“You seem so full of joy. Why are you so happy?”
The question comes from a wrinkled Tajik woman garbed in a long black dress. She motions to the woman next to her. “This woman, my friend, is always asking me how she can be happy again, and I never know what to tell her. She is a widow, and has three young daughters. She works as a janitor at the school and makes only $20 a month. It is barely enough to buy food. She doesn’t have money to pay for school supplies or clothes for her daughters. They have one pair of shoes that they wear in shifts. I never know what to tell her when she asks me that. But you all are happy all the time. What is your secret?”
What an opportunity! As I sat there on the cushion that is the Tajik equivalent of a couch, 1 Peter 3:15 echoed in my mind: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” After a moment, one of the women in our group spoke up.
“We’re not always happy,” she said. “We’ve all been through many tough things in our lives. But God helps us through. Let me tell you a story about a widow like you, and how God provided for her.” She went on to share the story of Elijah and the widow, and how when a famine struck the land, God kept the widow’s oil and flour from running out so that she, her son, and Elijah always had food. It was amazing to see these women’s eyes light up as they listened to the story. “So you see,” she concluded, “God loves each and every one of you, and He promises that He will take care of you if you put your trust in Him.”
***
My trip to the central Asian country of Tajikistan was an amazing
success. We had three goals while we were there: to hold a womens retreat for
some local believers, to be an encouragement to the national staff, and to
record stories in four different languages.
The women’s retreat was fantastic. It was amazing to get together
with these amazing sisters, hear their stories, and see God working among
them. On the last morning, they were
overflowing with gratitude for the conference. “I’ve never before been to a
retreat just for women,” one of them told me. “It was exactly what I needed,
and it was so nice to just relax for a few days and get away from all the daily
work of running a household! It was also so good to be among my sisters in
Christ. We are all so isolated from each other. It’s so great to remember that
I’m not alone.”
While we were there, not only did we get the chance to interact
with the women, but also with many of the men that are either staff members
with Cru, or are volunteers with the ministry. It was so nice to be able to be
a blessing to them, to remind them that there are brothers and sisters all over
the world praying for them. The national director was overflowing with
gratitude that we had come.
I’m also super excited to report that we successfully recorded all
the stories in three of the languages and got a great start on the fourth. It
was a really exciting process despite some of the setbacks that caused delays.
One of the languages we completed has no Old Testament, so it was a special thrill
to record a dozen Old Testament stories in that language. It’s so amazing to
think that there are native speakers of that language who will now hear some of
these Old Testament stories for the very first time!
***
Thank you all so, so much for praying for this trip. I feel like
God was really present, and it was clear through some of the travel delays,
sickness, and technical difficulties that Satan was really against us doing any
work in Tajikistan.
Please pray for the believers there. They are such amazing people,
and they have become extremely dear to my heart.
Also please continue to pray for my support. I am coming back from
this trip with an even bigger sense of urgency. I am really needed ASAP, for
there are places where the window of opportunity for us to make these
translations is slipping away really fast. There are so many places, in
Tajikistan and all over the world, where there is so much darkness. They need
the Light.
