This past week our team has been celebrating "Naoriz" - the local Kazakh New Year. I had the pleasure of "hosting" a pair of Lutheran brothers and showing them around the various Kazakh communities in our province of Hovd. David, the fellow shown here, has been working in Kazakhstan for several years and was able to pull out his dombraa (Kazakh 2-stringed guitar) and wow each household with a popular song as well as a traditional worship song or two. This in itself was quite a ministry, as many Kazakhs cannot play the dombraa themselves. Their situation calls for Mongolian culture in their socio-economic lives and Arabic culture in their spirituality.
We were able to visit a countryside town and this new growing house church. Although most of them are Mongolian, the woman on the right (and her daughter) is a faithful Kazakh believer and was thrilled with the worship and Bible we gifted to her in her own language. We went with her to various neighbors' and brothers' homes that day - sharing good Kazakh food and fellowship and engaging in many great discussions about God's glory and Christ our King. There was a great deal of openness and reserved searching, and it was en-boldening to see the early fruit of God's Kingdom in that place.
The next day we visited some households in our city and then traveled to another countryside town where they were hosting a "county fair" - wrestling, horse and camel races, a small concert, and the Kazakh tug-of-war with a goatskin. It was a fabulous cultural experience! Unfortunately we only had time to visit with two households there, and pray for a Kazakh family with a sick child which seems open to God's Word. There is much for us to learn and do... happy Kazakh New Year!
This past week our team has been celebrating "Naoriz" - the local Kazakh New Year. I had the pleasure of "hosting" a pair of Lutheran brothers and showing them around the various Kazakh communities in our province of Hovd. David, the fellow shown here, has been working in Kazakhstan for several years and was able to pull out his dombraa (Kazakh 2-stringed guitar) and wow each household with a popular song as well as a traditional worship song or two. This in itself was quite a ministry, as many Kazakhs cannot play the dombraa themselves. Their situation calls for Mongolian culture in their socio-economic lives and Arabic culture in their spirituality.
We were able to visit a countryside town and this new growing house church. Although most of them are Mongolian, the woman on the right (and her daughter) is a faithful Kazakh believer and was thrilled with the worship and Bible we gifted to her in her own language. We went with her to various neighbors' and brothers' homes that day - sharing good Kazakh food and fellowship and engaging in many great discussions about God's glory and Christ our King. There was a great deal of openness and reserved searching, and it was en-boldening to see the early fruit of God's Kingdom in that place.
The next day we visited some households in our city and then traveled to another countryside town where they were hosting a "county fair" - wrestling, horse and camel races, a small concert, and the Kazakh tug-of-war with a goatskin. It was a fabulous cultural experience! Unfortunately we only had time to visit with two households there, and pray for a Kazakh family with a sick child which seems open to God's Word. There is much for us to learn and do... happy Kazakh New Year!
