In many ways, it feels as though it was only yesterday I was learning my first words in the local language, the various modes of transportation and their routes, and navigating the many cultural differences. But, when thinking month-by-month about the many things I have learned and all the things the Lord has done, it has indeed been seven months of watching Him at work here! I am genuinely thankful for each day I have spent here – both the challenging ones, and the joyous ones – and consider it such a privilege being here. The challenging days have been refining, and the joyous ones have been faith building, but together, they have resulted in a greater love for my Saviour. 

I vividly remember the day when I was first introduced to my Gypsy friends, all of whom are apart of a 35,000 unreached people group here in Central Asia. At that time, the soil was hard, the truth about Jesus was not known, and the home visits were primarily medical in nature.   But because of God’s grace and the persistent prayers of many, today’s report is much different. Although connections have been established with numerous Gypsy villages in the region, there are three villages, in particular, that we have focused much of our time, energy and resources. God has lead our team to specific people in each of these three villages whose hearts are softening, seeking, and growing increasingly hungry for the truth. In recent weeks, by God’s grace, we have started an informal Discovery Bible Study group with the Mayor (and his wife) of one of these Gypsy villages. We are journeying through the storyline of the Bible, starting from Creation, to Adam and Eve, to the Fall, to Cain and Able, to Noah (just finished Gen 6:5-9 this week) and so on. In addition to the major and his wife, there are often others (family or neighbours) present for the study, as they just happen to visit at the same time as our team. As a result, this has revealed to us other Gypsies in the village whose hearts are soft and ears are open. This week, when discussing the wickedness of man’s heart and how it grieved the heart of God, one of our Gypsy friends expressed the need to offer sacrifices to God in order to atone for these bad deeds and our wicked hearts. That is a widely held belief here, and therefore, it isn’t surprising that the two biggest celebrations each year here are centered around the sacrifice of an animal. With that being said, my heart is filled with much excitement and anticipation for the day when the eyes of our Gypsy friends are opened to the beautiful – once and for all – sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Please be praying that the truth of the Gospel would be revealed to them and that they would understand, believe, and trust in the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

 In other news, this coming weekend our team is venturing to another Gypsy village about 2 hours away for a sleepover. A year ago my team leaders visited this village, and since then, many invites have been extended and doors remain for our current team to return again.   I have heard many encouraging things about the first visit to this particular village, one example being their desire to learn (and dance to?) a worship song in the local language. I am excited for our time together with them this weekend and I will be sure to pack my dancing shoes. The Mayor and his wife (mentioned above) will also be joining us, as two of their daughters now live there. During sleepovers, a large portion of our time is spent sitting, drinking tea, and talking…although I do try sneaking away to play with the overwhelming amount of children anxiously standing outside the windows and doors waiting for someone to pay attention to them. How could you say no to the many dirty faces and noses pushed up against the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of what is going inside? Given the extended time we have for conversation during these sleepover events, we are praying for opportunities to share stories from the Word and perhaps even sing new songs together. Please be praying for our team this week as we prepare stories and learn new songs to share this weekend. Also, please pray that language would not be a barrier and that eyes would be opened and hearts would believe in the truth of the Gospel.

Another prayer item I would like to highlight is an upcoming meeting taking place in the Gypsy village we visit weekly. Recently, it was brought to our attention by the aforementioned Mayor, that the leader responsible for the wider community (meaning, the Gypsy village and surrounding villages) would like to meet with our team. A date has not yet been set, but we will most likely connect with this leader during one of our visits to the Gypsy village in the near future. Our motivation and reasons for visiting the village are being questioned. I will keep you updated as further details unfold.

If you find yourself with a few spare moments, feel free to check out my Flickr Photostream at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/128841565@N04/sets/

My prayer support page has also been updated.