On this trip in the Caucasus, an event from my past comes to mind. I hadn’t missed a single scout evening, so I got a book as a prize. It was for a long time a highlight in my life: “Adventures in the Gobi Desert” by Sven Hedin. That’s when I discovered that there had been Swedish missionaries who had worked in the same places as Hedin in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Right where I was now.
Hedin read the Bible many nights by the light of a lamp as his devotion. Kind of like I’m doing on my trip now. That has led me to meet many Christians in these countries. People from many different ethnic groups.
Some of them have received the Bible in their language. For many, Jesus has come close and shaken up their lives. On this trip, I’ve been able to follow evangelists who talk and pray the salvation prayer with people. It’s amazing to be part of seeing the unreached reached with the gospel and following Jesus. This is happening right now among many in our target area. Maybe soon we’ll see them forming churches for their own language group.
One group that has been forgotten is the deaf. Right now, video recordings of different books of the Bible are being made in sign language. The people in Central Asia and the Caucasus have different signs to communicate with each other. That’s why different sign language translations are needed, so that everyone can access God’s Word in the language of their heart.
During the trip, I get to see how special congregations for the deaf are being founded all over the place, from house groups to churches with 200 members. Some of the people I meet are eagerly waiting to see the next chapter in, for example, the Gospel of Mark. What happens with Jesus, and what does it mean in my own life?
Where do we find the same eagerness in our congregations and in our own lives? Are we passionate about the unreached hearing about Jesus?
Myggan Kallfors, Åtvidaberg Free Church Congregation/Jesus4Eurasia
AI-translation from Swedish
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