Transforming Lives and Livelihoods: The Creative Work of God in Central Asia
Updated: Apr 4, 2023
Ali is one of our church planters in Central Asia. He is known for having an unquenchable passion to provide Gospel access to those in villages around him. In his culture, relationships are built by sharing glasses of tea. Ali knows it, and he invests his time building those relationships with the folks in his area, seeking opportunities to share about Jesus with as many as he can.
As a result of these conversations, Ali gets to learn about the needs of those around him. Not only does he seek to share the Gospel, but he also strives to show the Kingdom of heaven in a practical way. He often brings food and clothes to the villages, both to Christians and Muslims.
In the fall of 2022, an American church team traveled to visit Central Asia. The purpose of the trip was to strengthen their relationship with the church plant by working together and serving indigenous church planters. Ali was one of them. Previously, he had communicated with our team and with the church in the US about the need for school supplies and materials for children who are not able to afford them. The American team partnered and served together with Ali as they distributed the school supplies in the villages in his area.
These kinds of actions, together with Ali’s faithfulness and the work of God’s Holy Spirit, have led 72 families to become followers of Jesus in December 2022!
But the Lord is not only opening doors for new people to get to know Him, He is also providing the most creative way to His church planters in this region. For instance, Ali was chosen by the local government for a test program with bees.
" But the Lord is not only opening doors for new people to get to know Him, He is also providing the most creative way to His church planters in this region".
The government gave him 6 bee houses and the queen bees. In order for the bees to effectively do their job, the bees needed trees to pollinate. The government then also provided the trees.
God is using an Islamic government to provide a sustainable income for Ali and his family. Ali is now teaching other church planters how to keep bees to harvest the honey. It is incredible to see the hand of God using unlikely people to advance His kingdom!
We not only celebrate what the Lord is doing in Central Asia, but we also celebrate how more churches in the US are partnering with us and are engaging those who have never heard of Jesus.