We are enjoying warm days in this city of blossoming trees. We pray this letter finds you happy in the Lord. We are well, busy and enjoying our work here. We are so grateful for your continued prayers and support.
Bedouin Bazaar
This week Dayna culminated her years of teaching Central Asian History at Tien Shan School with a Bedouin Bazaar. Her eighth grade students were treated to dancers, musicians, and foods from this part of the world. They worked hard all term on ‘Caravan teams’ earning ‘Central Asian Bucks’ for excellence and participation. They ‘spent’ those bucks on this happy day. After ten years of teaching at TSS, Dayna will finish this month. She will, of course, be busy with other ministries. Pray for the Lord to guide her.
Marathon Man
In May our eldest son Nathan completed the Eugene, Oregon Marathon, his third. We’re proud to say he recorded his best time yet, 26 miles in 3 hours, 24 minutes. Nathan wrote: “I had a bunch of my friends at the finish line helping out…It was a great race... Heather and I memorized Isaiah 40.30-31 the night before and I recited it in my head when the going got tough. It was great to have scripture to push me along.” They’re news is good as they enjoy married life. Heather completed ‘Doula’ training (mid-wife assistant) and will be participating in her first birth any day now. They’re both working, very active in the College Ministry of their church, and seeking the Lord’s will for their future.
Prayer Update on Chinese Brother
In our last letter we asked prayer for Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti who was arrested for his faith in China. His trial was on May 27. He was allowed legal representation from two lawyers who were permitted to be present during the trial. But his wife, Gulnur, and the media were prohibited from entering the courtroom due to the Government’s claims of the sensitivity of the case. The verdict was that the case be sent back to the original prosecuters due to “insufficient evidence” against the accused. On Monday in Beijing a US delegation led by assistant Secretary of State, David Kramer reinstated human rights dialogue and raised Mr. Yimiti’s case with the Chinese Government. Mr. Yimiti’s wife, Gulnur, restated her husband’s innocence of separatist activities. She pleaded for the early release of her husband. She said her two year old son points to his father’s picture everyday and tells visitors that his dad is busy buying toy cars for him and will return soon. Gulnur thanked the many people around the world for their continual support and prayers which to strengthen her faith through this difficult time. From Website: http://www.chinaaid.org/ http://www.monitorchina.org/
KECS Graduation
Last week we attended the 15th Graduation ceremony for Kazakhstan Evangelical Christian Seminary. It was a joy to see 19 students recognized for their accomplishments. This semester Mark taught Old Testament Survey to the first year students. As the Old Testament is not yet complete in Kazakh (about one third is published, two thirds is nearing final draft stages!), students here are usually not as familiar with its contents. Yet, their enthusiasm to learn these timeless Words was inspiring. One day we had spent time in concerned prayer about restrictive legislation the government is proposing against the church; then we began studying Ezra and Nehemiah. We saw the opposition the people of God faced several hundred years before Jesus birth was not unlike the very issues we are facing here. Yet, God heard their prayers and intervened for their protection and His glory. We trust Him for such in our day.
Summer Thoughts
From Mark’s recent pastoral letter to our International Christian Fellowship here in Almaty: For some churches and Christians ‘summer schedule’ means stop. Surely we need some time to refresh and get ready for autumn’s demands. But walking with Jesus knows no stopping. The Bible has much to say about ‘fruitfulness’ and being ready for ‘harvest.’ Summer is a time for growing. We pray you will grow this summer, closer to the Lord, your family, and your family of faith.
When I was a young Christian (way back when!) my pastor shared a verse with our church in California one summer. "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved" (Jeremiah 8.20). I remember thinking at the time how strange that verse seemed. Even more, my pastor had tears in his eyes, pleading that this verse would NOT be true for us! More than thirty years have passed, I understand those tears now.
Jeremiah knew those tears. He was called the ‘weeping prophet’ for his tender concern for his fellow citizens of Jerusalem. Despite the grim destruction of their northern brothers in Israel by Assyria, Jeremiah’s kinsmen in Judah were deaf to God’s Word. Jeremiah was the brunt of their anger, because he bluntly foretold the coming Babylonian conquest if they did not repent. By contrast, there were dozens of ‘popular prophets’ who told their complacent kinsmen to take it easy. God, they said, did not see their ethical corruption or religious hypocrisy - no worries! Yet Jeremiah worried so much he wept – for Judah and most of all for the honor of the Lion of Judah.
Hear his strong words from Jeremiah 8: "'At that time, declares the LORD, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped…Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done?" Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle… my people do not know the requirements of the LORD. "'How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD, "when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious."Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush… "'I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them.'" … O my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me. Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away:"… "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved." from Jeremiah 8.1-20
Notice how they hurtle downward - trusting in men - worshipping the stars - clinging to deceit - refusing to repent - charging into sin - lies replace truth - loss of treasures - empty promises of peace - taken into exile - barren and fruitless! Do we see any of these dangerous trends in our nations? In our churches? In our families? In our hearts? May God help us!
I don’t know what God’s Word through Jeremiah says to your heart this summer. Perhaps He challenges you to renew your commitment to grow in Him. Perhaps you need to repent of some lingering sin. Perhaps you need to restore some broken relationship. Perhaps you need to reevaluate your ‘Daily Planner’ and put the Ancient of Days back in the center. Those are some of my thoughts for myself. May we each hear His voice and follow fruitfully.
Jeremiah’s antidote to tragedy has not yet expired. God still holds out His mercy. The Lion of Judah has come. ‘Repent and believe’ is the path of blessing. The summer is starting, may its end find us – and many we love and pray for – saved.
Gratefully in Him,
Mark and Dayna Blair
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