up pastors and lay leaders in remote areas. In the second week, I gave a one-week intensive lecture at the United Seminary in Bishkek. One student told me that she had her first course in the program by taking my course a few years ago and that she has completed all the course requirements by taking this course. I could see in her eyes how determined she is to bring the gospel to her people. What an encouragement to my soul!
Meeting and encouraging the missionaries supported by our church was very precious. Everyone expressed their sincere gratitude to Young Nak Church. They said that they have not seen a church so dedicated to seeing the Kyrgyz people as Young Nak, being so consistent and focused right from the beginning. Our visit was also precious to them because their spirits were down from the effects of the prolonged pandemic. When the pandemic first began in 2020, the situation here was one of panic. One missionary recalled seeing ambulances everywhere and many people actually dying. He was so thankful that Young Nak sent the oxygen generators just in time to help save the lives of many people. He was so grateful. Currently, no one wears a mask in Kyrgyzstan. It seems that herd immunity was formed because everyone got sick at one time or another. People seem to treat COVID-19 as a mild cold, and few people miss work because of the coronavirus.
I saw believers faithfully preaching the gospel in Kyrgyzstan. I shed tears as I listened to the testimony of a sister who tried to persuade her parents to accept the gospel despite the persecution coming from her family members. It was a great challenge to see an elderly woman in her 80s preaching the gospel regardless of what her Muslim neighbors thought. I realized that God is doing amazing things here in Kyrgyzstan. Doing evangelism is getting harder and harder. Fewer and fewer people want to go to seminary. But we are not discouraged because we know that God is at work. We must continue to pray until all the Kyrgyz people hear the Gospel and experience the love of Jesus. The visit to the Kyrgyz mission field has been great for me. I thank God for restoring my passion for missions. Thank you very much for praying for the team.
Blessings,
Pastor Minho Song
