“From the Tropics to the Tundra”
An
Update from the Blair family in Kazakhstan, Central Asia
July 1999
E-mail: blairstan@hotmail.com
Mailing
address: Send support money to:
Blair’s Pioneers
c/o
KECS 12343 Narcoossee
Road
P.O.
Box 244 Orlando, Florida
32827
Almaty
480000 [checks are to be made
out to “Pioneers”
Kazakhstan - noted for Blair’s on a
separate paper]
Phone
(from USA) - 011-732-72-636790 [we’re 14 hrs ahead of Pacific Standard Time)
Aloha
from Almaty
We pray this letter finds you well
as you trust in Jesus. Your prayers and support are so appreciated as we serve
the Lord here. Now we are all out of school until the end of August. The last
few months have been busy and enjoyable. Our weather has been very pleasant,
but we anticipate that temperatures will soon climb over 100 degrees. Mark and
Dayna are now preparing courses for the Fall. Dayna will teach “Christian
Education” one day at the Seminary in addition to her teaching at the boy’s
school the other four days. We look forward to having a couple weeks off for
rest. We pray that this summer season will be a blessed one for you and your
family.
Our boys are playing baseball in a league sponsored
by the multi-national oil companies here - Mobil, Texaco, and Standard. Most of
the players are Kazakh nationals -- a great culture and language learning
experience. We’re so glad to see each of them communicating and making friends
in Russian language. Nathan and Josiah are on the same team, the only
foreigners on that team, coached by a Black American business man who speaks
Russian. Aaron is on a team in a younger division with his good friend from
school, whose dad (a missionary doctor) is the coach. Each team plays about 3
games a week, Mom and Dad enjoy watching them when they can. It is interesting
to hear the coaches and umpires shouting instructions in Russian language;
although each game opens with the English words, “PLAY BALL!”
It’s
Spring and %$#%$%% is in the Air
We were so happy to see the coming
of Spring. No more morning ritual of putting on layers of long underwear, two
pairs of socks, hats, gloves, and snow boots. The boys are again wearing shorts
and T-shirts to school, and the parents wish they could too. Spring also meant
that our guys were able to get back out into the school playground.
You can imagine the placid scene.
Billowy white clouds meandering across the clear blue skies, the sun’s warm
rays shining upon a yard full of missionary kids. The little holy cherubs
frolicking together in the first days of
Spring. If you take a closer look you will see Nathan and Josiah Blair on the
dirt surfaced basketball court, in the middle of the Jr. & Sr. High game.
Taking an even closer look it seems to be more than a game, it is more like the
“Battle Royale.” On the court are a mob of Karl Malone wanna-be’s with flying
elbows looking for tender opponents. Soon Nathan and a big senior start
wrestling (didn’t Karl do some work in the WWF too?), younger brother Josiah
tries to break it up. Josiah has learned that day never to approach a fight
from the back. Because what he cannot remember is getting punched in the nose
by the big senior – accidentally we have been assured! Josiah remembers waking
up on his back, looking into the faces of the concerned circle of students who
hovered over him.
When Nathan saw his blood splattered
brother out cold on the court he quit struggling; thinking he might be the next
punching bag to hit the mat. So he let out a few verbal expletives which he did
not learn in his morning devotions. Dayna had to wear “two hats” as Mother and
teacher as she sorted things out. Ah! Spring time! We parents ask your prayers
that through the punches and the tearful apologies of our boy’s lives we can be
wise and consistent. This little episode is
not the norm for them, thank God. But even in this we see God working to
grow them, and us, more like Him.
The
Wind and the Wallpaper
Ann, one of our Pioneer’s mission
team mates, got an important phone call from a good friend. It happened that at
the time she was running water over some frozen chicken in her kitchen sink.
Well the phone call went a little longer than expected. No problem, she thought
-- until she found that her kitchen had turned into a wading pool! The wind had
blown a plastic bag into the drain and plugged it up. Soon Ann’s wading pool
became a fountain into the downstair’s neighbors. These folk had just spent
great effort and expense on new wallpaper. As you can imagine, it was not the
best way to meet them They were mad, and
they let Ann and her roommate Claudia know it. The neighbor man would have to
take a day off work to repair the damages.
We think God decided which day was
best for him to the home improvements. Because as this neighbor was about his
wallpapering task, he heard frantic stomping and shouting from the upstair’s
neighbors, Ann and Claudia.
The young ladies had a knock on the
door from a woman in distress. At least that is what she convinced them as they communicated
through the “peep-hole” in their front door. But as they opened up to help, the
lady ran away, and three men wearing masks and carrying guns stormed in. Their
intention was to rob them. But their immediate plan was to beat them so that
they could not prevent the robbery. So they commenced to strike them about the
head and face with their gun butts as they kicked them all over.
Their treachery was so noisy that
Mr. Wallpaper came upstairs to tell the ladies
to keep quiet, unaware of what was happening.
When he knocked on their door he was met by the men with pointed guns. Guess
what! Mr. Wallpaper is a military man with a good heart -- and a gun of his
own! He ran downstairs, called the police, and returned back upstairs with his
own bigger gun! Thankfully, no shots were fired, but his intimidating presence
distracted the evil intruders long enough for the ladies to safely barricade
themselves in a room until the police arrived. Two of the men were caught still
in the apartment. Anything they had planned to steal was recovered. Four other
loony “master-minds” of the plot were also arrested. The police here have never
heard about “Miranda.” If they get one criminal, they have effective means for
finding the rest. I am not endorsing their methods, but it in this case they
did work.
Ann needed lots of stitches on her
head and face, even in her mouth! She and Claudia were badly bruised -
physically and emotionally. Claudia had some vision problems from blows to her
head, they have now healed. Neither young woman had any broken bones or
internal injuries. Their Christian faith has shown through this injustice by
their peaceful and prayerful witness to medical workers, police, concerned
neighbors, even over Kazakh television nightly news. Continue to pray for them,
because you know that the bruises and fears on the inside take longer to heal
than the ones on the outside.
The “lady in distress” who got them
to open their door has at least 7 years in prison to think before she tries any
more knocking and running. The men who planned and carried out the evil deed
have 15 to 20 years of prison time. Join Ann and Claudia in praying for them too. “The wind blows
wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is
going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (The Lord Jesus said this in
John 3.8).
“Nothing!”
Zarinna, a church worker graduated
from our seminary, recently invited me
to attend a house meeting she leads. Her “invitation” came at 4 p.m., on a day
that I began lecturing at 9 a.m. I learned a family had prepared a special meal
for me that evening at 6 p.m. She went on to explain how they were very poor
and such preparation was a great sacrifice, “They will be so disappointed if
you do not come.” I was intrigued because I had never met these people,
frustrated that my colleague was such a poor planner, and tired from a busy
day. But I went.
As we approached their gate, two
smiling young girls came out to greet us. Their father, working hard on a
building project in his yard, dropped his shovel and ran to meet us. Three
young boys, covered with dirt from helping Dad, gave us hearty handshakes. They
all escorted us into their small, sparsely furnished, house to meet “Mama” and
their college age daughter. We all sat around their big table for the feast.
Then a group of neighbors came in and took their places. A bare light bulb with
a fly buzzing around it hung from the ceiling. Mama brought out the popular
Central Asian dish “plaff” (similar to rice pilaf). Plaf is boiled rice fried
with cooking oil, grated carrots, onions, and pieces of meat - either beef,
lamb, or horse. One strong cultural value here is that the visitor can never
eat enough! or drink enough tea! If you turn your head for one second they will
quickly dish you out more food and drink. “If you love us, you will eat!”
During our table conversation, I
realized the purpose of my presence. Zarinna kept emphasizing that I was “THE
DIRECTOR” of the seminary. This family, members of the hierarchical Russian
Orthodox church, had questioned the authority of this “unaffiliated” woman who
told them about Jesus. So she brought me from “headquarters” to assure them of
her integrity. But I told them that God’s “authority,” revealed in the
Scriptures for everyone in Christ, is what really matters. After dinner they
asked me to share a message. My invitation to turn to the Gospel of Luke sent
them on clueless search from one end of their borrowed Bibles to the other.
Almost twenty years of membership in the Russian Orthodox Church has not done
much for their Bible familiarity. After sharing about the “Rich Man and
Lazarus” from chapter 16, Mama started asking questions. “What can I do to be a
better Christian?” “NOTHING,” I firmly replied. Thinking that I was going to
use this question as a chance to tell them to “do” this or that, Zarinna
questioned if she heard me correctly. “Well then,” Mama continued, “what can I
do to be a better mother?” Again I loudly stated my one word answer, “NOTHING!”
Behind her sincere question I perceived the notion that is so popular in every
religion -- we can do something to please God. Hasn’t she gained some religious
merit by hosting this American cleric? Won’t her earnest labors of motherhood
count for something as she works her way into heaven? Prayers, rituals, and
religious traditions all build one’s case for eternal glory, don’t
they?!!? NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING.
There is nothing we can do to save ourselves, to merit God’s mercy. In fact, as
I told this surprised Mama, everything we try to do to please God only makes
our spiritual condition worse. Because in “our doing” we add pride to the
endless list of sins which stands to condemn us.
But I quickly told them the Good
News. “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us
wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
Therefore, as is it written, ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord’” (1
Corinthians 1.30,31). What can we “do” to better our hopeless spiritual
condition? Fall in complete dependence into the gracious arms of the living
God. We must admit our utter helplessness to receive His help. We must confess
our thorough sinfulness to gain His salvation. We can do nothing to save
ourselves, because He has already done everything. Praise Him! Of course once
we are in Christ, there is much we are commanded to “do” in the power of His
Spirit, for His glory! There are many thousands of homes in Kazakhstan filled
with people waiting to hear this Great News.
21
Fountains of Joy
One Sunday in June Mark had the privilege of
baptizing 19 new believers in Jesus. He joined with two other pastors for this
great event. One of the pastors was the Provost of Asbury Seminary in Kentucky,
here then teaching on the book of “Revelation;” and a Kazakh pastor recently
graduated from our seminary. He and the other student leaders had introduced
these people to Jesus. Among the 19 were an elderly couple who both loudly
affirmed their desire for baptism as we gathered in the church hall for a
worship service prior to the event. I shuddered for them - and for me - as I
remembered the baptism I witnessed in the frozen mountain stream a few months
ago. Once we got to a nearby lake, I was grateful that it was the beginning of
summer - the water was tolerably cool. As the woman in her 70’s was lead into
the water I began to question whether “sprinkling” might be more appropriate
for her than “immersion.” But after lowering her into the water in the name of
the “Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” she sprang up like a water cannon.
She then jumped and splashed and summer-salted for a couple of minutes to the
cheers and joyful tears of those of us who watched. It was such a privilege to
share the hope of these new believers. We rejoiced with the angels. Then after
all the 19 were baptized, I was too! The Kazakh pastor, a former wrestler –
proven by his gnarled ear, dunked me - and himself - into the lake. Then there
were 21.
Nathan’s
News
As the eldest of the boys in our family (He became 15 this month! - Dad), I have
taken on the responsibility to tell you about our recent rafting trip here in
Kazakhstan.
Last
month Josiah and I, along with our classmates, spent 2 days on the Ili River, 2
½ from Almaty by bus. Leaving early in
the morning gave us more time on the river, we arrived at 10. The Ili river is
in the bottom of a canyon, like the
Colorado river in the Grand Canyon, but not as deep. It took us 25 minutes to
hike down to the boats. There were 4 three-person canoes and 2 six-person
pontoon type boats. I was assigned to a canoe because I had some experience.
The river was flowing fast that day, which helped in the paddling. We floated/
paddled down the river for about 2 hours before we stopped to view some ancient
writings and drawings on a couple of the many
cliffs and boulders in that region. They were made in the 6th
century by the Chinese. We ate lunch, sitting on the big rocks, taking in all
the beauty surrounding us. I then went
to the pontoon and Josiah went on a
canoe. My friends and I enjoyed jumping off the
boat into the icy, cold water. We arrived at the camping site around
4:00. We played croquet, soccer, football, and rugby till 5:30. Then we hiked
atop a small mountain nearby. When we returned we jumped into the river for
another cold awakening. We set up our tents and finally ate. Some of us
then played some more croquet while
others sang songs. Around 11:20 it became dark enough to play flashlight tag.
It was fun because you couldn’t see anything but, the flashlight. I kept
tripping over all these little bushes which got me out a lot of the time
because I kept crying out in pain after continuously flying to the ground. We
stopped around 12:30 because it was late and we were tired. My friend and I stayed up late talking, eating, and drinking
Coke. The typical things to do when you’re on a sleep-over without your
parents. I didn’t fall asleep till 2
because of the loud croaking of about a million frogs outside of our tent. I
was awakened at 4 because it had started raining and I had to put the rain tarp on my tent, after taking it off
because of the intense heat inside the tent. I then woke up at 6:45 because we
were going to play some tricks on the other campers. We didn’t get very far
because we were tired and the ground was soaked with rain. But we took some
pictures of the other tired and grumpy campers with their early morning
hairdos. After everyone had gotten out of their tents, we enjoyed a wonderfully
spread meal consisting of cereal, toast, and fresh fruits such as strawberries,
cherries, and oranges. We also had
water, Coke, tea, and lots of coffee to keep everyone awake and energized for
our 2nd day of paddling down the river.
After
disassembling the tents, we started our 2nd day on the river. All of the boys in our
group decided to ride on the larger of the pontoons because we were all sick of sitting in the canoes and
getting blistered and soaked bottoms. This caused some disagreement because the
other pontoon had all the girls. And they were angry at us because they didn’t
have anyone to paddle for them other than the two Russian guides that went with
each pontoon. I think that was the best thing that happened on the trip. We
didn’t have to worry about privacy and we had all the good and junk food. It
was sunny and hot that day so all of us went shirtless and got some great tans
floating down the river. Some of us slept for a little at the same time too
catching up on the sleep that we had missed.
Another fun thing was tying a rope around yourself and getting pulled
down river by the current and the boat.
We also sang some hilarious songs that probably made everyone sick of
our “great” musical abilities. The girls became really jealous at this point so
they started to sing songs too. Their singing wasn’t that bad, it was the fact
that they had composed little choruses ridiculing each member of our crew. We were outraged and had to get them
back. So we applauded them for their great composing abilities with freezing
cold river water. We were then yelled at because our wonderful, tired, school
principal was onboard trying to catch her Z’s. After this experience, we
stopped with the rest of the group to go explore this small swampy area that
merges with the river. We held the advantage because we had the superior
manpower to push through the reeds and
the small shrubs on top of the water. So we made it all the way through.
We had to turn around because the others were getting stuck in all the muck and
sludge floating in the swamp. One of the canoes almost tipped when one of the
girls stood up because she saw a spider in the bottom of the canoe. It was a
rather comical sight because she would rather fall in the swamp than have a
harmless spider in her canoe. After getting out of the swamp, we stopped on the side of the river and
dragged out the boats. After cruising
for the day, we then disassembled the boats and waited for the bus to pick us
up. The bus took us back upriver to where we had camped for our late lunch
around 2. We played and swam till 4 when
we left for Almaty. We talked, and snoozed on our ride home.
I hope to write more for the next newsletter because
I think it will give me practice in my writing skills and an opportunity for
you to read something from somebody else other than my dad who usually
constructs our newsletter.
Thanks
for your support to our family.
Aloha
from us all,
Mark, Dayna, Nathan, Josiah,
and Aaron
