May 15, 2006

China Visit – May 2006

Warm greetings from green and beautiful Almaty, Kazakhstan. We got back from a great trip to China and jumped right into duties here. Dayna had new insights for her class on ‘Central Asian History’ after seeing Xian, the ancient Chinese city where the ‘Silk Road’ started west. We bicycled 14 km atop the massive Xian city wall, more fun than Marco Polo ever had…
We visited the central Three-Self (government endorsed) Church Seminary in Nanjing. There 180 students are in their Master’s program. There are another 17 Three-Self theological schools across the land. But these cannot keep pace with their church’s tremendous growth. The Nanjing Seminary moves next year to a new campus where enrollment will exceed 500. Dayna, shared in a week night meeting in a Shanghai church…
Can you imagine a city with 4000 buildings over 40 stories tall, many bearing an impressive architecture and illumined by colored lights at night? More than 20 million people live in this clean and modern city of Shanghai. Busy shoppers in Shanghai.. Dayna’s grandfather who left from there 100 years ago for Hawaii, would be astounded. We were too. Inside the beautiful and modern Shanghai Museum we saw sculptures, bowls, and carvings that pre-date Abraham! China – very old and very new! We covered a lot of territory; from Urumqi in the Northwest to Shanghai in the Southeast, and Nanjing, Beijing, and Xian along the way. People were friendly and helpful. Food was tasty and cheap. Transport was timely and efficient – planes, trains, subways, light rail, taxis, & pedicabs.
We had encouraging visits with old friends who work there. We shared in a couple of International Churches and got lots of good ideas for our ICF in Almaty. We met believers from ‘house’ churches in two major cities and had several evenings of Bible teaching with them. It was a special joy to see their devotion to the Lord, eagerness for His Word, and zeal for mission – across China and ‘back to Jerusalem.’ We anticipated more sadness and suffering – especially after reading ‘Safely Home’ and ‘Heavenly Man’. But we were happy to learn that now – at least in large cities – there is more peace and increasing freedom. Mark made some new friends watching ‘King Kong’ on the big TV in Nanjing’s Wal-Mart Super Center…
We were very happily surprised by the wide availability of Mandarin Bibles throughout the country. We toured a government-sanctioned printing press where more than 40 million Bibles have been printed and distributed throughout China. The number multiplies as their two presses run 24 hours a day. Believers we met in several cities affirmed it is not difficult to obtain a Bible in China today. We can only anticipate with joy the great ways God will use His Word across the land. An average of 3,500 people are coming to faith in Jesus across China daily. Printing and sending ‘Good Book’ around the nation…
Back in Almaty, the ‘cloud’ lifted and our meeting with the Lord in the International Christian Fellowship has moved into the ‘Star’s Disco Club’! Their management has welcomed us to use this interesting venue. Sunday mornings we find the place clean and ready for us to worship the Bright Morning Star. I do not know where the first Christians in Philippi met for worship, but we seek to follow Paul’s exhortation to integrity and illumination; '…so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.' (Philippians 2.14-16) In mid May, Mark was the Bible teacher for a Pastor’s and Leader’s Conference of the Kazakhstan Assembly of God, also sharing about the Lord’s work among their colleagues ‘next door’…
Right now we are busy with end of the year activities at the schools where we are teaching here in Almaty. Yesterday was our daughter in law Masha’s 21st birthday. She had several good opportunities to exhibit her clothes designs in Moscow and here in Almaty in the last month. She hopes to finish her University course on Fashion Design in 2007. Josiah is very busy with many students who want to learn English here. Maylee has been ‘terrific’ at two years, four months. Our sons, Nathan and Aaron, come here for the summer in late June. We look forward to having them. We are thankful for the good year they have had in Eugene, Oregon. Aaron has almost finished one year at Lane Community College. Nathan enters his Senior year at University of Oregon in September. God is so good!

We pray that this will be a summer of growth and fruitfulness in Him. Mark’s book of sermon outlines on the Life of Abraham (Genesis 12-25) in Russian should come out in June. Pray that these may be useful tools for teachers and preachers.

We are very thankful for your prayers and support. We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours for the Nations,
Mark and Dayna Blair

February 14, 2006

'Id' and Valentines Day 2006

We send warm greetings from a cool and calm Almaty. Amidst the global hubbub over religious cartoons, we have had no hostilities. Given the very secular outlook of most local Muslims, we are not surprised, but we are thankful. The subject of religion is an interesting one here.

One snowy day in January Kazakhstan recognized the Muslim holiday of Id al-Adha -‘The Sacrifice of Abraham.’ Of course in this predominantly Muslim country they believe Abe’s almost-victim was his son Ishmael – as the Koran says. But this is a country where Islam is a thin veneer over deeper attitudes of superstition, atheism, and materialism which animate most hearts. So a holiday is viewed as an opportunity to open the ever present bottle of Vodka (it sells for less than Coca-Cola). Even if ‘good Muslims’ are not supposed to drink alcohol, many toasted Abraham and his son.

We looked out our window that morning onto the snow filled open courtyard between our collection of five-story apartment buildings. Here kids play soccer, even in the snow. Lovers kiss. And the garbage which should be in the dumpsters spreads across the territory – thank God for white blankets of snow! Well on this day a group of Kazakh men gathered to remember Abraham’s deed by killing a sheep. Driving their car onto the field they hoisted the unsuspecting fleece covered victim out of the trunk. Prayers were said, with their palms uplifted and their heads bowed. And a cross was etched upon the forehead of the sheep by the finger of the eldest man. (Ask a Kazakh why a cross is drawn on the head of an about to be sacrificed sheep and very few will know why. They’ve ‘always done it.’ Kazakh Christians will remind them that Christians crossed the Central Asian steppe centuries before the Muslims and this just might be a reminder of the Jesus who died on the cross as the Lamb of God.) Prayers being said and cross being etched, the knife was bared and soon the now headless sheep had fallen to its side. This spurred the gathered men to great activity. Skin is removed, entrails opened, meat is divided. Another couple of men put the sheep’s dripping head on a rock and burned it black with a gas-powered blow torch. (Oh, if Abraham could see how technology has accelerated!) It was not long before all that remained was a wet sheep skin hanging from the clothes line and a puddle of blood. No doubt there were more toasts to Abraham over a hearty meal of mutton that night.

Today – on the Love Day, as they say here – we got a warm letter from a new member of our International Christian Fellowship who is coming to know a new and wonderful love. We share it, unedited, asking you to remember this young woman, and the many millions who do not yet know why they etch a cross on sheep they sacrifice.

Dear Mark and Dayna!Today, February, 14th, 2006, is a holiday - the Day of Holy Valentine - the Love Day - in my country. I congratulate you with this Day! I wish you both and your family a strong health, happiness, success, love and prosperity to ICF Family! Let all the Christians and all people in all over the world be happy and have a strong health. Let it be a Peace and No War! Thank you for your organization and existence of ICF Church in Almaty, in Kazakhstan. It is a very wonderfull and nice place. I am glad that I've found and stay in ICF Family! It is interesting and useful for me to learn about the Christian religion, to learn the Bible. The Bible is a very valuable Book. Before this I didn't touch it and didn't open it. It is written a lot of Values in the Bible. The Bible learns to live. I want to share my thoughts and my life experience with you. I know it will be interesting for you as a Leader of the Church. You are a nice Leader. God gave you this quality. In spite of that fact that my family - Muslims, I accepted the belief in Jesus Christ in October 2005. God led me to you, to ICF Church through events and people. I should say that since October I start pray in the name of Jesus Christ from my true heart and visit the Church. And some amazing and incredible stories occurred with me when I started to believe in Him. I SHOCKED! It makes me to believe in Him, He exists REALLY! I should say that God listen to me through Jesus Christ, He replies at my requests. I made a discovery for me. In October I accepted Jesus Christ in spite of that fact that my family is Muslims. Nobody knows that I go to the Church, believe me it is not easier for me to be between two religions. Two religions came across: Muslim and Christian. My parents go to Mosk and pray for our family during a whole life. But I didn't get a reply from the Heavens before I started to believe in Jesus Christ and pray in the name of Jesus Christ. I don't know - why - only God knows. THE SOVIET SCHOOL STUDIED US TO BE ATHEISM! THE SOVIET TEACHERS STUDIED US THAT GOD DOESN'T EXIST. BUT NOWADAYS THE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS WRONG. WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT GOD! THANK YOU FOR ICF AND YOUR SERMONS. GIVE THE GOD TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A HEALTH AND HAPPINESS AND LONGEVITY!

And we wish the same to you!! We are very thankful for your prayers and support as we have the privilege of serving the True and Living God here in Central Asia. We have a Sovereign Savior, if He could handle the cross, bring on the cartoons!!

For His honor,
Mark and Dayna Blair