Warm greetings from Kazakhstan ! A few days ago we did
not feel as cheery. The temperatures have dipped into the cool digits – outside
and in. But we finally had the heat turned on in our apartment building, now we
can take off the arctic wear inside. We are doubly warm and thankful. We got
hot water last week after a month of chilly dip and pour bathing! The first
snow came the beginning of October. The snow-capped mountains are beautiful. We
had some nice autumn days - awesome yellows, oranges, and reds – when we could
peel down to just two layers. Forecast: cold and colder. But our snowboards are
ready!
We look with fondness at the photos of our home leave. It
was great to see family and friends in Hawaii
and California .
We had the privilege of sharing about our ministry more than forty times. We
are encouraged by the strong interest in what God is doing in Central
Asia . We’re extremely grateful for the generous support and
faithful prayer our family receives as we labor here
That solemn date evokes a flood of emotions for us all.
Actually the impact hit our family the following day. Unlike thousands of
people in Almaty, we did not stay up all night watching the shocking images on
television. (Morning in New York
is evening here.) We slept in ignorant
bliss. On our routine e-mail check the morning of the 12th, a letter had come
from a Christian brother from India
had written with the heading - “Sorry.” In the text he sent condolences for the
“tragedy in America .”
Clicking on the Internet news, we went numb. Going to work, we found people gathered at both our schools in
fervent prayer - many with tears. We joined them. The local people soon made the grounds around
the American embassy a sea of flowers – for most a costly and extravagant
kindness. The President of Kazakhstan was among the many
visitors who signed the book of condolences. He still continues to affirm his
support for the war against terrorism. Now several weeks into the
bombing of Afghanistan ,
a Muslim taxi driver recently spoke to us about the WTC tragedy with tears. We
feel safe and privileged to be serving here at this time.
The world is focused on the military and political
developments in this part of the world. The “Islamic curtain” is being lifted
enough to reveal the intellectual darkness, stifling oppression, and dire
poverty that grip many in these lands. One of the best ways to understand a
religion is to look at a country that is controlled by it. Unfortunately, most
media is silent about God’s Kingdom purpose for Central
Asia . Of course, on this side of eternity we do not know the half
of it. But Scripture clearly states, “God our Savior wants all men to be saved
and come to a knowledge of the truth.”
The openness in Kazakhstan – a
nominally Muslim nation - is amazing. It is harvest time here. People hear the
Gospel with eagerness. When we invite them to church they come, many even ask
the price of admission. (We’re getting rich! – not really.) We believe
the Central Asian Church
Moved, Moved, Moved, and Moving
The last two months have been filled with moves, three down
and one to go. When we returned in August we were thrilled to see the beautiful
new facility for Kazakhstan
Evangelical Christian Seminary. After a year and half of reconstruction,
students now live and study in this like-new building. In September we held our Discipleship
Course. Out of 40 student-candidates, 30
were invited for this academic year - 11 in Russian language, the rest in
Kazakh. Interestingly, only 1 young man is a Russian, the other 29 students are
Kazakh. This reflects both the growth of the Kazakh church and the exodus of
many Russians from this country. One Kazakh young lady is from Mongolia , our
first from that nation. Pray for these students to be trained to lead God’s
Church here in Central Asia . We are making a
packet containing names and photos of each individual student, we hope to send
these out to churches for prayer – let us know if you would like to receive
one.
Our family moved the
first week of September. Thanks to a loan from a friend in Colorado , we were able to purchase a
four-bedroom apartment for $30,000. We were able to register the apartment in
the name of our seminary as an asset to enhance its ministry. Our apartment is
located about ten minutes from TSS and twenty minutes from the seminary by car.
Ask God that this new home will be a place of refuge for us and a blessing for
many who come and enjoy.
This month our International
Christian Fellowship will begin
meeting in a new location. We are changing luxury hotels – from the Hyatt to
the Regent. In two years at the Hyatt we have grown from about 60 to more than
200 each week. Ambassadors from two nations have recently joined our
congregation. The Regent offers a much
bigger room, maximum of 750. But until we need that many seats, we will use
just half the ballroom. We searched long and hard for a more “modest” meeting
place in this city. There are laws against religious meetings in schools and
other government owned buildings. Other halls are poorly maintained - no heat,
broken seats, stinky toilets, no place for Sunday school classes, poor
locations, no public bus access, on and on. Mark continues to serve as co-pastor
and preaches often, Dayna helps teach and organize Sunday school, and Nathan is
singing with a worship team. So pray with us that the prominently located
Regent will become a “five-star” outpost for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Adventures with Alexi
Apartment hunting gave us an interesting window into the way
things work – or sometimes don’t – here in Almaty. One place we liked was
$40,000; no make that 45, well maybe 40 – so Alexi waffled. Even though we did
not buy his apartment, Alexi the owner gave us some lasting memories. He is an
administrator in the National Bank. He was supposed to be at work in Moscow last April but
could not sell his apartment and move. Needless to say, he was an eager beaver;
especially when the Americans showed up.
When I said we’d need to get a loan. He said, “No problem.” In minutes
he was on two phones with three different bankers. Soon he rushed us down the
steps and into his car. We were going to the bank! The banker we met was not so
confident. There was a list of about ten standard requirements, and two more
for foreigners. We saw “Soviet bureaucracy” written all over. The workday
ended, but Alexi was ready to pick us up at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Day 2 started in the huge, ornate,
government building dominating the city square. Foreigners need a special pass
to even step inside. We were escorted inside and walked past dozens of offices
with doors open, lots of workers, couldn’t see much work! Our host sat us down
in his office, adorned with a picture of him and the President. After he tried
and failed about ten telephone calls, as we sat for two hours reading old
Russian magazines, we were sent to another government building. This more
modest building held no promise either, but they knew the building we needed to
find! Racing across the city, I saw dollar signs reflected in Alexi’s glasses.
We found the right building, but the wrong answer. I could not get a loan; in
fact I could not even own an apartment in this country. (We had told him from
the beginning that we wanted to register the place in the name of the seminary
- but he knew best.) What did we loose? - the chance to make monthly payments
on a 21% interest loan into a bank that is ethically questionable and
administratively insane. In the end we got a much bigger apartment, newer,
cleaner, and closer to our work, for only 30k – with a 5% loan and all funds
remaining in the States. We said Dhasvadania to Alexi and wished him success.
Da Boys
Giants increasingly surround poor Dayna. As each boy grew
taller than his mother, Mark did not think much about it. But as they’re starting to look him in the
eye it is an issue! Though there’s not much he can do as they say, “See ya
later shorty!” Pray with us that they’ll also keep growing in maturity and
grace. Someone defined maturity as being “big enough on the inside to control
yourself on the outside.” Considering their stature, they’ll need a big
portion. Both Nathan and Josiah have “teaching jobs” – after school tutoring
for younger boys. Aaron has entered high school, 9th grade. So we
have a 12th, 11th and 9th grader to keep their
mother/teacher busy! In addition to a full school schedule, they also belong to
boy scouts, youth group, and are board addicts. The addiction is in the
transition phase now – when the snow patches are cleared off the sidewalks
there’s still some time for skateboarding. But snowboarding here we come… It’s
great to see them and the usual pack of 5 to 10 other boys from around the
world enjoying life here.
Good-bye Victor
One reason why this country sinks into difficulty is the
exodus of talented people. Our seminary recently lost one of our best workers,
and America
gained a wonderful Russian family. In our years abroad we have met many
foreigners trying to immigrate to USA – some were almost consumed by
their efforts. But for the first time we have watched some repatriate by
“surprise.”
Victor began his work for the Seminary as a Driver. He
showed great initiative in learning English, on his own time at his own
expense, to converse with the missionary staff. His integrity and
trustworthiness prompted us to increase his responsibilities to Director of all
facilities. What was especially unique is that he is a Russian who shows real
love and concern for Kazakhs. Victor had
the excellent idea of consolidating our ministries through adding a third floor
to our larger building. We gave Victor full responsibility for this rebuilding
project. The total cost of this project was over $300,000. Nearly every dollar
passed through his hands. Every penny was meticulously accounted for. His wise
decisions along the way saved us many thousands of dollars. God used Victor to
erect a tremendous facility for our seminary ministry. Just last month Victor
got the last of about 15 permission documents for our building – hallelujah!
Days later he heard from his family, most of whom live in USA , that all
was “ready” for he, his wife, and two small children to immigrate. They had
been working on Victor’s behalf for several years. When his neighbor
unexpectedly came over and asked to buy Victor’s apartment, he took it as God’s
clear leading. Now they’re getting settled in Portland , Oregon
We realize how dependent we are on the Lord in all we do.
The Church belongs to Him, and we trust in Him as the Master Builder. May we be
attentive to His leading and faithful to His calling. Again, many thanks for
your vital partnership in prayer and support of our work here. May God use us
all as His Ambassadors of hope and love in this troubled world.
Sincerely in Him, Mark, Dayna, Nathan, Josiah, and Aaron
Blair
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