Issue # 1 January 2010
Uyghurs of Kazakhstan
I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’ ” (Hosea 2 : 23)
T
he Vision Challenge for this month is the redemption of the Uyghur community in Kazakhtan. The UYGHURS are a Turkic people group who dwell in ancient oasis cities ringing the Taklamakan Desert of what is now Xinjiang in China. Migration, trade and war over the centuries have spread Uyghurs throughout Central Asia. Uyghurs were previously Buddhists. Nestorian missionaries appeared in the 7th century and a large percentage of their forefathers came to faith. During the 12th and 13th centuries the entire tribe was considered Christian. Islam entered around the 11th century, and today the majority of Uyghurs claim to be Hanafite Muslims, bound by fear of evil spirits and following a folk Islam mixed with superstition Modern mission work started around the 19th century till 1933, Abdullah Khan had the missionaries expelled and embarked on mass execution of believers. Today as a result around 90% of the population have never heard the Gospel.
Kazakhstan has about 250,000 Uyghurs who are generally looked down upon by other local people groups. There is very little gospel work being done among them as there are only handful of mission workers. It is estimated that there may be around 500 Uyghur Christians in Kazakhstan.
KAZHAKSTAN Country Summary Capital : Astana Largest city : Almaty Official languages Kazakh (state and major for Kazakh officials, spoken by all Kazakhs) Russian (2nd official (spoken by 85% of residents, including nonRussians)) Ethnic groups (2009 census) 67% Kazakh 18% Russian 2.7% Ukrainian 2.6% Uzbek 1.5% Uyghur 1.4% Tatar 1.3% German 5.5% Other Population (2009 census) 16,402,861
Kazakhstan : A Missionary Family in Central Asia It has been 15 years since the Lord brought us to Central Asia and over the years, He has opened our eyes to the incredible needs of all the various people groups here. Compared to other countries of Central Asia, Kazakhstan is definitely more open and has had the most exposure to Christianity. When we reached here in 2007 from ministering in Uzbe kistan, there were four believers left of the assembly that was established through the efforts of another Indian brother who is now with the Lord. At present, we have a sma ll group of Russian speaking local believers (from both Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds) and expat workers meeting together on Sundays. Some challenges in this work include: 1. Language barriers – lack of skills in the Russian language 2. A common meeting place – We often meet at our home which is cramped and a security risk 3. Slow response among locals – the locals are slow to respond and those that have come forward are still learning of a believer’s commit ment Since reaching here, the Lord has also made us deeply aware of the needs of the Uyghurs who are practically unreached. A small number has come to faith over the years through the efforts of some missionaries in the past; but even among the few believers, there is very little growth. Uyghur communities are generally located outside the city and we need to travel long distances to get to the m
regularly. There is polit ical unrest among them and the Government is wary of anyone working closely with the m. The spiritual forces of wickedness are extremely active among the m and this is very evident in their relationships, moral values, cultural practices, customs, etc. To get access to their communities, we need to be very creative, for example, we have to create platforms of humanitarian aid or sma ll business projects. This gives us a reason to meet them regularly without being intercepted by the authorities. From the few contacts we have made over the past one year, one thing stands out: misery that results from utter lawlessness. How they need the Saviour! At the moment, we are meeting with a handful of men and women irregularly, sometimes at our home and at other times, in a village around two hours away. THE SUPPORT WE SINCERELY DESIRE IS A BA ND OF PRAYING M EN A ND WOM EN WHO WOULD POUR OUT THEIR SOULS IN FERVENT INTERCESSION like in Isaiah 62: 6 & 7 “I have set watchmen upon
thy walls, Jerusalem; a ll the day and all the night they shall never hold their peace: ye that put Jehovah in reme mbrance, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a pra ise in the earth.”
“The deep spiritual needs in this part of the world, are deeply engraved within our hearts; but nothing is worth writing if something far deeper than a passing interest is not created” We earnestly request your prayers for RUSSIA N SPEA KING GROUP • To grow in number and spiritual stature • To hav e regular Bible studies and times of pray er with them. • A secure meeting place for regular gatherings UYGHUR SPEA KING GROUP • They would sincerely turn to Christ and steadily grow in faith • To ov ercome weather conditions and other constraints in meeting them regularly • For div ine wisdom to deal with many practical issues in their liv es. • Fluency in Uy ghur language. • Entry into other Uyghur v illages • The local Uy ghur brother and his wife , our partners in the ministry . • Translation of Scripture study materials and book lets that would aid the new believ ers. OUR FA MILY • We may be enabled to penetrate the v ast areas of dark ness. • We may be deliv ered from halfheartedness, small faith, mental weariness and discouragement at frequent setback s and the slow progress of the work here • That being constantly aware of a sense of insufficiency in ourselv es, we may rest in His strength and “proceed on our k nees” • A lway s sense the promptings of the Spirit and aggressiv ely use ev ery opportunity to reach out to people with the Gospel • Our children may grow in lov e and devotion to the Lord and that we will k now the Lord’s directions with regard to their educational needs (This year they are attending a small missionary kids’ school which so far has no accreditation tha t is valid in India. Our eldest son is in grade 10 and as of yet, we have no clue how to proceed after his 12 th grade) • To be deliv ered from health issues that hinder consistent pray er and ministry • The volunteer work (which is requirement for visa) would consume less time and e nergy