“From the Tropics to the Tundra”
An Update from the Blair family in Kazakhstan, Central Asia
January
1999
E-mail: blairstan@hotmail.com
Mailing address:
Send support money to:
Blair’s Pioneers
c/o KECS 12343
Narcoosse 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]
(letters & packages
are arriving safely!)
Phone (from USA) -
011-732-72-636790 [we’re 14 hr.
ahead of Pacific Standard Time)
Happy New Year from Almaty!
We all enjoyed a wonderful holiday
season here. We now know why so many ballads have waxed eloquently about snow
at Christmas! It really is beautiful. The boys initiated their snowboards and
claim they’ll never be the same. We’re just 30 minutes from world-class slopes
and lifts at a very low price. So they’re especially glad that their school,
and the seminary, will be on break until early February.
We thank God that our container
arrived! We’re so grateful for our comfortable beds and other goodies. The boys
have finished their second quarter of school and are doing well. They continue
to be challenged by the tough academic competition of kids from around the
world, which we think is great. Dayna will have another colleague for her high
school teaching next term which will allow her some more time for other
ministry. This month we are getting more settled in our apt., studying for
upcoming classes, and learning more Russian. Mark will be the speaker for a
large gathering of “workers” from throughout Central Asia in the middle of
January.
We are so grateful for your support
and prayer. Financially we are slightly under-supported if the Lord puts that
on your heart this new year. We ask special prayers for our students who are
sent out to “unreached” places in this nation to share His wonderful love.
Also, the government is considering a law which would greatly restrict the work
of churches and overseas workers here, much like what was passed in Russia last
year. Pray! Please ask the Lord to make our year a fruitful one for His Kingdom
and glory, we do the same for you.
Lots of interesting things have
happened during the last few months, for example:
RIGHT ON TIME
Due to some
problems with our bank, the Seminary recently endured a financial shortage.
Funds from overseas were not available to pay needed expenses. This was
especially difficult for our students as many are reliant on their small
stipend. Understandably, they were quite troubled and by their own admission
they gave into grumbling.
At one point there was a collective
realization that their attitudes about the financial problem were not pleasing
to God. On their own initiative they gathered for a time of prayer; confessing
sins of complaining, and asking for patience. As God would have it, the very
next day our funds were received in our local bank and they were able to
receive their needed stipends. Was it just a banking error? Perhaps. . Would
the God of the universe intervene in the banking systems of the world to grow
His children to greater maturity in Christ? We know that with our Sovereign God
there are no accidents. He is always on time - never early, never late. We
thank God for the mature Christian attitude our students displayed in this
matter
* *
* * *
WORKING THE BUS
While we
were riding a crowded city bus we saw something quite unusual. At one stop there boarded a little child
holding hands with another younger child - obviously siblings, they are Gypsies
from Tadjikastan. The older girl immediately began a very dramatic speech,
punctuated with tears. People on the bus grew quiet and listened. After the
well delivered message, the little ones worked their way down the aisles of the
bus, collecting money from most of the passengers - many of whom are in tears.
Even the conductor gives money to the kids. At the next stop they get off -
after having traveled freely. Then they board another bus for the same
song....second verse.
* *
* * *
GRACE FOR SLUGGER
After the usually
exciting one hour bus ride (oh the sights, sounds, smells, and bumps!), I
arrived at the Kazakh campus of the Seminary. I expected to deliver the first
lecture of a course I wrote on “Worship.” As I entered the building, I was met
by one of the translators who shared a disturbing tale of a fist-fight. As I
walked in the building I met the Kazakh pastor who oversees the Seminary. As he
knew nothing about the incident, we thought it best to both go into the class
of assembled students and inquire. He
stood and asked if anyone knew about such a fight. By the way everyone
immediately turned their shocked faces down toward the ground I realized that
everyone, and no one, knew about this incident! Everyone sat in nervous
silence.
As the
pastor pressed them for a response, we got into discussion about a row in a
Chapel service that erupted a few days
before when a student gave a testimony about the healing of their child. Their
daughter - now 4 years old - was so badly beaten by an uncle as an infant she
never was able to walk. Two months ago she began to walk! (She still needs
surgery which the parents have no money for, so pray for the precious little
one.) Anyway, she walked the day her mother burned their family’s copy of the
Quran (Muslim holy book). They had been converted to Christianity from Islam,
but never completely broke with reading the Quran. As he spoke an old Kazakh
man who audits classes and works around the campus began to
shout. I would describe him as a “seeker.” He was a zealous Muslim and
is now considering the claims of Jesus - but at this point he still considers
the Quran divine. So for him it was sacrilege for these folks to burn the book!
An interesting episode, but the “fight” mystery remained unsolved.
Finally
someone rose to speak. He is a Pastor who has come for more training. He had
been sucker punched in the face by the man who happened to be sitting right
behind him. As the story unfolded, and believe me it took awhile, it was quite
interesting. It turns out that the Slugger (better you just pray for these dear
folk anonymously) had been a member of this Pastor’s church. In fact, they were
quite close. Slugger is an orphan with no family who grew up on the streets.
He’s been in and out of jail and overcome addictions. To look at him you can
tell its wise to give him some space. Yet, he is clearly a new believer and God
is at work in his life. It seems that his pastor friend was recently married
and now Slugger feels so lonely; he is emotionally jilted!
Slugger’s
response was honorable. He stood and apologized to me and the Kazakh Pastor,
something he had already done to his Pastor in the presence of witnesses. He
then announced that he was unfit to be a Seminary student. Our Kazakh overseer
quickly rose and said “Go ahead and leave if you are so weak, if you really
want to be a strong man you’ll stay
right here and let Jesus change you!” I was a bit shocked by this “tough love,”
but for this guy it was quite appropriate. Then a flood of hands were raised
and students wanted to share their testimonies. Tearfully looking at Slugger,
whose head was buried in his hands most
of the time, they told how God had saved them from some very terrible lives.
They admittedly continued to struggle but were proving God faithful. Awesome is
a poor word to describe the surge of love, mercy, and compassion which filled
that room and surrounded Slugger. I know the angels of God were dancing for
joy. Slugger has decided to stay and trust God to make him a new man - he’s not
Slugger anymore, by God’s grace.
Needless to
say, my lecture on Worship had to wait for another day. The extended time of
prayer we had after this incident was one of the best times of worship I’ve
ever had! Then as I was about to head out for the bus ride home one student
asked if I could stay for dinner. I asked why. His youngest brother, with whom
he had been estranged for many years, had just become a believer in Jesus. He
had brought a sheep which had been prepared for a feast of reconciliation.
Also, this student’s wife just had a baby and he wanted me to say a prayer of
blessing and dedication for their family. Of course I stayed. Being together in
the dining hall was very special, seeing the joyful faces of students,
husbands, wives, and their children - more than 60 people! To hear their heaven
pleasing laughter was a testimony of transforming grace. To see Slugger sitting
with his pastor, God’s Kingdom was manifest. Then we closed the mealtime with
songs of praise to God.
The bus ride home was no less bumpy, but I hardly noticed.
* *
* * *
ELECTRICAL CHOICES
One
extremely cold Sunday morning our family went to a church pastored by a
graduate of our Seminary. Like most churches in this city, they meet in a
rented hall; the Fireman’s Museum auditorium to be specific. The smiles of
heroic Soviet firemen gazed down from the murals surrounding us. The first
thing we noticed was the complete lack of heat in the auditorium. Members were
busy trying to solve the problem as they strung a series of extension cords
attached to portable heaters, straining to reverse the arctic blasts. I
wondered what the painted hero’s on the walls thought about the fire hazard
being strung together below them. Then the pastor, an accomplished musician,
switched on his electric keyboard. This new power demand was too much for the
makeshift system. Soon the pastor jumped down from the platform and out to the
electric box. Was there really any choice to be made between the piano and the
heaters? Of course not, this was a church that believed in praising the Lord,
even if it meant losing a toe or two to frostbite. After a few more trips to
the electrical box; with the pastor now standing on the platform and shouting
orders to various members, we started our praising. It was good singing but a
bit muffled because they dared not switch on the overhead projector to display
the words of the songs; to say nothing about the chattering teeth. Then it was
time for Mark’s sermon. Another little detail was that during the praising time
the lights went out too. It was going to be the first time he had ever preached
when he could see his own breath clouds, but with the lights out, even that was
not possible. Thank God for the trusty flashlight of our dear translator. He
managed to get the Scripture read by its illumination. The text was Isaiah’s
vision of God in chapter 6, the setting was perfect! If there wasn’t enough to distract the
listeners, the pastor and another man stood behind them holding a spotlight.
They wanted to help Mark see his Bible, but instead it created a glow around
him which irritated people’s eyes. Despite their willingness to stand holding
the light throughout the message, Mark asked them to sit down. The sermon was
shorter than usual. Then the pastor, who had managed to get his beloved
keyboard electrified again, said, “Let’s have some more songs of praise.” Our
translator shouted out, “No! The Blair’s are too cold, let them go!” So we had
a hurried benediction and many kind words from people upon our departure. Then
the pastor fired up the keyboard and the frozen faithful gathered back for some
more songs. And you thought it was tough to be in your church!
* *
* * *
WINTER TIE TROUBLES
One problem
a tall man like Mark faces is short neckties. Most of the time he solves the problem by shoving the short piece
of the tie into his shirt - excuse the intimate details. Well one cold day he
was rushing to get his tie on and it ended up looking so short that it was
comical! No problem, he needed to wear a sweater anyway. Warm clothing was
especially necessary in our Russian campus because we were having problems with
the heater. Who would know that he was wearing a kiddy tie?
That
afternoon he was teaching in the Kazakh campus, where they have no problem with
the heater. So he began to work up a sweat in his zeal to declare the oracles
of God. Reflexively he just took off his sweater in mid-sentence. A collective
gasp went out from the bulging-eyed students. Then Mark faced a crisis of
decision. Should he quickly pull the sweater back on? Or should he continue to
pace around the room lecturing, boldly wearing a midriff length tie? Perhaps
they would think it was some new fashion from America. Yes, he chose the bold
course of action. If you see such midriff length ties come in fashion in your
homeland, it started here.
* *
* * *
.
KINGDOM ADVANCE
One evening after a day of lecturing
three Kazakh students asked Mark to go with them to their “home meeting.”
Students are all assigned specific villages in the areas surrounding the city
where no churches exist. They begin with door to door evangelism and the
typical interest often leads to a home meeting, and eventually a church.
Sometimes the graduates continue as pastors of these churches they “planted”
during their seminary studies. This outing brought back many memories of such
missions in Africa. After just a short time bouncing along in a beat up old car
we flagged as our taxi, we were in a village with no electricity or running
water. A stirring among the people which said “they’re here!” was evident as
soon as we got out of the car. We entered a simple home and were shown to a
place on the carpeted floor in Kazakh fashion. In this meeting there were about
ten elementary age children, five teenagers, 4 middle aged women, 2 college age
men, an elderly lady, a couple in their forties, and the houseowner who was a
single woman who recently received Jesus. After some joyful singing they asked
Mark to share a message from the Scripture. He spoke from Luke 16 about the
rich man and Lazarus. He had no more than finished when the couple began with a
series of earnest questions. Their tone was polite but their aim was clear.
They were Muslims and they had little appreciation for this impetuous American
demanding that they believe in Jesus. Truth is they were not very good Muslims.
They had never read the Quran - Mark had
the advantage there having managed to slog through reading an English
translation of it. Also, the man sold liquor and cigarettes - Islamic no-no’s.
After an hour of enthusiastic, friendly, discussion it was clearly established
that Mark was not interested in being a Muslim and this couple had no time for
Jesus, almost. As a table cloth was spread in the center of the floor a meal
was served. Everyone got a tablespoon to shovel the common plate of meat and
rice into their mouths, focused eating. The man of the couple began to
speculate what changes he would have to make to follow Jesus. For example, he
knew he would have to stop sacrificing sheep to honor the memory of his
departed parents. This was dangerous in his mind because their spirits could
torment him if he stopped these rituals. Then we learned that the newly
Christianized woman who owned the house had been the teacher of the other women
there. She had been a devout Muslim magician who taught them how to cast spells
and resist evil spirits! Another hurdle for this man to becoming a Christian
was baptism. In his mind this was the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Being a typical Kazakh, he hated the Russians and wanted nothing to do with
them. (In fact we make it a point to avoid words which Kazakhs associate with
the Russians. Words like Christian, Bible, Christ, and Church are so
misunderstood we employ believer, Scripture, Messiah, and “kaum” [Kazakh for
meeting] in their stead.) The gist of Mark’s answer was to follow Jesus by
faith and let Him work out the details of his new obedience as the Holy Spirit
guides him through the Scriptures. Sitting next to this man were two bright
little neighborhood guys, ages about 10 or 12. They were convinced and wanted
to pray to repent and receive Jesus right now! So the Kazakh student lead them
in a phrase by phrase prayer of new faith. It was an awesome moment, boys with
faces shining in innocent trust, earnestly gaining a glorious eternity; sitting
next to this Muslim man potentially destined for endless torment. He looked on
them with envy. Walking down the dark highway toward the city after our meeting
was a great time of debriefing with the students. Wrapped in our warm jackets
we breathed out our frosty words of joy and gratitude. Then the students shared
some shocking news. The Muslim couple was not quite a couple. Actually the new
Christian houseowner, the former Muslim spell caster, was the second wife of
this man; with the full support of his first wife. She has been so for ten
years. Then they shared the sad reality that many single women are the second,
third, or more “wives” of such rich businessmen. For their sexual favors they
get an income to support their children. And with very, very few jobs available
it is a hole that is hard to climb out of, even for believers. (Polygamy is not
legal in Kazakhstan but it is not prosecuted.) Thinking about this horrible web
of sin and sadness the shining faces of these new little brothers in Jesus gave
a sense of hope. May God raise up a new generation of His people, devoted to
godly lives, marriages, families, churches, and societies. Then out of nowhere
an almost new Mercedes Benz sped down the desolate road. We flag him down and
Mark is “taxied” the 20 miles to his doorstep through an eerie fog, for $ 3!
And so we hope these “slices” of
our life and work will help to give you a better picture of what we’re doing
here. May 1999 be a great year for you and your family.
In His eternal and changeless love,
Mark, Dayna, Nathan, Josiah, and
Aaron Blair
