Osh!

Our first week in Kyrgyzstan we were in Bishkek with our whole squad. We were given this time to adjust and rest. Simultaneously, getting a taste of the ministry in Bishkek. In that time, I got to pray with a Turkish man after he saw me reading my Bible, hear the testimonies of local believers who fight for their faith daily, cry to my friend in repentance, be prayed over by my whole squad and relinquish a lot of fears to the Lord. Then we prepared to jump back on a plane to Osh. I saw the most insane views of my life and made friends with a baby sitting in front of me. It was epic.

We land in Osh and the smell of air pollution and samsas waft in the air as the call to prayer sounds the city. Walking through Osh, you will find rocks towering over a bustling city. Cars weaving around each other, graciously leaving a centimeter of space for others to get through. Let’s just say they’re not much for keeping distance. Even the women will hold hands as they walk and almost always greet one another with a hug. The air is cold, but the people are anything but that. It could be that we are quite possibly the only Americans in this town, or because of the overwhelming hospitality. Either way, we are received well. I’ve even managed to make friends with a very adorable dog I see on my usual walking route. I named him Oreo for obvious reasons.

Our time has mostly been spent at a local coffee shop. While it’s given us time to be over caffeinated on loads of tea, it’s also given us the opportunity to be on a first name basis with all the workers there. The tables are few, but the people are not. The walls are decorated with what seems to be rugs but with questionable designs. The window is arranged with plants of all kinds. In the back, there’s a floor to ceiling bookshelf with books I have no interest in reading.

But our main point of ministry is teaching English in the universities. We then get in touch with students to meet over tea afterwards. This is where we can openly share our faith to the Muslim world. I’ve experienced a deep sadness for those believing that they aren’t in need of a savior and that Jesus was merely a prophet. I’ve had countless conversations that have shown me that so many young people believe whatever they’re told with no question or thought. However, there is one particular girl who I’ve felt the Lord imprinted onto my heart from the moment I met her, who is a very devout Muslim. Her name is Cayls and ironically sounds like the word “callous”. That’s exactly how I see her heart: calloused over by hurt and shame. She is a very gifted teacher and I can see her being a very powerful believer in the Kingdom of God, but I know I’m going to have to fight for her in prayer. So please, if you would join me to intercede for her to see her come to acknowledge Jesus as her savior.

The Lord has blessed me in ways I didn’t even know I needed in this time. I’m with a smaller team this month (2 boys and 2 other girls) and I think He’s teaching me to find different ways to connect and love than I’m familiar with. Also my team had the opportunity to drive to the mountains this past weekend to go skiing. Not quite Colorado skiing, but it was a cultural experience that’s for sure. The chair lift was similar to watching wipeout on replay with a bunch of large Kyrgyz women holding on for dear life in order to sled down the mountain. But these people love to laugh, and just laughed it off after going face first into straight ice in front of a very large group of people. Then as you’re going up the lift, to the right is a giant dance circle with old and young dancing to some kind of foreign music. As we make our way to the top, Nick and I hike past the end of the drop off to the very top of the mountain to ski some fresh powder. On our way we find ourselves acquainted with an entire group of Pakistani men filming some kind of music video. Where at the top, we preceded take a photo with each individual because American = celebrity. Then skiing down, I pass by a few people casually riding horses through the snow. Yea. So, a day to remember. With all of us slightly sunburnt and extremely sore, we ended the day with getting shawarma from our favorite place on the street corner.

We have one more week in Osh so there’s more where this came from:)