In our last letter we mentioned that we’ve taken a financial hit in recent months and several people responded by sending gifts! We are very grateful. We are thankful for each gift and every prayer that keeps us strong in His service here. Along that line, yesterday we found out the Dr. in Los Angeles who performed Mark’s back surgery last summer (which has really worked, thank God!) has written off our after-insurance part of his bill – about $3000!
Taking Off
Our ministry is up and running with the new school year. Our attendance at International Christian Fellowship has been bolstered with a number of teachers and families who have returned from summer travels, and expats who have come to work in Almaty. We finished our summer sermon series on Ecclesiastes and will begin preaching through the Gospel of Mark this Sunday. Five small groups are being launched around the city. We will offer a ‘Welcome to Almaty’ weekend at the end of this month, offering guide service to expats new to our city. Hopefully, some will find their way to ICF, and most of all to Him.
This is the first autumn in ten years that Dayna has not taught at Tien Shan School. They are blessed with enough teachers and lots of students, and Dayna is quite busy too! When her substitute English teaching at the Intercontinental Hotel came to end, they did not want her to go! (In fact they surprised her with cake and coffee on her birthday, as you can see.)
So they created another English class for their Executive staff. Of course when Mark learned the benefit was continued membership in the Hotel Spa and Exercise Center, he decided Dayna needed an assistant! We’re loving it. Besides this class, Dayna is busy discipling women of ICF – expat and local – and has already been a substitute teacher at Almaty International School. Still much to do!
Shrub Hunting
In August Mark traveled to the south of Kazakhstan to be the Bible teacher for a church Youth Camp. About 100 young adults gathered for a week; enduring seven messages from Scripture! The rustic camp along the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan had almost all we needed; plenty of good food, games, music, and fun were all carefully planned. Just one small detail, no toilets! In fact, our ‘running water’ was a small stream, enjoyed by man and beast. Now
there was one pit latrine which under normal circumstances could be adequate. But sparing the vivid details, this latrine was not ‘normal’. So one of the most interesting – and essential - facets of camp life became scouring hither and yon for appropriate shrubs. We would exchange nervous social banter with those you met by surprise at all hours of the night or day, as the need arose. It developed into a level of closeness which I would have never expected! No toilets, no showers….well, let’s just say it was a in that way a long week. But these young people, not the cool and sophisticated big city kids of Almaty, were very open and sincere, with a great hunger and submissiveness to God and His Word. It was a privilege to be with them…no matter the circumstances!
Jesus Builds His Church
This semester Mark is teaching every week in two different Bible schools, one Presbyterian, one Methodist – ‘keeping it fair and balanced’! This is a time of anxiety for churches, Bible schools, and ministries as yet another law restricting religion is being discussed. The loud threats are that it will be approved at the end of the year. Meanwhile, we are trying to take advantage of every opportunity to teach and encourage leaders of His Church here. And we do so knowing ‘God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world: the world is peripheral to the church.’ Closing verses of Ephesians chapter 1 from The Message The church is where the action is from God’s viewpoint! That place we struggle to have enough Sunday school teachers, projectors that work, and people that stay awake during sermons --- that place is in the center of God’s global vision!
Four years ago, with your help, Mark was able to publish his first book – “The Privilege of Preaching” in Russian language. Since that time four other he has been able to produce four other books to resource Church leaders here in Central Asia, two
in Russian and two in Kazakh language. We are not quite sure where they have all gone, though we do get occasional testimonies from around our region. One brother recently took a serious risk to carry 40 copies into a nearby country which does not allow people to have more than one copy of any religious book. We printed 1000 copies of this first book and now they are all gone. There has been a request by local leaders for this book to be reprinted. The original translator is now making some minor corrections and we the printer says printing another 1000 will cost $ 1.40 US per copy. If you would like to support the printing of a few copies, we would be grateful for any special gifts. They can be sent as normal support to Pioneers, just let us know your intention for the gift and we will put it toward the cause.
Upcoming Travel?
Mark is supposed to have a Scan every six months (he waited 15 months for the first one!) as a follow up to his two cancer’s last year. It is time. Unfortunately, we cannot get this done reliably here. At the same time he has been invited to teach a one week pastor’s course in a country quite near. But present travel restrictions now make it quite far! So we are asking the Lord to guide our steps in this regard. We would love to be able to take care of the medical requirement and bless others.
We are very grateful for your prayers about this and all the ministry opportunities the Lord has opened to us here. Let us know how we can remember you before Him too.
Gratefully in Him,
Mark and Dayna Blair
Our Mission
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Blair – Almaty 43 – P.O. Box 13 – Kazakhstan 050043
