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Summer 2008

“It is almost as if Moscow has become part of Central Asia” – or the Caucasus…!

“There are so many people from Central Asia in Moscow now,” said a Central Asian friend who recently visited our office. “It is almost as if Moscow has become part of Central Asia! We would like to open a centre for them, a place where they could feel safe and at home, and where they could come for help – many of them do not feel at ease on the streets of Moscow. There are several Christians among them, but because of the situation in their home countries they didn’t dare take their Bibles with them when they left. So now we are in a strange situation – earlier we didn’t have Bibles in Central Asia, but now there are Bibles there, but not for Central Asian believers here in Moscow! We are looking for literature in these languages. People can get hold of Russian Bibles, but they don’t understand Russian, they need the Bible in their own languages.”

It is interesting with all these believers from Central Asia who share their Christian faith with Russians here in Moscow. Some of the women are working in homes for elderly Russians. They spend time with them and tell them of the love of Christ. When I am stopped by the police they see that I come from Central Asia, but when I show them my student card they see that I am studying at a Bible college. Then they say – but aren’t you a Muslim, as you come from Central Asia? So I tell them about my faith, and I have had many good conversations in this way.

The other day our friend returned with joyful news: “Last Sunday we had our first meeting for Central Asians in a place outside Moscow,” he said. “There were about twenty five of us from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakstan, Tajikistan, and even from Karakalpakstan, all Christians. Now we plan to meet regularly for prayer and fellowship, to encourage each other and to reach out to our compatriots here in Moscow. We need Bibles in all these languages!”

The Caucasians are another group of people that are to be found almost everywhere in Moscow, especially serving in shops and trading in markets. “My mother is Chechen and my father is Kumyk, so I know both languages,” said a young woman in a local bakery. “And I am Dargin,” her colleague added. When they heard that we have books about God in Kumyk, Chechen and Dargin, they were delighted. “Please bring the books. Of course we can read in our languages,” they said.

Wherever they are - Central Asia, the Caucasus, or Moscow - people enjoy the Bible in their mother tongue. Thank you for your support for the translation work - it is needed during the summer months, too!

 Here you can sign for the IBT Russia/CIS monthly English Newsletter

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