Category Archives: Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan—Yermek Balykbekov— Update on His Life and Ministry

When I started my ministry journey twenty years ago, I had strong call to reach my Kazakh people with the Gospel. I joined an existent Kazakh Christian Fellowship where, in 2005, I became their pastor. In 2012, I joined the Word of Life, a Russian speaking church, where I was an overseer of the Kazakh speaking believers in the church.

Kazakhs are nomad Turkic people who was established as a nation in 16th century.  They are Muslims by faith and tradition.  In the late 18th century, Kazakhstan was conquered by the Russian Czarist Empire which in the early 19th century became the Soviet Union, till, in 1991, this communist regime collapsed.

Most of the Kazakhs were oppressed by the Russian regime and had nearly lost their identity as nation. My generation could hardly speak our native language, and knew less about our culture. So, concerning the Gospel, the Kazakhs consider it as a Russian Orthodox religion or Western culture that is not welcome by most.  The Lord spoke to many of Kazakh Christians to reach our people using our cultural approach and language. So we used that a lot and saw much fruit.

In the Fall of 2019, I was being led by the Spirit of God to step out and enter into a new phase of ministry.  I left the Russian speaking church and some of the Kazakh and Russian believers joined me.  Prior to this, the vision I had carried in my heart to see Kazakh people being saved and discipled through their own language and culture seemed to be “dead”.  But that was not in God’s plan.  In His time, He resurrects His own plans and purposes.  A new Christian Kazakh Fellowship was founded based on forming home churches with interpersonal relationships and discipleship.  That was a historical moment for us all.

My story of stepping out of the denominational boat and walking by faith on top of the water may sound very encouraging to some of you, but it is not without a cost to self, but it has been worth the struggle. During the last seven years I had been in a desperate situation in my ministry and I was ready to quit. It was like, you don’t see anything ahead of you; nothing was happening in ministry; nobody was getting saved, healed or delivered; the church members were occupied with and distracted by the worries of this world.  It was so discouraging and demotivating! But there was one thing I wasn’t ready to quit: Praying and having devotional time with the Lord.

After six months of stepping out of the boat and being persistent in prayer, God blessed us so much.  In spite of the Covid-19 Pandemic (March 2020) and Covid restrictions, we grew to planting several house churches in Kazakhstan, using social media. Now, we have six established churches, up to appr. 100 people online and offline. Presently, there are two churches which are about to be born in different regions. The head church which I am currently pastoring, is presently in Karaganda.

Yermek visiting a co-worker for the Gospel – Bridge partner Sargon in Ankara, Turkey.

As I have mentioned above, for almost two decades I was carrying the vision of reaching only Kazakh people, but in the last three years, the Lord has expanded my vision from Acts 1:8 to reach other nations. The interesting thing is, as I kept submitting to a new phase of God’s calling, more Turkic people came to salvation and became part of our church. So, we  don’t have “only Kazakh church” anymore but according to Isaiah 56:7, it’s the House of Prayer for All Nations.  As we reach out and serve people from all ethnic groups, salvation, healing and deliverance are taking place among them.  Recently, we baptized over 20 new people; almost all of them are ethnic Kazakhs and Uighurs.

Yermek visiting another team for the Gospel – Bridge partners Steve and Sophia Schmaltz in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia.

Our first hub is in Karaganda, Central Kazakhstan. We have been praying about moving with my family to Almaty in Southern Kazakhstan to start an outreach hub there.  We believe it’s His will, just waiting for the right timing and the right doors to open. As preparation, this summer, (July and August), we have decided to visit Almaty. We are beginning to gather people who are on-line members of our movement and start a house church. It’s going to be like a try run. The Lord showed me that I need to step out of pastoral and step into the apostolic ministry to edify, equip and raise up believers to send out into the unreached areas.  This transition should take place within the next few years as we move to Almaty.
                         Pastor Yermek, Kingdom of God Ministry Kazakhstan (KGM KZ)

THE FIVE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL ASIA

Central Asia includes the five republics of the former Soviet Union: Kazakhstan pop. 19 mill, Kyrgyzstan pop. 6.5 mill, Tajikistan pop. almost 10 il, Turkmenistan pop. 6.4 mill, and Uzbekistan pop. 35 mill – a total population of almost 77 mill.  Afghanistan pop. 40 mill, is at times included, bringing the population in Central Asa  close to 120 million.

Central Asia is historically tied to its nomadic, Turkish language-based peoples, of which there are 25 ethnic groups, and the Silk Road, which has acted as a crossroad for the movement of people, goods, and ideas between Europe, Western Asia, South Asia, and East AsiaIn the 3rd – 4th Centuries, the entire region was Christian, evangelized by Nestorian, Assyrian missionaries, but later Buddhism and Islam became the dominant religions. Today, there are approximately 4% Christians in Central Asia, including the Orthodox Church; the majority of the population are Muslims. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, there has been no major persecution of the Christian churches by the authorities; Uzbekistan perhaps being the most restrictive country.  However, the various governments have a number of confining rules for the churches who choose to be registered, limiting the scope or freedom for the believers in expressing their faith publicly. On the basis of that, at times, local authorities imprison Christian leaders.  That is one reason why many fellowship of believers choose to gather “underground” in home churches, away from the prying eyes of the authorities.

FROM R.K.’S CORNER

This year, we celebrate with one of our partners, Yermek Balykbekov and his family, 20 years of ministry to his Kazakh people.  It is a far distance in time from being a young Kazakh athlete, passionately training in Marshall Arts in Moscow, Russia with the hope of being selected to the Olympic team, till 20 years later— a more seasoned man, married with three children, the oldest already through college, but with the same passion, this time reaching his Kazakh people with the life transforming Gospel  of Jesus Christ!

We have had the privilege of watching Yermek faithfully walk this journey of faith—definitely not an easy road, but a rewarding one as he watches lives being changed by the power of the Holy Spirit while he is ministers to them.  You can also follow his journey by going to our website, click on Countries, Central Asia, Kazakhstan.

In this month’s issue of The Bridge Report, Yermek is summarizing these years, and sharing what the Lord is showing him about his future ministry.  If you want to honor Yermek and his family with a financial gift, please click on the yellow DONATE button to the top right on this website, and mark your donation  “8342 Kazakh Worker”.

Update from Yermek Balykbekov — Karaganda, Kazakhstan

My wife and I have two precious daughters, the oldest is already attending college.  In 2004, God gave me a promise that we would also have a son.  By the grace of our loving God, in March 2019, He gave us that precious gift  – our long awaited son Ansar came to this world! We are so grateful to the Lord.

For a number of years, our Kazakh Fellowship was under the umbrella of the Word of Life’s Russian speaking church. In the Fall of 2019, I was being led by the Spirit of God to step out and enter into a new phase of ministry.  Some of the Kazakh and Russian fellows joined me and a new Christian Kazakh Fellowship was founded.  That was a historical moment for us all.  Prior to this, the vision I carried in my heart to see Kazakh people being saved and discipled through their own language and culture seemed to be “dead”.  But that was not in God’s plan.  In His time, He resurrects His own plans and purposes.

My story of stepping out of the denominational boat and walking by faith on top of the water may sound very encouraging to some of you, but it is not without a cost to self.

During the last seven years I had been in a desperate situation in my ministry and I was ready to quit. It was like, you don’t see anything ahead of you; nothing was happening in ministry; nobody was getting saved, healed and delivered; the church members were occupied with and distracted by the worries of this world.   It was so discouraging and demotivating! But there was one thing I wasn’t ready to quit: Praying and having devotional time with the Lord.

Here in Kazakhstan we have great steppes, which are expansive mountain plateaus with valleys in between. During the summer season I used to go up to a nearby steppe.  There I would seek the Lord and  pray while fasting. Sometimes I would be praying for 3-6 hours, desperately asking God to show me the way.  One day, while I was praying as usual and seeking His face, the Holy Spirit told me clearly: “You are so impatient, wait on my time”.

A few times I felt the Lord speak to me about moving out of the local church where I was assistant Pastor and leader of the Kazakh fellowship, and gradually I began to be confident in my heart it was from Him.  A couple of months later I met a Korean minister at a Pastor’s retreat in Almaty. She was prophesying to me that change was coming and that I would see the power of God be manifest.  I received it by faith and returned to my city. Two months after this prophesy, during another leadership gathering I met other anointed ministers from the U.S.A. and the U.K. They prayed for me and I was told that something was about to happen and I would see the Power of God in the ministry I had been doing.

The next day as I was praying in my prayer room in the church, suddenly a strong presence of God came upon me.  I was wrapped in His love and found myself lying on the floor, crying out and experiencing His love. I was crying for more two hours and couldn’t even get back up on my feet.  After that experience, something started happening. The manifest presence of the Lord began to be visible in our Kazakh ministry.  Salvation and hunger for the Word of God took place; people were  physically healed from diseases and freed from demonic bondage.

TESTIMONIES FROM PEOPLE

Below are three praise reports from our ministry, but there are many more.

My assistance’s wife had been diagnosed with spinal cancer.  She underwent surgery and chemo therapy, but it didn’t help much. The doctors didn’t give her any hope of recovery. We kept praying and interceding—and the Lord healed her!  After her healing, she went back to the doctor and ask to be tested, and the medical professionals confirmed she was totally  healed. She is doing great and is now serving the Lord with us!

An older man who is the brother of one of our sisters in the church had developed gangrene in his right leg from the knee to the toe.  He had been told by  his doctor that his leg needed to be amputated, otherwise he would die. His sister asked us to visit him and pray for him, but we were not able to get there, so we prayed over a piece of cloth and sent it with her to do what the disciples did in the Book of Acts.  She placed the cloth on his leg and prayed. Two weeks later we received a message that this old man’s leg was healed, the gangrene was gone and he had turned his heart to Christ. He had heard about Jesus many times before, but had refused the Gospel.  When the miracle happened, he could resist no longer.

Recently, a young Kazakh man attended our home group.  He had an infection in his inner ear, and the pus was seeping into his brain. Every morning when he woke up the pain caused him to take strong pain pills. When we prayed for him he felt heat radiating in his inner ear and into his brain, and suddenly pus began flowing out of his ear.  That night he slept very well, and when he woke up the pain was gone.  He needed no more pain pills!  After one month he visited his doctor who told him he did not need any surgery because the infection was gone and his ear was perfectly okay. He was deeply impacted by the Power of God, and although he did not repent right away, this miracle made him think seriously about who Isa (Jesus) really is. He is in the process of coming to know Jesus Christ.

THE VISION OF THE NEW CHURCH

As mentioned above, in October 2019, by the grace of God we planted a new Kazakh church and  ministry which we believe will reach people throughout Kazakhstan and beyond its borders.

  • Our vision and passion is to preach the Gospel and raise up a new generation of Jesus’ disciples who will go out and spread the Kingdom of God in our nation.
  • Our strategy is to partner and align with other Kazakh churches, home churches or fellowships for the sake of the Gospel.
  • We gather regularly with our Kazakh believers for teaching, encouragement, prayer and fellowship and building networks with other Kazakh pastors. In January we had a great fellowship meeting in Nursultan (former Astana).
  • We pursue the goal to spread the Kingdom of God, not denominations or church franchises, but cultivate God’s Kingdom culture so that our nation would be transformed from the inside–out by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Truth of the Word of God.
  • We believe this cannot be accomplished without the manifestation of God’s power by the Holy Spirit.

FROM R.K.’S CORNER

The timing of the Lord never ceases to amaze me: In 2003, John Macintosh, a Canadian missionary who at the time was serving in Russia with the ministry Athletes in Action visited us in our home in Florida.  He told us about Yermek Balykbekov, a young Kazakh he had met in Moscow who had four years prior come to faith in Jesus.  He had forsaken a potentially lucrative future in Martial Arts to follow God’s call to return to his homeland and reach his people for Jesus Christ. We were moved by the obedience and faith of this young man, and decided to get on the ground floor with him by sponsoring him and his new ministry.

Tomorrow, 17 years later, just at the time we are publishing this fresh update on Yermek and his life and ministry, John Mackintosh “happens” to be in South Florida and will again be visiting our home… for the second time!

Thanks to our faithful partners’ donations and prayers, we have been able for almost two decades to walk alongside Yermek in helping support his life and ministry.  To learn more about him and follow his and his fellowship’s journey of faith, please copy and paste the three links below:

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/october2011.pdf

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/2014/07/

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/2017/07/

Please mark your donations  8342 Kazakh Workers 2

P.S. Due to security reasons, we have blocked some of the believers’ faces.

 

 

 

Yermek Balykbekov — The Gospel Prospering among Ethnic Groups in Central Asia

BRIEF BACKGROUND INFO. ON CENTRAL ASIA

Central Asia includes the five republics of the former Soviet Union: Kazakhstan pop. 17.5 mill, Kyrgyzstan pop. 6 mill, Tajikistan pop. 8.5 mill, Turkmenistan pop. 5.4 mill, and Uzbekistan pop. 30.3 mill – a total population of almost 69 million. Afghanistan pop. 31.5 mill, is also sometimes included. Central Asia is historically tied to its nomadic, Turkish language-based peoples, of which there are 25 ethnic groups, and the Silk Road, which has acted as a crossroad for the movement of people, goods, and ideas between Europe, Western Asia, South Asia, and East Asia.  In the 3rd – 4th Centuries, the region was Christian, evangelized by Nestorian, Assyrian missionaries, but later Buddhism and Islam became the dominant religions. Today, there are less than 3% Christians in Central Asia, including the Orthodox Church. They are increasingly being discriminated against by the authorities – Uzbekistan perhaps being the most restrictive country against Christian believers.

REPORT FROM YERMEK BALYKBEKOV

In June, my wife and I, and our two daughters had a great opportunity, to spend our vacation in a very special way. In the middle of June, we traveled from our northern city Karaganda to Almaty, located in southern Kazakhstan, near the Chinese border.  We participated in a Turkish language speaking gathering of Pastors, (“kurultrai” in the Kazakh language), where national pastors and Christian leaders from Central Asia came together – from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tatarstan,  Turkey, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Karakalpakstan, and Christian leaders from the Uighur people.

During our gathering there were so many great and powerful testimonies that touched our hearts. Some of the pastors and church leaders have been persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ.  They are experiencing opposition from their families, the authorities, Muslim leaders, and their neighbors.  In spite of the many trials facing the followers of Isa (Jesus Christ), there is a deep hunger for God, so,  the number of those coming to faith and learning to be disciples of Jesus, keeps growing!

A leader from one of the Central Asian countries shared his testimony.  He told us how God used persecution for His own glory. That man (let’s call him Omar) was imprisoned for 15 days for simply being a believer and being unable to pay a fine of 1.500.00 USD, which is the penalty for being a Christian and doing religious activities in this country.  While in prison, he was placed in the same cell with an inmate who had been convicted of  terrorism.

Omar shared the Gospel, not by words, but by living out his faith day by day. Although the prisoners were given only one meal a day, he always prayed for the food.  His cellmate was amazed by Omar’s daily prayers for the food and for his joyful attitude towards every situation he faced. After a while, the Muslim prisoner began asking a lot of question about Omar’s beliefs.  Just before he was released, having daily been watching Omar’s life, he came to faith in Christ, expressing he had never met a man like Omar who was so full of hope, joy and faith – he wanted that!

When Omar himself was released from jail, he was sternly warned by the authorities not to preach about Jesus. You all know how the Apostles in the Book Acts responded when they were threatened not to share their faith; they just continued to preach!  

This was one of dozens of similar testimonies I heard in this conference. It proves that Central Asian believers are becoming more mature and eager to make disciples. Many of the them are working underground, due to safety issues for the believers and their families. Supernatural healing, visions and dreams are taking place in people’s lives, which also contribute to the spreading of the Gospel among Muslims, and the growth of the Church in Central Asia. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. I also strongly believe, it is due to the work of intercessor groups who have been faithfully praying  without ceasing.

During this vacation, my family and I also had the opportunity to visit brothers and sisters in Uzbekistan. It was great to be with them and hear so many testimonies, as well as sad stories of persecution. But, it is the price of being a believer who is a Christ follower!  There is a great hunger for the Lord among Uzbek Christians and they have great courage in spreading the Gospel. One of the Karakalpak (Central Asian ethnic group) brothers said to me this: We never pray that God will stop persecutions – we pray that God will give us boldness to preach the Gospel”.  These people are heroes of faith!

Dear partners, I want to encourage you not to give up in praying for the Central Asian nations and partnering with us the way only you can! Sometimes, we don’t see the results and get discouraged, but I tell you, they are there. Praise the Lord! We are all coworkers in His Kingdom! May God bless you!

In His Field, Yermek Balykbekov, Karaganda, Kazakhstan

FROM R.K.’S CORNER

Those of you who have been with us throughout the years know that The Bridge has been active in supporting the Christian faith in Central Asia by partnering with a number of indigenous faith-based groups various countries  It goes  back as far as 1993, when we helped establish the first Bridge-sponsored Bible-based Leadership School with Agape Evangelical Center in the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Gradually, our ministry began serving other groups and individuals in other areas. One of them is Yermek Balykbekov.

The partnership between Yermek and The Bridge began in 2004. To familiarize yourself with Yermek, his ministry, and our history together, please go to our web address on the Internet:

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/category/kazakhstan/

The hallmark of Yermek’s passion as a Pastor, is to see his Kazakh people, not only have faith in Isa (Jesus Christ), but become His disciples who reflect God’s Kingdom in every aspect of life  In this issue, Yermek reports from two gatherings of indigenous Christian leaders he attended in June, one in Kazakhstan, and one in Uzbekistan.  If you desire to join us in helping sponsor Yermek, please note Kazakh Workers 2 on your gift.  Thank you!

 

 

 

Kazakhstan – R.K.’s visit to Yermek Balykbekov in Karaganda

FROM R.K.’S CORNER

RK Ulrich 2012Kaz - Kar 2014 Yermenk with WifeIt is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe it is equally true that seeing in person is worth a thousand pictures.

In 2003, John Macintosh, a Canadian missionary to Russia who visited our home in Florida, shared Yermek Balykbekov‘s testimony with my husband and me.   A year later, I briefly met Yermek personally while in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It took, however, ten years — not until my trip to Central Asia in May – before I was able to personally see him and his family in their own home, which is located in the city of Karaganda.  In the interim, we had become good friends and ministry partners thanks to modern online technology which enables us to communicate directly face to face across the globe on the screen in real time. Karaganda is located in the central part of the country which is a ten hour ride by overnight “express” train due north from Almaty.

It was fun to be among Kazakh and Russian people without any guide or translator – no one on the train spoke a word of English; on the other hand, I am not fluent in either Russian or Kazakh.  The sink-and swim sense in trying to communicate and be understood without words is wonderfully challenging – I had a great time with the people on the train! Once in Yermek’s home, language was not an issue; both he and his wife are quite fluent in English. 

During my three day visit I stayed with Yermek, his wife Kamazhai and their children, and was met with boundless love and hospitality.  They walked me through their lives and community while introducing me to their friends, family, and church fellowship. A scrumptious celebration meal with members of their extended family who are believers in EISA (Jesus), was indeed a feast fit for a king —bountiful with many Kazakh delicacies, all made from scratch with natural ingredients!

Before you read on, you may like to familiarize yourself with Yermek’s background, testimony and ministry to his people.  You will find that by clicking on the PDF Archive button on the top menu list, then scroll down to the October 2011 Bridge Report and click on it. You can also click on the following link:

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/october2011.pdf

THE BACKDROPKaz - Kar 2014 Mosque

The diverse ethnic peoples of Central Asia were oppressed for seventy years under the brutal force of the Soviet Union with demands that they conform to the Russian language and culture to find their identity as the atheist “Soviet citizen”. In 1991, when the Central Asian peoples declared their independence and established their individual national boundaries, the young generation began searching for their identity and spiritual significance.

Being rooted in Islam since the 8th century, Kazakhstan reached back, rejected the Russian influence, and declared that the Kazakhs, their language and culture were to be dominant. Although the country comprises over 100 different ethnic groups, “The Kazakhs belong to Islam and Islam to the Kazakhs”, became the slogan. It was not publicly acknowledged that there were thriving Christian communities all throughout Central Asia in the six centuries before Islam, mainly due to the massive missionary efforts of the Assyrian church. The historic fact is – Christianity was there before Islam!

The years right after the fall of communism, Kazakhstan was wide open to the Gospel, being called “The Gateway” to the other more spiritually restrictive neighboring countries. The evangelists from the West found open hearts to faith in Jesus mainly among the ethnic Russians in the country. Agape in Almaty with whom I just celebrated their 25th Anniversary as Evangelical Center, is an example of that (see last month’s report).

It continues to be more difficult to reach ethnic Kazakhs with the Gospel, as they reject Jesus, considering Him to be a Russian or American god.  Another deterrent to the Gospel is a recent legislation which was passed and ratified by the President a couple of years ago, which has placed more government regulations on churches, and restricts individuals to openly share their faith in public.  This restrictive law does not as readily apply to the Muslims or the Orthodox church.  The new-found oil riches has lifted many out of poverty into a better life,  but with the drawback that the prosperity has created a consumer society of materialism which drowns out the quest and hunger for God. In spite of all that,  the young men in Karaganda flock to the magnificent-looking new mosque in the center of the city and find their identity in the resurgence of the Muslim faith. Not so many find their way to the Christian church.

YERMEK’S MINISTRY

Kaz - Kar 2014 Church - CrossYermek, more than anyone I know, understands the importance of presenting the Gospel so that it is relevant in the Kazakh cultural context. “We must demonstrate that receiving Jesus Christ does not mean we must forego our own culture to embrace a foreign one, but that in Him we become the person we were created to be as Kazakhs!”  A three time national Champion in Marshal Arts on behalf of Kazakhstan, Yermek laid down his future ambitions when he met Jesus Christ, and returned from Moscow to his home city where he tirelessly labors to present the Christian faith to his people. For several years he pastored a growing fellowship of new believers.Kaz - Kar 2014 Yermek at Kaz Church Recently, he felt called to merge his fellowship with one of the larger Russian-speaking churches in the city where he is Assistant Pastor and leader of the ethnic Kazakh believers within the church. “It is important that we understand who we are as Kazakhs in Christ, but also that we belong to and function together in love with the larger Body of Christ in the city and world-wide.  We recognize that God equally loves all nations of the world.”  He has been given space in the church building to decorate a large room in the Kazakh tradition where he conducts services , teaches, and trains the believers in the Word of God, using the Kazakh language.  Their meetings always include food and fellowship.

Kaz - Kar 2014 Intercession WallGreat emphasis is placed on intercessory prayer. The prayer corner has pictures of friends and family members being prayed for. “Prayer is the very backbone of what we do together. We are now in the period of the Islamic RAMADAN. We are surrounded by Muslims who faithfully pray five times a day to Allah. Should not we as believers in Christ pray the more to our God—the author of Life?” Kaz - Kar 2014 Yermek showing TrinityRegularly, he and a group of brothers do prayer walks in the city while proclaiming the Word of God over the people! To the left, Yermek points to the customary three intertwined strands of the circular wood that is placed at the open top of their traditional YURT, the customary movable home of the Kazakhs living the nomadic lifestyle on the steppes.  He likens it to a tangible symbol of the Biblical Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Their national string instrument,  the DOMBRA, is displayed in the background.

HOME AND FAMILYKaz - Kar 2014 Dessert with Family I had a delightful time with some of the believing members of Yermek and Kamazhai’s family. Hospitality with food is a hallmark of the Kazakh culture—it was quite a feast!  There were a variety of dishes of all sorts – meat, vegetables, fruits, pastries –  all colorful, tasty, and homemade!  The main dish is the traditional Beshparmak – “Five fingers”, signifying that it used to be eaten by hand, which is horse-meat with potatoes and vegetables, seasoned with culinary spices – after all, they live along the Silk Road! After dinner, I was given extravagant gifts — a gorgeous Kazakh national costume with hat, a shawl, and miniature handmade replica of a the yurt, the Central Asian camel (which has two humps) and the Dombra.

Kaz - Kar 2014 BeshparmakKaz - Kar 2014 Yermek and Kamashai at table

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE KAZAKH CULTURAL CENTER

Kaz - Kar 2014 Kazakh ArtifactsKaz - Kar 2014 Playing DombraYermek is actively engaged in The Kazakh Cultural Center downtown where both adults and young families with children are introduced to their Kazakh cultural and historic heritage.  So much was lost and forgotten during the seventy years of Soviet rule when the Russian language and culture were dominant. During my visit, I was introduced to language teachers and artists, musicians, and dance teachers  with many volunteers who conducted a variety of classes; the building was full of joyful activities by children  of all ages.  I was especially taken by the masterful playing of the national instrument, the DOMBRA, by the music teacher who was training a young girl how to play.  Please watch the video below:               The Center is an important meeting place for the building of inter-relationships between families within the community!  The glass cage above contains Kazakh artifacts still in use today.

Kaz - Kar 2014 Downtown Victory DayOne evening, I went with the family on a walk downtown. New, impressive buildings, expansive malls, broad avenues, and beautiful fountains with splashes of colorful lights demonstrate that Kazakhstan has made the leap into the modern world  and has been transformed from being known, just twenty five years ago, as the obscure hinterland of prison and labor camps for unwanted Soviet citizens to becoming a major economic and perhaps political force in today’s world.Kaz - Kar 2014 Yermek's Trade SpotTo supplement the rather meager Pastor’s salary, Yermek has opened an attractive trade spot, (kiosk) in the hallway of one of the malls downtown.  Among miscellaneous personal and household items, he sells mobile phone cards and accessories.  Right now it is touch-and-go, but “My goal is that, hopefully in the near future, my business will enable me to be fully self-supported as a minister of the Gospel.”

Yermek understands that if he is to effectively reach his people for Jesus Christ, he must be active and relevant both in church and in the marketplace. “We must not only preach the Gospel, we must also demonstrate it through our lives – just as Jesus did.”

We would like to raise an extra $500-$800 per month toward Yermek and his ministry.  If you want to sow into his life and ministry to his Kazakh people, you may either:

Give via PAYPAL by clicking on the DONATE button above and follow instructions, or:

Write your check to The Bridge International, mark it 8342 KAZAKH WORKERS 2, then send it by postal mail to:  The Bridge International, 13762 SW State Road 84, Suite 423, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33325.  

If you desire to give a set amount monthly, please download the Electric Funds Transfer Form (Direct Deposit) from the DONATE page above, fill it in and send it to us with an attached void check.  This authorizes us to withdraw your donation monthly from your bank account. You may also call me and give your EFT information over the phone:  +1-954-916-0521.

Two sisters — different ethnos, cultures, languages, backgrounds and outlooks on life—yet one in heart and spirit through Jesus Christ.

Two sisters — different ethnos, cultures, languages, backgrounds and outlooks on life—yet one in heart and spirit through Jesus Christ.

 

 

Kazakhstan, Almaty – Agape Evangelical Center’s 25th Anniversay Celebration

A splash of colors with worship, music, dance, prayers, exhorting Biblical teaching, food and fellowship — a magnificent three day celebration with close to a thousand indigenous Christian believers in this Muslim-dominated country! A new fellowship hall was just added to the church building with Isaiah 54:2 (“Enlarge the place of your tent…”) pasted in large letters on the wall as a statement that God’s Kingdom keeps expanding in Kazakhstan!Kazakhstan - Agape 25 Celeb 1 Kazakhstan - Agape 25 Celeb 2 Kazakhstan - Agape 25 Celeb 3FROM R.K.’S CORNER

RK Ulrich 2012In the last three months, I have traveled overseas to several countries where The Bridge has been in partnership with indigenous believers for a number of years.  The most extensive was a three week visit in May to Central Asia, which caused me to delay the May Bridge Report till this month, so this is a combined May/June issue.

The purpose for my visit was to partake in the 25th anniversary celebration of Agape Evangelical Center in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and visit two other Bridge partners: Sargon Daniali and his family in Almaty, as well as Yermek Balykbekov and his extended family in Karaganda. My itinerary also included a trip to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

In 1992, our Bridge team met Baikal Dzoziev, a Russian Kazakh, in Moscow during a conference we sponsored on behalf of renown Bible teacher Derek Prince, who was the main speaker.  In the late eighties during the communist era, Baikal had come to faith in Jesus after a traumatic event.  He and a comrade had gone trekking in the nearby mountains of Almaty when they were overtaken by an avalanche which buried them both and killed his friend.  Pinned under masses of snow, Baikal, then an atheist communist, cried out to a God he did not know, and promised that if He would rescue him and let him live, he would seek to find Him and serve Him.  Miraculously, he got out, and came to faith in Jesus.

Shortly afterwards, he met three other underground believers — Yuri, Nikolai, and Natasha.  In 1989, they formed Mission Agape, knowing the Lord had called them to share their faith with others in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.  Although still illegal to be a Christian, the team began to openly evangelize in streets and parks.  Several times they got in trouble with the authorities.  That did not deter them; they kept on sharing their faith, and people responded!

In 1992, three years later after Mission Agape was founded. The Bridge came alongside these new believers and began helping them in their ministry.  Agape Church was established, and in 1993, The Bridge helped establish a Bibleschool for church planters, and for several years sponsored their school (now Bible College), church planting, and pioneer outreaches of the graduates. Agape has been fully financially self-supported for more than a decade — it is in every way an  indigenous Christian Center in Kazakhstan!

At the 20th anniversary in 2009, I expounded in several Bridge issues on the founding and history of Agape. To learn more, please copy and paste into your browser:

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/may2009.pdf

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/july2009.pdf

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/august2009.pdf

You may also find these articles on this website by clicking on the PDF Archive button and go to the May, July, and August  2009 issues.Kazakhstan - Agape 25 Celeb 4

Kazakhstan - Agape 25 Celeb 5 THE MOTTO OF THE CELEBRATION: PSALM 118:19-21

“Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.  This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter through it.  I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation.”