We send warm greetings from a cool and calm Almaty. Amidst the global hubbub over religious cartoons, we have had no hostilities. Given the very secular outlook of most local Muslims, we are not surprised, but we are thankful. The subject of religion is an interesting one here.
One snowy day in January Kazakhstan recognized the Muslim holiday of Id al-Adha -‘The Sacrifice of Abraham.’ Of course in this predominantly Muslim country they believe Abe’s almost-victim was his son Ishmael – as the Koran says. But this is a country where Islam is a thin veneer over deeper attitudes of superstition, atheism, and materialism which animate most hearts. So a holiday is viewed as an opportunity to open the ever present bottle of Vodka (it sells for less than Coca-Cola). Even if ‘good Muslims’ are not supposed to drink alcohol, many toasted Abraham and his son.
We looked out our window that morning onto the snow filled open courtyard between our collection of five-story apartment buildings. Here kids play soccer, even in the snow. Lovers kiss. And the garbage which should be in the dumpsters spreads across the territory – thank God for white blankets of snow! Well on this day a group of Kazakh men gathered to remember Abraham’s deed by killing a sheep. Driving their car onto the field they hoisted the unsuspecting fleece covered victim out of the trunk. Prayers were said, with their palms uplifted and their heads bowed. And a cross was etched upon the forehead of the sheep by the finger of the eldest man. (Ask a Kazakh why a cross is drawn on the head of an about to be sacrificed sheep and very few will know why. They’ve ‘always done it.’ Kazakh Christians will remind them that Christians crossed the Central Asian steppe centuries before the Muslims and this just might be a reminder of the Jesus who died on the cross as the Lamb of God.) Prayers being said and cross being etched, the knife was bared and soon the now headless sheep had fallen to its side. This spurred the gathered men to great activity. Skin is removed, entrails opened, meat is divided. Another couple of men put the sheep’s dripping head on a rock and burned it black with a gas-powered blow torch. (Oh, if Abraham could see how technology has accelerated!) It was not long before all that remained was a wet sheep skin hanging from the clothes line and a puddle of blood. No doubt there were more toasts to Abraham over a hearty meal of mutton that night.
Today – on the Love Day, as they say here – we got a warm letter from a new member of our International Christian Fellowship who is coming to know a new and wonderful love. We share it, unedited, asking you to remember this young woman, and the many millions who do not yet know why they etch a cross on sheep they sacrifice.
Dear Mark and Dayna!Today, February, 14th, 2006, is a holiday - the Day of Holy Valentine - the Love Day - in my country. I congratulate you with this Day! I wish you both and your family a strong health, happiness, success, love and prosperity to ICF Family! Let all the Christians and all people in all over the world be happy and have a strong health. Let it be a Peace and No War! Thank you for your organization and existence of ICF Church in Almaty, in Kazakhstan. It is a very wonderfull and nice place. I am glad that I've found and stay in ICF Family! It is interesting and useful for me to learn about the Christian religion, to learn the Bible. The Bible is a very valuable Book. Before this I didn't touch it and didn't open it. It is written a lot of Values in the Bible. The Bible learns to live. I want to share my thoughts and my life experience with you. I know it will be interesting for you as a Leader of the Church. You are a nice Leader. God gave you this quality. In spite of that fact that my family - Muslims, I accepted the belief in Jesus Christ in October 2005. God led me to you, to ICF Church through events and people. I should say that since October I start pray in the name of Jesus Christ from my true heart and visit the Church. And some amazing and incredible stories occurred with me when I started to believe in Him. I SHOCKED! It makes me to believe in Him, He exists REALLY! I should say that God listen to me through Jesus Christ, He replies at my requests. I made a discovery for me. In October I accepted Jesus Christ in spite of that fact that my family is Muslims. Nobody knows that I go to the Church, believe me it is not easier for me to be between two religions. Two religions came across: Muslim and Christian. My parents go to Mosk and pray for our family during a whole life. But I didn't get a reply from the Heavens before I started to believe in Jesus Christ and pray in the name of Jesus Christ. I don't know - why - only God knows. THE SOVIET SCHOOL STUDIED US TO BE ATHEISM! THE SOVIET TEACHERS STUDIED US THAT GOD DOESN'T EXIST. BUT NOWADAYS THE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS WRONG. WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT GOD! THANK YOU FOR ICF AND YOUR SERMONS. GIVE THE GOD TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A HEALTH AND HAPPINESS AND LONGEVITY!
And we wish the same to you!! We are very thankful for your prayers and support as we have the privilege of serving the True and Living God here in Central Asia. We have a Sovereign Savior, if He could handle the cross, bring on the cartoons!!
For His honor,
Mark and Dayna Blair
February 14, 2006
February 9, 2006
September 30, 2005
Teaching Those who Teach More!
“In the Tropics heading for the Tundra”
An Update from the
Blair’s in Kazakhstan
October 2005
Kazakhstan Mailing address:
Blair’s
Almaty 43
480043 Kazakhstan
Home Phone (7-3272) 550128
Pioneers
10123 William Carey Drive
Tien Shan School
tienshan@pactec.kz
Dear Faithful Friend,
Your interest and support of our work in Kazakhstan
It has been some time since we sent a surface letter. We regularly
send email letters – now with pictures! If you wish to receive these, please
write blairstan@hotmail.com We realize not everyone has email and we apologize
for the long silence by surface mail.
In 2 Timothy 2.2 the Apostle Paul sets forth a pattern for
Gospel advancement. He desires God’s life-giving Word to be passed on – from
Paul, to Timothy, to reliable men, and to those whom they will reach. The photo
below shows how the Lord has allowed us to see this Kingdom extension here in Central Asia . Bahyt (bottom row center) was a student in
our early days here. Then Mark invited him to teach Evangelism at Kazakhstan
Evangelical Christian Seminary. Bahyt has proved a faithful teacher and example
to many. The six young leaders in the polo shirts on the edges of the group
were some of his students. These six, with Bahyt as their overseer/encourager, then
taught the twenty-nine people who proudly display their certificates in
Evangelism training.
Only God knows the Kingdom fruit He will bring through these
thirty-six enthusiastic evangelists. The course pictured above took place in
the far north of Kazakhstan Central Asia . Your support of
us here has been an essential part of this great work.
Your support has also been part of a similar advancement
through Tien Shan
School Tien Shan
School
Dayna has begun her eighth year of teaching Tien Shan School
Mark and Dayna are both teaching church leaders in local Bible schools. This Fall
Dayna is teaching Christian Education and Mark teaches New Testament Survey and
a Systematic Theology class.
This Fall two
more books which Mark has written will be published. His book on
‘Preaching’ is now in Kazakh language. (It was published in Russian last year.)
This is the first book on Homiletics in the Kazakh language! Thank God for a
great translator and pray that He will use it to encourage Kazakh preachers. A
book of sermon outlines on the ‘Life of Abraham’ (Genesis 12-25) has been
translated into Russian. (Last year sermon outlines on Ephesians was printed in
Russian language.) We are thankful for the opportunity to share through publications
and pray that they will be used by God here.
We also thank God for the ministry
of International Christian
Fellowship here in Almaty which Mark serves as pastor. We have a
great team of leaders and members to share in the ministry. This Fall Mark began
a preaching series through the Gospel of John. We want to explore new avenues
of outreach among Almaty’s growing ex-patriat community. Pray for God to make this a great year of Kingdom
advance here.
The boys we brought here seven years ago have grown up, two
have gone back to the USA Eugene , Oregon
Nathan
turned 21 in July. He has completed three years of University, 2 in Hawaii Oregon Oregon Eugene
Josiah
was working in the Oregon
Our ‘baby’ – Aaron - is now 18 and looking down on his
‘little brothers.’ He has begun his studies at Lane Community College Eugene
We so appreciate your faithful prayers and generous support.
Yours in Him whose Promises are True!
Mark and Dayna Blair
Sons in Oregon USA
Aaron Blair - thesnowisyellow@hotmail.com
Also in Almaty
- Josiah, Masha, and Maylee Blair - josiah_masha_blair@yahoo.com
June 9, 2005
May 14, 2005
May 1, 2005
The Passion of the Christ in Almaty May 2005
God has given a historic opportunity to our city; to view a vivid portrayal of what His Son did to save us from sin. “The Passion of the Christ” – in Russian - is now playing in two theaters, Alatau . At this point the film is scheduled to be shown for just two weeks. If there is a good response, it may play longer at these theaters and also be shown in other theaters around the city.
There are different opinions about this very graphic film. But as this film has been shown around the world, entire communities have focused their attention on the most ultimate questions, ‘who is Jesus?’ and ‘what did Jesus do?’ There should at least be a Christian consensus to pray that many people who have not yet found the life changing answers to these questions may do so. God only knows whether we will again see this kind of high profile Christian impact on society in our lifetime.
May I suggest that you “jump on this wave” of opportunity?
· See the film, decide its worth for yourself.
· If you feel it is valuable, take others to see it – family members, friends, colleagues from work – especially those who do not know Him.
· Seize this opportunity to talk about Jesus, people you know in the neighborhood, at work, in school, are going to see this film. Tell them more about this Jesus.
· Provide resources for people to learn more - books, Bibles, the “Jesus” film – a number of these are on the ICF Book table. If you need more materials, let me know.
· Consider going to the theaters and handing out Scripture portions and the ‘Jesus’ film to those who having seen the film want to know more. (Last night one valiant ICF member was all alone at the Arman theater – I trust he will soon be getting the word out about how we can help.)
· Pray, pray, pray!!!
I believe in the God of Jonah, who at the simple word of repentance brought the entire city of Nineveh to salvation. I believe God loves Almaty and is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Almost one hundred years ago, Harry Ironside, then a preacher with the Salvation Army, was challenged by an Atheist to a debate. He agreed on one condition:
"First, you must promise to bring with you a man who was for years what we commonly call a 'down and outer'...a man who for years was under the power of evil habits from which he could not deliver himself, but on some occasion entered your meetings and heard this glorification of agnosticism and your denunciations of the Bible and Christianity, and whose heart and mind as he listened to such addresses was so deeply stirred that he went away from the meeting saying, 'From today, I too am an atheist!' and as a result of imbibing that particular philosophy found that a new power had come into his life. The sins he once loved he now hates, and righteousness and goodness are now the ideals of his life. He is now an entirely new man, a credit to himself and an asset to society - all because he is an agnostic.
Secondly, I would like you to bring with you a woman...once a poor, wrecked, characterless outcast, the slave of evil passions, and the victim of man's corrupt living but who also entered a hall where you were loudly proclaiming your agnosticism and as you spoke, hope was born in her heart and she said, 'this is just what I need to deliver me from the slavery of sin!' She followed the teaching and became an intelligent agnostic or infidel. As a result her whole life revolted against the degradation of the life she was living. She fled from the den of iniquity where she was held captive for so long; and today, rehabilitated, she has won her way back to an honored position in society and is living a clean, virtuous, happy life, all because she is an agnostic"
“If you find those two people and I will find 100 people who have been so changed by Christ.” The two people were never found, and the debate was never held.
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” Romans 1.16
Praying with you for our city,
Pastor Mark Blair
There are different opinions about this very graphic film. But as this film has been shown around the world, entire communities have focused their attention on the most ultimate questions, ‘who is Jesus?’ and ‘what did Jesus do?’ There should at least be a Christian consensus to pray that many people who have not yet found the life changing answers to these questions may do so. God only knows whether we will again see this kind of high profile Christian impact on society in our lifetime.
May I suggest that you “jump on this wave” of opportunity?
· See the film, decide its worth for yourself.
· If you feel it is valuable, take others to see it – family members, friends, colleagues from work – especially those who do not know Him.
· Seize this opportunity to talk about Jesus, people you know in the neighborhood, at work, in school, are going to see this film. Tell them more about this Jesus.
· Provide resources for people to learn more - books, Bibles, the “Jesus” film – a number of these are on the ICF Book table. If you need more materials, let me know.
· Consider going to the theaters and handing out Scripture portions and the ‘Jesus’ film to those who having seen the film want to know more. (Last night one valiant ICF member was all alone at the Arman theater – I trust he will soon be getting the word out about how we can help.)
· Pray, pray, pray!!!
I believe in the God of Jonah, who at the simple word of repentance brought the entire city of Nineveh to salvation. I believe God loves Almaty and is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Almost one hundred years ago, Harry Ironside, then a preacher with the Salvation Army, was challenged by an Atheist to a debate. He agreed on one condition:
"First, you must promise to bring with you a man who was for years what we commonly call a 'down and outer'...a man who for years was under the power of evil habits from which he could not deliver himself, but on some occasion entered your meetings and heard this glorification of agnosticism and your denunciations of the Bible and Christianity, and whose heart and mind as he listened to such addresses was so deeply stirred that he went away from the meeting saying, 'From today, I too am an atheist!' and as a result of imbibing that particular philosophy found that a new power had come into his life. The sins he once loved he now hates, and righteousness and goodness are now the ideals of his life. He is now an entirely new man, a credit to himself and an asset to society - all because he is an agnostic.
Secondly, I would like you to bring with you a woman...once a poor, wrecked, characterless outcast, the slave of evil passions, and the victim of man's corrupt living but who also entered a hall where you were loudly proclaiming your agnosticism and as you spoke, hope was born in her heart and she said, 'this is just what I need to deliver me from the slavery of sin!' She followed the teaching and became an intelligent agnostic or infidel. As a result her whole life revolted against the degradation of the life she was living. She fled from the den of iniquity where she was held captive for so long; and today, rehabilitated, she has won her way back to an honored position in society and is living a clean, virtuous, happy life, all because she is an agnostic"
“If you find those two people and I will find 100 people who have been so changed by Christ.” The two people were never found, and the debate was never held.
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” Romans 1.16
Praying with you for our city,
Pastor Mark Blair
April 1, 2005
Tajikstan Report – Easter 2005
We send warm Easter greetings on this snowy day in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Our warm Springtime was abruptly covered by a cold white blanket! But it did not chill our hearts – or reduce the attendance – at our International Christian Fellowship. We had a wonderful morning exalting our Risen Lord. We pray that you also were giving Him praise – what a joyous hope we have in Him! Following our service we had an Easter feast at the hotel where we hold our services.
This year we’ve been blessed with many ministry opportunities. In January Dayna and I spent ten days in Dushanbe, the capital city of Tajikistan. Mark taught a one week course on the ‘Trinity’ to young ministry leaders from five different churches there. Understanding the ‘Triples’ – as one of them innocently said in his limited English – is not easy, in any language. But the Lord graciously opened His Word to us. We also met with local pastors, preached in two prisons (Jesus brings joy and hope to the darkest places), and a home for the Elderly. On our Sunday there we shared in the Baptist church and the International Church. Dayna must have reached a new spiritual plateau that Sunday as she heard five sermons, two of them by her husband. It was actually a ‘slow’ day for the Dushanbe Baptists with only four sermons, they sometimes have eight. But as we sat in their very cold sanctuary from 9 to 1, four was quite enough, thanks! Mark and Tajik students:
‘Tajik’ is a Persian language, so there are strong linguistic and cultural ties to their Persian neighbor nations of Afghanistan and Iran. It was great to witness the passion of Tajik believers to share their Savior with ‘cousins’ in those lands. Several of our students are ‘in training’ to go in Gospel-service there. A group of Iranian Christians sang their Farsi language praise to Him who set them free during the Sunday afternoon service at the International Church.
In February Mark taught a week-long modular course on ‘Preaching’ at the newly formed ‘Reformed Theological Academy of Kazakhstan.’ At this point their name is longer than their enrollment. But the ten pastors who gather four times a year to study are bright and zealous. After seven years of teaching Central Asian church leaders, it is encouraging to see their depth of insight and understanding grow significantly. This particular ‘class’ was more like a ‘laboratory’ with each pastor preaching once during the week and their colleagues offering very helpful constructive critique.
In March Mark taught a seminar on ‘Spiritual Gifts’ at the Central Asian Business Conference. Over 100 men and women gathered from throughout the region to – in their words – learn to serve on their jobs like missionaries. Wow! What a great vision and hope. These believers want their faith to bust out of their church walls and transform their society. It was quite stimulating to interact with them. The main speaker is a Christian businessman from the Philippines! We’re quite privileged to see Him reaching into every land from this corner of His harvest field, as Isaiah foresaw the ‘nations stream to the mountain of the Lord.’
Among the many in our Easter service was a young Kazakh lawyer who has been attending ICF regularly for a couple of years. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree here, he was one of 100 Kazahstanis sent for a Master’s degree in USA that year. He earned a Master’s in Law from a prestigious American University and successfully passed the Bar Exam there. (He is one of seven Kazakhstanis with American legal credentials.) He went to America as an avowed Atheist. His host family were sincere Christians, and invited him to their church, he went out of curiosity. On the campus where he studied law, he met people who claimed to ‘have it all together’ - he did not meet any who told him about God. But in this church he met newly released prisoners, people struggling economically, and others in need. He heard them cry out to God and he watched them change. He had never seen people change in this way before. Then his sister, on a similar academic program in London, became a believer in Jesus. This was a real shock to their family. He soon saw her change in similarly positive ways. Now he is teaching in the largest law University in Almaty – fulfilling his government required service for his study abroad. Last year he obtained a 300 seat hall for a weekly presentation of the ‘Alpha Course.’ (Unfortunately, the attendance was quite small as advertisement was not allowed.) But he has come a long way from Atheism to the Alpha Course! And he continues to seek God and His Truth. I just learned from him that now the Kazakhstan government sends 3000 students for Master’s degrees to the States every year. Maybe there is someone down the road from you, waiting for an invitation to your church. All of us have a part in His great Harvest.
This week the 4th quarter at Tien Shan school begins. Dayna teaches a full load of courses, Mark teaches Bible to High Schoolers, and Aaron will graduate in June. Nathan also begins his 4th quarter at University of Oregon. Last quarter he earned a 4.0. He is enjoying his life there very much. Aaron plans to begin Community College in Oregon this Fall, living with Nathan in Eugene. Josiah, Masha and Maylee are also doing well here.
We are very thankful for your support and prayers which enable us to serve here.
In His great love,
Mark, Dayna, and Aaron Blair
This year we’ve been blessed with many ministry opportunities. In January Dayna and I spent ten days in Dushanbe, the capital city of Tajikistan. Mark taught a one week course on the ‘Trinity’ to young ministry leaders from five different churches there. Understanding the ‘Triples’ – as one of them innocently said in his limited English – is not easy, in any language. But the Lord graciously opened His Word to us. We also met with local pastors, preached in two prisons (Jesus brings joy and hope to the darkest places), and a home for the Elderly. On our Sunday there we shared in the Baptist church and the International Church. Dayna must have reached a new spiritual plateau that Sunday as she heard five sermons, two of them by her husband. It was actually a ‘slow’ day for the Dushanbe Baptists with only four sermons, they sometimes have eight. But as we sat in their very cold sanctuary from 9 to 1, four was quite enough, thanks! Mark and Tajik students:
‘Tajik’ is a Persian language, so there are strong linguistic and cultural ties to their Persian neighbor nations of Afghanistan and Iran. It was great to witness the passion of Tajik believers to share their Savior with ‘cousins’ in those lands. Several of our students are ‘in training’ to go in Gospel-service there. A group of Iranian Christians sang their Farsi language praise to Him who set them free during the Sunday afternoon service at the International Church.
In February Mark taught a week-long modular course on ‘Preaching’ at the newly formed ‘Reformed Theological Academy of Kazakhstan.’ At this point their name is longer than their enrollment. But the ten pastors who gather four times a year to study are bright and zealous. After seven years of teaching Central Asian church leaders, it is encouraging to see their depth of insight and understanding grow significantly. This particular ‘class’ was more like a ‘laboratory’ with each pastor preaching once during the week and their colleagues offering very helpful constructive critique.
In March Mark taught a seminar on ‘Spiritual Gifts’ at the Central Asian Business Conference. Over 100 men and women gathered from throughout the region to – in their words – learn to serve on their jobs like missionaries. Wow! What a great vision and hope. These believers want their faith to bust out of their church walls and transform their society. It was quite stimulating to interact with them. The main speaker is a Christian businessman from the Philippines! We’re quite privileged to see Him reaching into every land from this corner of His harvest field, as Isaiah foresaw the ‘nations stream to the mountain of the Lord.’
Among the many in our Easter service was a young Kazakh lawyer who has been attending ICF regularly for a couple of years. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree here, he was one of 100 Kazahstanis sent for a Master’s degree in USA that year. He earned a Master’s in Law from a prestigious American University and successfully passed the Bar Exam there. (He is one of seven Kazakhstanis with American legal credentials.) He went to America as an avowed Atheist. His host family were sincere Christians, and invited him to their church, he went out of curiosity. On the campus where he studied law, he met people who claimed to ‘have it all together’ - he did not meet any who told him about God. But in this church he met newly released prisoners, people struggling economically, and others in need. He heard them cry out to God and he watched them change. He had never seen people change in this way before. Then his sister, on a similar academic program in London, became a believer in Jesus. This was a real shock to their family. He soon saw her change in similarly positive ways. Now he is teaching in the largest law University in Almaty – fulfilling his government required service for his study abroad. Last year he obtained a 300 seat hall for a weekly presentation of the ‘Alpha Course.’ (Unfortunately, the attendance was quite small as advertisement was not allowed.) But he has come a long way from Atheism to the Alpha Course! And he continues to seek God and His Truth. I just learned from him that now the Kazakhstan government sends 3000 students for Master’s degrees to the States every year. Maybe there is someone down the road from you, waiting for an invitation to your church. All of us have a part in His great Harvest.
This week the 4th quarter at Tien Shan school begins. Dayna teaches a full load of courses, Mark teaches Bible to High Schoolers, and Aaron will graduate in June. Nathan also begins his 4th quarter at University of Oregon. Last quarter he earned a 4.0. He is enjoying his life there very much. Aaron plans to begin Community College in Oregon this Fall, living with Nathan in Eugene. Josiah, Masha and Maylee are also doing well here.
We are very thankful for your support and prayers which enable us to serve here.
In His great love,
Mark, Dayna, and Aaron Blair
January 1, 2005
India Report January 2005
Namaste from Kazakhstan!
We are back from a life-changing trip to India. What an amazing country. There are so many people, all quite friendly, many poor. We saw sights – and smells - of desperate poverty and misery. And we saw exquisite beauty. Words and pictures cannot convey the incredible magnificence of the Taj Mahal. We learned much about their rich and varied history. Awesome forts and palaces of successive conquering rulers continue to speak of their ancient powers. We were impressed by their resolve to build a nation – shown in their refusal to accept outside aide for tsunami relief.
We were in the northern city of Delhi, far inland, when the tsunami struck on December 26. We watched the television pictures in shock like the rest of the world. There are twice as many people just in Delhi – not India’s largest city – than in the entire county of Kazakhstan. We spent about a week touring the northwestern area, the state of Rajasthan. Then we went to Agra, city of the Taj Mahal. From Agra we had a 30 hour train ride to the western coast of Goa – unaffected by the tsunami. There in Goa we enjoyed almost a week along the Arabian Sea – lounging on wide sandy beaches, enjoying fresh fruits and fish, and riding the waves, with very few people. Our time in India was restful, inexpensive, and interesting. It’s quite different to be back in our ‘small town’ of Almaty with just a million and a half people. We seemed to pass that many people just walking around some blocks in India.
I’m sure I’ll sound like a preacher, but I came away very grateful. I do not know why God allowed me to be a fat, rich American. We traveled very light – by our standards – with just a couple changes of our ‘oldest clothes’ but we looked well dressed. It was not unusual to see entire families living in the median strips of congested city highways, in tattered tents with a bunch of half naked children. I have seen the ‘ghettos’ of America, and it is a scandal that they exist, but they’re palatial by comparison. I ‘cruised’ through school – making more memories than grades – while students in India intensely compete with millions of others for the very few places available in Universities. When an ‘outsourced’ job is offered at one of the new communications centers, hundreds of thousands apply for the modest salaried positions. I suppose it won’t be long before I have an extra scoop of chocolate on my Jamoca Almond Fudge, but I hope what we saw continues to challenge my decisions.
We are packing again for a trip. The teaching I was supposed to do in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in early December has been rescheduled to next week. We were unable to get the Tajik visa at that time. Dayna and I will be leaving on Sunday, Aaron will be here with a friend. We will teach an intensive week-long course on “The Trinity” to about 30 ministry leaders.
God is good! Thanks for praying us all through this year. We are very grateful.
May this New Year be one of joy and blessing to you through Jesus Christ – Lord of the Nations, Hope of the World.
Love and prayers, Mark, Dayna, and Aaron Blair
We are back from a life-changing trip to India. What an amazing country. There are so many people, all quite friendly, many poor. We saw sights – and smells - of desperate poverty and misery. And we saw exquisite beauty. Words and pictures cannot convey the incredible magnificence of the Taj Mahal. We learned much about their rich and varied history. Awesome forts and palaces of successive conquering rulers continue to speak of their ancient powers. We were impressed by their resolve to build a nation – shown in their refusal to accept outside aide for tsunami relief.
We were in the northern city of Delhi, far inland, when the tsunami struck on December 26. We watched the television pictures in shock like the rest of the world. There are twice as many people just in Delhi – not India’s largest city – than in the entire county of Kazakhstan. We spent about a week touring the northwestern area, the state of Rajasthan. Then we went to Agra, city of the Taj Mahal. From Agra we had a 30 hour train ride to the western coast of Goa – unaffected by the tsunami. There in Goa we enjoyed almost a week along the Arabian Sea – lounging on wide sandy beaches, enjoying fresh fruits and fish, and riding the waves, with very few people. Our time in India was restful, inexpensive, and interesting. It’s quite different to be back in our ‘small town’ of Almaty with just a million and a half people. We seemed to pass that many people just walking around some blocks in India.
I’m sure I’ll sound like a preacher, but I came away very grateful. I do not know why God allowed me to be a fat, rich American. We traveled very light – by our standards – with just a couple changes of our ‘oldest clothes’ but we looked well dressed. It was not unusual to see entire families living in the median strips of congested city highways, in tattered tents with a bunch of half naked children. I have seen the ‘ghettos’ of America, and it is a scandal that they exist, but they’re palatial by comparison. I ‘cruised’ through school – making more memories than grades – while students in India intensely compete with millions of others for the very few places available in Universities. When an ‘outsourced’ job is offered at one of the new communications centers, hundreds of thousands apply for the modest salaried positions. I suppose it won’t be long before I have an extra scoop of chocolate on my Jamoca Almond Fudge, but I hope what we saw continues to challenge my decisions.
We are packing again for a trip. The teaching I was supposed to do in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in early December has been rescheduled to next week. We were unable to get the Tajik visa at that time. Dayna and I will be leaving on Sunday, Aaron will be here with a friend. We will teach an intensive week-long course on “The Trinity” to about 30 ministry leaders.
God is good! Thanks for praying us all through this year. We are very grateful.
May this New Year be one of joy and blessing to you through Jesus Christ – Lord of the Nations, Hope of the World.
Love and prayers, Mark, Dayna, and Aaron Blair
December 3, 2004
October 15, 2004
Socks, Neckties, and Rock and Roll – Almaty, October 2004
Aloha from Almaty! Last week I had dinner with the “Minority Report” a Rock and Roll band here in Kazakhstan. Despite their craft, tattoos and body piercing were conspicuously absent. Actually “Minority Report” is five quite normal looking young people, two women and three men. Three are married with small children. A couple graduated from a prestigious Music Conservatory here. All of them have day jobs. Two are Kazakh, one is Karakalpak, one is Uighur, and one Russian – united by their musical talents, love for God, and concern for others. I was not invited for musical advice, or wardrobe consultation, (double obviously!) but as a Bible teacher - a ‘neutral pastor (none of them attend ICF) whom they all respect.’ As these ‘rock stars’ struggle to make ends meet, the outside observer would be quite surprised to find them concerned about God’s tithe. But they are acutely conscious of the Heavenly Observer. So we spent four hours talking about ‘tithes and offerings.’ (Most America Christians find it hard to sit still for ten minutes on that topic!) Since they’re members of four different churches, which one should receive? Or should they ‘by pass’ the church and give to poor people whom they know? Or, since the funds were given to do ministry, should 100% be spent on instruments and other ministry needs? Some shared heartfelt convictions with tears. Their families are blessed through tithing, and they wanted that blessing for their group.
Twenty years ago we were privileged to witness the ‘East African Revival’ while serving in Uganda. Believers in Jesus strove to ‘walk in the light of God’ through all their life. Their dynamic preaching and singing was matched by daily surrender to God. I remember attending fellowship meetings where their transparency was sometimes painful. Men daringly asked their brethren why they succumbed to ‘worldly standards’ - like wearing socks and neckties. At which point I curled my covered ankles under my chair. They sometimes bordered on the extreme, but such sincere questions measured their fervency. ‘Going to church’ was the highlight of a week lived for God. They desired, as they often said, to ‘live in a house with no walls and no roof’. This dwelling, which sounds more appropriate for tropical Africa than Kazakhstan, revealed a longing that nothing hinders their fellowship with man and God. All their life was from Him and they wanted to live it for Him.
Last week in a cozy Soviet-style apartment of a Minority Report member, I witnessed that same intensity. It was voiced by Central Asians speaking Russian instead of African English. But with one voice they expressed a sincere desire to live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we wonder, “What is the impact of our ministry?” There are many obstacles to Christian work in Central Asia. The government claims to be open, but the numerous officials we have to deal with (our visa expires again November 11!!) are not particularly welcoming (lots of understatement there…). And the oft’ spoken mantra here is ‘to be Kazakh is to be Muslim.’ But despite adversity, God has His Minority Report.
At the end of our discussion they agreed to consider the ‘Solomon’s baby’ approach to their tithe – cut it up! Ten percent of their ministry proceeds will be designated for tithing, and each of the five members will be entrusted with using two percent the way they believe God directs. Although they had strong convictions, they agreed to live in mutual respect and trust under His leadership. I urged them not to let diversity in a debatable matter hinder their unity in the unquestionable task of making Christ known. Praise the Lord for this group of sincere servants! Pray that He will keep them in His peace and unity. Pray that with one heart and voice – and guitar rip - they will glorify the Lord Jesus and see many drawn to Him.
Spiritual Gifts Seminar
Yesterday after preaching on Jesus’ letter to the Church at Laodicea (Revelation 3) at International Christian Fellowship, Dayna and I taxied up into the nearby mountains for an overnight retreat. There we joined more than 300 members from a local Presbytery. (One Presbyterian church planted about 8 years ago now has 5 daughter congregations, in three languages!) Mark was asked to present two sessions on the topic of “Spiritual Gifts.” We had a great time with them. What a joy to meet vibrant believers who want to leap from the pews into the harvest field. They wanted to know ‘how can I find MY spiritual gift and put it to use?’ Pray that He will show them and continue to multiply these faithful congregations.
Fall Festival
Dayna has a full load of classes to teach at Tien Shan School this year. Aaron is having a good senior year thus far. He was the captain of the Soccer team and is now preparing for volleyball season (Dayna will be a coach). To mark the end of the first quarter TSS just held their first Fall Festival. The Lord provided a warm shirt-sleeve Saturday for the several hundred people who came. They enjoyed numerous game booths and competitions, lots of good food, piñatas, cake walks, and even back massages (the ‘Tension Buster Booth’). More than 50 kids – or more accurately Spider Men, Shrek’s, Firemen, Hobbit’s, and even a blue M & M paraded in competition. Talent gushed from the stage as 11 “Air Bands” lip-synched famous ballads – from Louis Armstrong to ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ to Rappers. They more than fulfilled their intention of raising money for school expenses and providing a great day of fun for families.
More Opportunities
We are extremely busy. Dayna continues to help guide our Sunday school at International Christian Fellowship. Mark is enjoying preaching every Sunday at ICF through the book of Revelation. Mark also teaches Old Testament Survey and Preaching weekly at KECS seminary. My textbook on ‘Preaching’ translated into Russian arrived from the printers two weeks ago. It was the day before I taught a modular course on Preaching in a newly formed graduate program at the Baptist Bible Institute. In mid November Mark has been asked to preach at the building dedication service for a newly formed local church. At the end of November, Dayna and Mark hope to go to Dushanbe, Tajikistan where Mark will teach a week long modular course on ‘The Trinity’ and preach in the International Church there. Pray for visas and the needed travel fare. We thank the Lord for these open doors of service and pray that we may be of encouragement to His newly forming Church here in Central Asia.
One concern in the midst of this busy time is that our financial support is down. Our funds for this month were finished half way through the month. We are very grateful for your faithful support and especially your prayers.
Well, the brilliant fall colors here have mostly fallen to the ground and the barren branches point to winter’s coming. We’re not quite ready, but it’s coming anyway! We are thankful to serve a faithful God and that He has made you a demonstration of that faithfulness in our lives.
Love and prayers,
Mark, Dayna, and Aaron Blair
Twenty years ago we were privileged to witness the ‘East African Revival’ while serving in Uganda. Believers in Jesus strove to ‘walk in the light of God’ through all their life. Their dynamic preaching and singing was matched by daily surrender to God. I remember attending fellowship meetings where their transparency was sometimes painful. Men daringly asked their brethren why they succumbed to ‘worldly standards’ - like wearing socks and neckties. At which point I curled my covered ankles under my chair. They sometimes bordered on the extreme, but such sincere questions measured their fervency. ‘Going to church’ was the highlight of a week lived for God. They desired, as they often said, to ‘live in a house with no walls and no roof’. This dwelling, which sounds more appropriate for tropical Africa than Kazakhstan, revealed a longing that nothing hinders their fellowship with man and God. All their life was from Him and they wanted to live it for Him.
Last week in a cozy Soviet-style apartment of a Minority Report member, I witnessed that same intensity. It was voiced by Central Asians speaking Russian instead of African English. But with one voice they expressed a sincere desire to live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we wonder, “What is the impact of our ministry?” There are many obstacles to Christian work in Central Asia. The government claims to be open, but the numerous officials we have to deal with (our visa expires again November 11!!) are not particularly welcoming (lots of understatement there…). And the oft’ spoken mantra here is ‘to be Kazakh is to be Muslim.’ But despite adversity, God has His Minority Report.
At the end of our discussion they agreed to consider the ‘Solomon’s baby’ approach to their tithe – cut it up! Ten percent of their ministry proceeds will be designated for tithing, and each of the five members will be entrusted with using two percent the way they believe God directs. Although they had strong convictions, they agreed to live in mutual respect and trust under His leadership. I urged them not to let diversity in a debatable matter hinder their unity in the unquestionable task of making Christ known. Praise the Lord for this group of sincere servants! Pray that He will keep them in His peace and unity. Pray that with one heart and voice – and guitar rip - they will glorify the Lord Jesus and see many drawn to Him.
Spiritual Gifts Seminar
Yesterday after preaching on Jesus’ letter to the Church at Laodicea (Revelation 3) at International Christian Fellowship, Dayna and I taxied up into the nearby mountains for an overnight retreat. There we joined more than 300 members from a local Presbytery. (One Presbyterian church planted about 8 years ago now has 5 daughter congregations, in three languages!) Mark was asked to present two sessions on the topic of “Spiritual Gifts.” We had a great time with them. What a joy to meet vibrant believers who want to leap from the pews into the harvest field. They wanted to know ‘how can I find MY spiritual gift and put it to use?’ Pray that He will show them and continue to multiply these faithful congregations.
Fall Festival
Dayna has a full load of classes to teach at Tien Shan School this year. Aaron is having a good senior year thus far. He was the captain of the Soccer team and is now preparing for volleyball season (Dayna will be a coach). To mark the end of the first quarter TSS just held their first Fall Festival. The Lord provided a warm shirt-sleeve Saturday for the several hundred people who came. They enjoyed numerous game booths and competitions, lots of good food, piñatas, cake walks, and even back massages (the ‘Tension Buster Booth’). More than 50 kids – or more accurately Spider Men, Shrek’s, Firemen, Hobbit’s, and even a blue M & M paraded in competition. Talent gushed from the stage as 11 “Air Bands” lip-synched famous ballads – from Louis Armstrong to ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ to Rappers. They more than fulfilled their intention of raising money for school expenses and providing a great day of fun for families.
More Opportunities
We are extremely busy. Dayna continues to help guide our Sunday school at International Christian Fellowship. Mark is enjoying preaching every Sunday at ICF through the book of Revelation. Mark also teaches Old Testament Survey and Preaching weekly at KECS seminary. My textbook on ‘Preaching’ translated into Russian arrived from the printers two weeks ago. It was the day before I taught a modular course on Preaching in a newly formed graduate program at the Baptist Bible Institute. In mid November Mark has been asked to preach at the building dedication service for a newly formed local church. At the end of November, Dayna and Mark hope to go to Dushanbe, Tajikistan where Mark will teach a week long modular course on ‘The Trinity’ and preach in the International Church there. Pray for visas and the needed travel fare. We thank the Lord for these open doors of service and pray that we may be of encouragement to His newly forming Church here in Central Asia.
One concern in the midst of this busy time is that our financial support is down. Our funds for this month were finished half way through the month. We are very grateful for your faithful support and especially your prayers.
Well, the brilliant fall colors here have mostly fallen to the ground and the barren branches point to winter’s coming. We’re not quite ready, but it’s coming anyway! We are thankful to serve a faithful God and that He has made you a demonstration of that faithfulness in our lives.
Love and prayers,
Mark, Dayna, and Aaron Blair
June 5, 2004
June 1, 2004
Kyrgyz Students 2004
Last month Mark taught a course on “Paul’s Letters” to about 20 young leaders in the city of Osh in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. Half of the class were former Muslims. Islam is often depicted as an impenetrable monolith of zealous Muslims. Indeed, among the world’s billion Muslims, many are ready to die a martyrs’ death. But there are a large number who silently question their authoritarian leaders – who cringe at the violence and terror – and wonder if there is another way. Here are three I had the privilege of teaching in Osh.
Shengiz became religiously aware in 1999 when a Jehovah’s Witness man in his village said the world would end that year. When the clocked rolled over to 2000 the villagers gave a sigh of relief and booted the false prophet out. A year later Shengiz was invited to attend a birthday party with his college friends. He soon found this group of Kyrgyz kinsmen offering up prayers to God in Jesus name. This was the first time he had heard anyone pray in Kyrgyz. (Muslims there pray in ‘Arabic;’ at least they are supposed to. In reality very few actually know that holy language so they mumble ‘Arabic’ sounds.) Shengiz heard these classmates daring to speak to the Almighty in their colloquial. His first thought was that they too were Jehovah’s Witnesses! But they explained they were Bible believing Christians who trusted in Jesus (‘Isa in Arabic) for their salvation. This set Shengiz on a year-long quest to discover “who is Jesus?’ He read the Quran, religion and philosophy tomes, and the Bible. On one night-long read through the New Testament he called out to Jesus about 5 a.m. He then returned home carrying a Bible and was promptly thrown out of the house by his parents. His two brothers have attended Christian meetings with Shengiz but dropped out because they did not want trouble with their father. Over the last few years Shengiz has deepened in his Christian experience and continued to be a loving and respectful son. He is now his father’s favorite son, admired for his maturity and his convictions.
Jedegul, a Kyrgyz young lady, found Jesus along the road one day. She was walking the several miles from a hospital to the town. Her companion had just been discharged from one year of hospitalization. Wanting to fully experience all the sensations of her new freedom, they walked! As they passed a fancy home the two girls expressed their envy. Just then – almost like Jesus on the road to Emmaus – a man came up from behind and told them that true riches were only found in God. Their walk became a Christ-centered trialogue. By the time they reached town, all three knew Him. That night Jedegul gathered all the girls in her college dormitory and took them to a prayer meeting at a Russian Baptist church. For these Asian Muslim women, it was much like a trip to Mars. Yet the God who breaks down all barriers created a bond between them and a number have continued with Him. Jedegul’s parents soon found out about their young mass evangelist and they were not pleased. They appeared at her dorm unexpectedly and ordered that she renounce her faith in Jesus. She respectfully refused. Then her father had a talk with the college director. The next day this official met with Jedegul saying that if she did not renounce Jesus, she would be expelled. She refused and she was. Having no where to turn, Jedegul returned home, and stopped attending church. For several years she went every day to the bazaar and helped her father sell his wares, but she never stopped believing in Jesus. One day a summer team of American Christians visited that bazaar and engaged Jedegul in conversation. She then realized she could no longer keep her light hidden and returned to church. She still works alongside her father in the bazaar six days a week. But now he pretends not to know where his daughter has been slipping away to every Sunday for the last four years. Recently he told his daughter of his admiration for her. And then he added, “I too believe that Jesus is God. But if I say this openly, our Muslim neighbors will burn our house down.”
Sonarbek, a young Kyrgyz man was only a nominal Muslim, despite his father being an ‘Imam’ (Islamic prayer leader) for their village. When he came to faith in Jesus through the witness of some friends, both his parents were angry. Yet Sonarbek intentionally left Christian books and literature – all in Kyrgyz language – in the sitting room so his family could know what he had come to believe. He often found his parents reading this material. Soon his father was reading the Bible quite regularly and citing Biblical themes in his conversations. One day Sonarbek’s infant adopted sister became quite ill, near unto death. Sonarbek’s father desperately sought his prayers saying, “In your Bible Jesus says, ‘Whatever you ask in my name I will do.’ Ask him to heal your sister!” Sonarbek refused. Rather, he challenged his father saying, “I think Jesus would rather you ask Him yourself.” So this Muslim Imam prayed to Jesus, pleading for his young daughter’s life. God heard his prayer and the girl was healed. Sonarbek’s mother is now quite openly praying to Jesus and reading the Bible, though still praying in a mosque. His grandmother is doing the same. Grandma recently told Sonarbek, “When you choose a girl to marry find her in your church, not our mosque, the best one’s are in the church.” His father is at this point a secret disciple of Jesus, still leading prayers in the mosque.
Not long ago Sonarbek went to visit a friend in a neighboring village of about 500 people. While visiting and sharing the message of Jesus with this friend, the Imam from that village arrived. Sonarbek placed the Kyrgyz Bible on the table in the room as they visited together. Eventually the Imam picked up the book and was interested that it was in their language, Kyrgyz. Sonarbek explained that it was a Bible. The Imam became quite fascinated and read intently. After some time he said, “I need this book. This is the message I need to teach in the mosque.” Sonarbek said that as he had written many notes in the book it would be more appropriate for him to give the Imam a new copy. (Muslims revere the Holy Books themselves and would not respect a book as well-marked as S’s Bible.) In a matter of days Sonarbek presented a new Bible to the Imam and he has begun to use it as the basis of his messages in the mosque.
Yulia’s father is an Uzbek Muslim and her mother is Russian Orthodox. Neither one was very happy when at the age of 12 Yulia announced that she wanted to follow Jesus. Over the years, as they have watched Yulia grow into a mature Christian woman, wife, and mother - their opinions have softened. Her mother has become an interested student of the Bible, still praying in the Orthodox church. Her father kept his anti-Christian arguments going for several years. But a few years back both mother and father found themselves unemployed. The father challenged, “You pray to Jesus for a job, and I will pray to Allah for a job.” Jesus gave her mother a job, the father is still unemployed, and no longer speaks about Islam.
The course I taught in Osh was an intensive night course. The students are busy with their normal work and study demands during the day. But there were arranged lunches with small groups of students each day to have some informal time together. All week we joined the small crowd in a ‘western style’ restaurant. In a city where the population is 50% Kyrgyz, 35% Uzbek, and the rest Koreans, Chinese, other Central Asian peoples and Russians, Western cuisine is not their specialty. So all week I dined on what was no doubt their best effort to make ‘cutlet’, ‘baked chicken’, and ‘beef stroganoff.’ Throughout the week I kept asking my host where the local people ate. On Friday I found out. We found the “In and Out” of Osh. It is located right across the street from the city’s central mosque where several thousand gather for Friday prayers. I think half of them found also found their way to our restaurant. They specialize in ‘Samsa’ which is a meat pie found throughout this part of the world. But this place serves up the ‘Mother of all Samsas!’ Eating one of these samsa’s is the equivalent of consuming two Burger King Whoppers – not that I would know, of course. A meat and onion mix is placed into the bread dough and the ball shaped entrée is stuck on to the side of a huge rounded clay oven. We arrived just as a batch was being taken out and distributed to the several dozen people who lined up, or sort of lined up. Many had multiple orders to fill. Some hopped onto bicycles and raced off for steaming hot deliveries. So we missed this batch. We spent the next half an hour sitting at our plastic table in a large bustling open air patio area, drinking tea and eating fresh baked bread. These loaves are round and flat, about the shape of a ‘Frisbee’, also cooked along the walls of rounded clay ovens. My host, an ethnic Russian, and I were about the only white skinned customers in the cavernous dining area. A steady stream of bearded men, wearing robes and Islamic prayer caps, came to eat. About a fourth of the crowd were women, most wearing Islamic head covering. The occasional western dressed young woman came in, and all the prayer caps turned in her direction. Finally, after numerous cups of tea, and nearly consuming the entire ‘Frisbee,’ it was samsa time! We reached across to a nearby table for the common knife used to remove the hard baked top from the pie, steam gushed out as we sliced. A savory mix of meat, onions, and fat lie awaited us. As I spooned down more fat than I would normally choose to eat – which tasted great! – I clung to the words of a colleague on the Atkins diet who recently told me, “fat is your friend.” This day that friendship intensified.
Shengiz became religiously aware in 1999 when a Jehovah’s Witness man in his village said the world would end that year. When the clocked rolled over to 2000 the villagers gave a sigh of relief and booted the false prophet out. A year later Shengiz was invited to attend a birthday party with his college friends. He soon found this group of Kyrgyz kinsmen offering up prayers to God in Jesus name. This was the first time he had heard anyone pray in Kyrgyz. (Muslims there pray in ‘Arabic;’ at least they are supposed to. In reality very few actually know that holy language so they mumble ‘Arabic’ sounds.) Shengiz heard these classmates daring to speak to the Almighty in their colloquial. His first thought was that they too were Jehovah’s Witnesses! But they explained they were Bible believing Christians who trusted in Jesus (‘Isa in Arabic) for their salvation. This set Shengiz on a year-long quest to discover “who is Jesus?’ He read the Quran, religion and philosophy tomes, and the Bible. On one night-long read through the New Testament he called out to Jesus about 5 a.m. He then returned home carrying a Bible and was promptly thrown out of the house by his parents. His two brothers have attended Christian meetings with Shengiz but dropped out because they did not want trouble with their father. Over the last few years Shengiz has deepened in his Christian experience and continued to be a loving and respectful son. He is now his father’s favorite son, admired for his maturity and his convictions.
Jedegul, a Kyrgyz young lady, found Jesus along the road one day. She was walking the several miles from a hospital to the town. Her companion had just been discharged from one year of hospitalization. Wanting to fully experience all the sensations of her new freedom, they walked! As they passed a fancy home the two girls expressed their envy. Just then – almost like Jesus on the road to Emmaus – a man came up from behind and told them that true riches were only found in God. Their walk became a Christ-centered trialogue. By the time they reached town, all three knew Him. That night Jedegul gathered all the girls in her college dormitory and took them to a prayer meeting at a Russian Baptist church. For these Asian Muslim women, it was much like a trip to Mars. Yet the God who breaks down all barriers created a bond between them and a number have continued with Him. Jedegul’s parents soon found out about their young mass evangelist and they were not pleased. They appeared at her dorm unexpectedly and ordered that she renounce her faith in Jesus. She respectfully refused. Then her father had a talk with the college director. The next day this official met with Jedegul saying that if she did not renounce Jesus, she would be expelled. She refused and she was. Having no where to turn, Jedegul returned home, and stopped attending church. For several years she went every day to the bazaar and helped her father sell his wares, but she never stopped believing in Jesus. One day a summer team of American Christians visited that bazaar and engaged Jedegul in conversation. She then realized she could no longer keep her light hidden and returned to church. She still works alongside her father in the bazaar six days a week. But now he pretends not to know where his daughter has been slipping away to every Sunday for the last four years. Recently he told his daughter of his admiration for her. And then he added, “I too believe that Jesus is God. But if I say this openly, our Muslim neighbors will burn our house down.”
Sonarbek, a young Kyrgyz man was only a nominal Muslim, despite his father being an ‘Imam’ (Islamic prayer leader) for their village. When he came to faith in Jesus through the witness of some friends, both his parents were angry. Yet Sonarbek intentionally left Christian books and literature – all in Kyrgyz language – in the sitting room so his family could know what he had come to believe. He often found his parents reading this material. Soon his father was reading the Bible quite regularly and citing Biblical themes in his conversations. One day Sonarbek’s infant adopted sister became quite ill, near unto death. Sonarbek’s father desperately sought his prayers saying, “In your Bible Jesus says, ‘Whatever you ask in my name I will do.’ Ask him to heal your sister!” Sonarbek refused. Rather, he challenged his father saying, “I think Jesus would rather you ask Him yourself.” So this Muslim Imam prayed to Jesus, pleading for his young daughter’s life. God heard his prayer and the girl was healed. Sonarbek’s mother is now quite openly praying to Jesus and reading the Bible, though still praying in a mosque. His grandmother is doing the same. Grandma recently told Sonarbek, “When you choose a girl to marry find her in your church, not our mosque, the best one’s are in the church.” His father is at this point a secret disciple of Jesus, still leading prayers in the mosque.
Not long ago Sonarbek went to visit a friend in a neighboring village of about 500 people. While visiting and sharing the message of Jesus with this friend, the Imam from that village arrived. Sonarbek placed the Kyrgyz Bible on the table in the room as they visited together. Eventually the Imam picked up the book and was interested that it was in their language, Kyrgyz. Sonarbek explained that it was a Bible. The Imam became quite fascinated and read intently. After some time he said, “I need this book. This is the message I need to teach in the mosque.” Sonarbek said that as he had written many notes in the book it would be more appropriate for him to give the Imam a new copy. (Muslims revere the Holy Books themselves and would not respect a book as well-marked as S’s Bible.) In a matter of days Sonarbek presented a new Bible to the Imam and he has begun to use it as the basis of his messages in the mosque.
Yulia’s father is an Uzbek Muslim and her mother is Russian Orthodox. Neither one was very happy when at the age of 12 Yulia announced that she wanted to follow Jesus. Over the years, as they have watched Yulia grow into a mature Christian woman, wife, and mother - their opinions have softened. Her mother has become an interested student of the Bible, still praying in the Orthodox church. Her father kept his anti-Christian arguments going for several years. But a few years back both mother and father found themselves unemployed. The father challenged, “You pray to Jesus for a job, and I will pray to Allah for a job.” Jesus gave her mother a job, the father is still unemployed, and no longer speaks about Islam.
The course I taught in Osh was an intensive night course. The students are busy with their normal work and study demands during the day. But there were arranged lunches with small groups of students each day to have some informal time together. All week we joined the small crowd in a ‘western style’ restaurant. In a city where the population is 50% Kyrgyz, 35% Uzbek, and the rest Koreans, Chinese, other Central Asian peoples and Russians, Western cuisine is not their specialty. So all week I dined on what was no doubt their best effort to make ‘cutlet’, ‘baked chicken’, and ‘beef stroganoff.’ Throughout the week I kept asking my host where the local people ate. On Friday I found out. We found the “In and Out” of Osh. It is located right across the street from the city’s central mosque where several thousand gather for Friday prayers. I think half of them found also found their way to our restaurant. They specialize in ‘Samsa’ which is a meat pie found throughout this part of the world. But this place serves up the ‘Mother of all Samsas!’ Eating one of these samsa’s is the equivalent of consuming two Burger King Whoppers – not that I would know, of course. A meat and onion mix is placed into the bread dough and the ball shaped entrée is stuck on to the side of a huge rounded clay oven. We arrived just as a batch was being taken out and distributed to the several dozen people who lined up, or sort of lined up. Many had multiple orders to fill. Some hopped onto bicycles and raced off for steaming hot deliveries. So we missed this batch. We spent the next half an hour sitting at our plastic table in a large bustling open air patio area, drinking tea and eating fresh baked bread. These loaves are round and flat, about the shape of a ‘Frisbee’, also cooked along the walls of rounded clay ovens. My host, an ethnic Russian, and I were about the only white skinned customers in the cavernous dining area. A steady stream of bearded men, wearing robes and Islamic prayer caps, came to eat. About a fourth of the crowd were women, most wearing Islamic head covering. The occasional western dressed young woman came in, and all the prayer caps turned in her direction. Finally, after numerous cups of tea, and nearly consuming the entire ‘Frisbee,’ it was samsa time! We reached across to a nearby table for the common knife used to remove the hard baked top from the pie, steam gushed out as we sliced. A savory mix of meat, onions, and fat lie awaited us. As I spooned down more fat than I would normally choose to eat – which tasted great! – I clung to the words of a colleague on the Atkins diet who recently told me, “fat is your friend.” This day that friendship intensified.
February 10, 2004
December 24, 2003
September 1, 2003
A Dynasty AND a Spirit!
Dear Ohana
Aloha from beautiful Hilo, Hawaii! We are glad to be back in
our hometown. During the last two months we have been on the Mainland, sharing
about our ministry in Kazakhstan with supporting churches and reuniting with
friends and family. When we arrived in Los Angeles we saw the 1992 Dodge
Dynasty a friend had purchased for us. The Lord watched over our driving, from
San Diego to Seattle, and many points in between. We even had a weeklong visit
in Pennsylvania using frequent flyer miles. Mark’s niece was married near
Seattle last week; we had a grand gathering of family there.
Now we are settling into Hilo, the rainiest city in America,
which no doubt makes it one of the greenest! Sunshine, rainbows, and flowers
are everywhere. Nathan and Josiah are both students at the University of
Hawaii, Hilo. Nathan is in his second year; Josiah is making a big jump from
being the only senior in his High School on the other side of the globe. Aaron
is in the 11th grade at Christian Liberty School, and a member of
their volleyball team.
We’re getting settled into a nice house, generously opened
for our use during our four months here. Our telephone number here is 808 968
6196.
Our Dynasty is being shipped from Seattle, expected here in a
couple weeks. Meanwhile, we were generously given a 1990 Dodge Spirit. So we go
from being a no car family in Kazakhstan to a two-car family in Hawaii, a
Dynasty AND a Spirit. Now we are always moving ‘in the Spirit.’
We are booked to leave Hawaii for Kazakhstan on January 19.
Nathan will remain in Hilo at the University, with one of the cars! We hope to attend a Pioneers mission
conference in Thailand en route, and be back in ministry in Kazakhstan by the
beginning of February, once again moving from the Tropics to the Tundra.
Gratefully in Him,
Mark, Dayna, Nathan, Josiah, and Aaron Blair
Our Present Address (now through mid January 2004)
190 Ululani Street
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
phone 808 968 6196
Here is our schedule of speaking for the next several weeks,
thus far:
September 7 AM Spring of Life Community Church, Pahoa,
Hawaii
PM
Men’s Meeting of Hilo Missionary Church
September 14 Hilo Missionary Church, Hilo, Hawaii
September 21 Puna Congregational Christian Church, Keaau,
Hawaii
September 25 KCIF Radio, Hilo, Hawaii
September 27 Puna Congregational Christian Church, Women’s
Fellowship
September 28 Helani
Church, Keahou Mauka, Kona
October 5 Waimea Assembly of God, Waimea, Hawaii
October 12 Living
Waters Assembly of God, Honomu and Hilo, Hawaii
October 17 Christian
Liberty School Chapel, Keaau, Hawaii
October 19 North Shore Community Christian Church, Kauai
October 26 Windward Missionary Church, Kaneohe, Hawaii
October 29 and November 5
Morning Fellowship Sure Save Supermarket, Keaau
November 23 Puna Baptist Church, Pahoa, Hawaii
January 19 Leave Hawaii for Kazakhstan
We look forward to fixing dates with other churches.
Our Mission
Pioneers
10123 William Carey Drive
Orlando, FL 32827
Our Ministries in Kazakhstan
Training National Church Leaders www.eastwestministries.org
June 30, 2003
June 20, 2003
June 1, 2003
Josiah's Graduation
Dear Ohana
Tonight we begin our trek across the planet, flying from
Almaty to Los Angeles
IMPORTANT - the only
email address for us will be - blairstan@hotmail.com (not the one this letter
is sent on)
Our son Josiah ,
wrote a short note for you. Please keep him, and our whole family, in your
prayers. He faces some big challenges ahead.
"I would like to apologize for not keeping in touch and
writing often. Life as a senior in high school can be very busy. This past
Friday I graduated from high school. It was a big part of my life and I am
thankful to God for his guidance and blessing on my life. I am thankful to all
of you. I thank you for all your love and support. I have truly been blessed. I
am now 17 years old, it seems life has been lived, I have seen all there is.
But it hasn't, there is a lot to come and my prayer is that it will be centered
upon God's will. He has made my life special and I just wanted to say thank you
and I love you.
Sincerely, Josiah Blair
Our schedule -
June 29 El Segundo First Baptist Church, El Segundo , CA
July 6 Valley Presbyterian Church, North Hills , CA
New Life Presbyterian Church, San Diego , CA
July 13 Meadowlark
Community Church San Marcos , CA
July 20 Montrose
Community Church Montrose , CA
July 27 La Canada Presbyterian Church, La Canada
August 3 Biola Congregational Church, Biola , CA Fresno
August 10 Mt.
Lebanon Methodist Church Pittsburgh , PA
August 17 Santa
Cruz , CA
September 14 Puna Congregational Christian Church Keaau , Hawaii
Gratefully in Him, Mark ,
Dayna, Nathan , Josiah ,
and Aaron Blair
ONLY Email.- blairstan@hotmail.com
Our Ministries:
Pastoral - International Christian Fellowship
www.icf.nursat.kz
Teaching MK's
tienshan@pactec.kz
Training National Christian Leaders for Ministry
www.eastwestministries.org
Our Mission
Pioneers
www.pioneers.org
May 15, 2003
Central Asian Theological Seminary
For two weeks in June Mark Pastor John Svendsen .
Our students were ‘the cream of the crop’- 24 committed and experienced
servants of Jesus from Russia Uzbekistan Kazakhstan
‘B’ is a Youth Pastor in the far north of Russia June
it was snowing. When asked when the first snow of the winter will come he
answered, ‘about August 15.’ But he brought great news of hearts that are warm
to the grace of the Lord Jesus .
In these places where faithful Russian saints were exiled during the Soviet
regime, the church is growing! Their blood spilt into the frozen soil bears
much fruit.
‘P’ is also from the far north of Russia
When ‘V’ was a young girl her family moved from their home in a remote part of the most populous Central Asian republic to the capital city in search of a better life. Materially they found it. And
April 30, 2003
California Dreamin'
California Dreamin’
Greetings from Almaty on this glorious spring day - barren
trees are budding and many flowers are in bloom. Our faithful God has given us
a new season of life. We are eager to seize the opportunities for Him in the
six weeks we have remaining before our home leave. We are grateful for your
prayers.
Mark spent last week in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan teaching “Old
Testament Prophets” to twenty-three young ministry leaders. They are enrolled
in the East West ministries extension school and gather every couple months for
weeklong intensive courses. There are about 120 students in six different
extension schools in key cities here in Central Asia. They are busy in various
ministries in their churches in their cities. In Bishkek some lead house groups,
several evangelize on university campuses, a couple are worship leaders in
large growing churches, one has a ministry to the deaf, one is reaching his
Uighur kinsmen. All of them were enthusiastic and fun to teach. We discovered
how the ancient message of the prophets speaks with relevance and power today.
Here are some of their comments:
“E” a young man who serves the Lord on the university campus
said, “I used to think the ancient world was more righteous and obedient to
God. But I now realize there is not much difference between our times. As I
have received God’s word, I need to believe and obey.”
“A” a young preacher to the people of that land was
“impressed by God’s great love to all nations and how He is calling all to
Christ.”
“H” a young wife who is taking the course with her husband –
and serving in their local church – “wants to be more devoted to God in the
light of His great blessing and faithfulness.”
“F” a young preacher to his Uighur people had real insight.
There are several million Uighurs scattered throughout Central Asia. But they
are a minority people in each country, including Kyrgyzstan. They are an
ancient people with a rich culture and history, but have no homeland – no
UighurSTAN. He realized his people are “in exile” much like ancient Judah in
Babylon. He told us he “prays that God will give Uighurs a homeland on earth,
but most of all that they’ll find their real citizenship in heaven. Through
this course I now realize that God speaks to all nations. Jeremiah 29 is a great
message for God’s people in exile in this world.”
“L” a petite young woman who carries a large responsibility
as Worship Leader of a dynamic church in the city said, “I was sobered to read
about God’s wrath, and see it as a warning to myself and all people today.”
“N” who is a dancer in the Worship services “L” organizes -
and also a leader in youth and house church ministries – was “amazed at how God
loves us despite all our sin. I do not understand why Israel was so stubborn to
obey despite all the prophets who came and preached to them. God’s love is so
patient. I do not want to be so stubborn.”
You can imagine the joy of teaching such open hearts and
willing servants. They are on the “front lines” in strategic places in that
nation. As “E” concluded, “many different prophets have a different impact.
Some were given direct access to kings, others were banished and beaten,
ignored by their people. Whatever our calling and opportunities, may God find
us faithful.” Amen and Amen.
While Mark was away, Dayna was especially busy with work in
Tien Shan School. As the school year draws to a close there are lectures,
exams, end of the year activities, and plans to be made for the coming year. In
early May the kids had a great Spring Banquet. (Amazing to discover how many
lovely young ladies and handsome young men have been hiding behind those grungy
t-shirts all year!) Now spring soccer fever has caught on with the boys and
girls. Our boys team has the privilege
of being coached by a team of men from Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Germany,
and Holland. They’re all doing great. This “volunteer” school in a distant land
is rich with such people. Several key staff are leaving and others are en
route. Pray that the Master Teacher will help each child to know Him, His Word,
and His world. Only eternity will reveal the impact these 120 kids from 11
nations will make. It is thrilling just to imagine.
We all missed some fun in the Karoke Bar in a sanitorium
(“conference center” in American) in the foothills of the Tien Shan mountains a
few days ago. Our Aaron, and Nathaniel his Australian buddy, were there last
Saturday. They were conferencing with their high school for a weekend retreat.
The Kazakhstan National Wrestling Team was also in the house; that is their training
center. Aaron and Nat were “cruising the joint” one evening and found the
muscle men with their cauliflower ears crooning to the Karaoke. When the team
spotted our guys they compelled them to come in. I suppose those guys would be
hard to refuse, but I know Aaron is always eager for new adventures. They found
them stumbling through the song “California Dreamin’” by “The Mama’s and the
Papa’s” – all the classics are here in Kazakhstan. So the team learned how it
really should be sung from Aaron and Nat. When I asked Aaron if he got in
trouble from their counselors for singing in the Lounge he said, “No, it was
our free time.” They certainly know how to pack a lot of fun into those free
moments! When they weren’t singing Karaoke, the kids had some great time in
fellowship and studying God’s Word.
Hope this finds you growing in that same Word. Thanks for
remembering us before Him.
We seek His grace to finish this academic year and term of
service well. There is much to be done here in the next six weeks thanks for
standing with us.
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