Ministry Center Updates 2004 Page 1 

Last Updated 5/14/2004

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2004 Summary: We continue to hold an evangelistic lunch every Friday.  We are currently reading through the Gospel of Luke at the lunch.  Eyesha is still cooking for us with help from her sisters and children now and then.  15-20 people attend every week most of them elderly but some are our age or younger.  About 10 are from our building and the rest from the surrounding apartment buildings. Molly is leading a ladies Bible study here in Kalkaman every Monday.  We have also started a Tuesday evangelistic meeting for young men, a Wednesday Bible study for Seniors who are believers, and a Thursday evangelistic meeting for Seniors.

 

Above:  Our Ministry Center.  Our office is on the second floor of this former dormitory for Hospital workers.  Two hospitals are across the street.

Above:  Evangelistic Lunch in our apartment/ministry center.  

Above.  Ladies Bible Study in Kalkaman.  Left To Right: 

Molly, Goolmira (Byeram's wife.) 

 

Above:  Left to Right.  Kuterbye and Sahrat Ata are the first two people in Kalkaman to profess Christ during our ministry.  Byeram is our full-time partner in ministry.

Kuterbai.  His name means “rich in visiting friends and neighbors”.  He is 51 years old.  He has struggled all year with alcoholism.  On May 11, 2004 he finally went in to a treatment program.  He loves to read the Bible and is eager to learn. 

 

Sahrat Ata (Whose name means time.  We call him "Father Time", 77 years old.  Sahrat was a shepherd all his life.  His wife died about 30 years ago.  Sahrat and was about a days journey from home when his wife died.  For some reason Sahrat's son blames him for his wife's death and beats him up every 6 months or so when he is drunk.  He is also grieved because he has not been able to have a child with his wife of 10 years.  Usually, a husband leaves his wife after 3 years if they haven't been able to have a child.  Sahrat had trouble hearing and we have helped him to have his ears cleaned several times.  Now he can hear pretty well.  It is important for him to be able to hear well because he can't read.  He is very forgetful.  After hearing the gospel a few times from Byeram he said one day: "I want to profess Christ right now because in a few minutes I might be able to remember what Jesus did for me."  He always remembers to take the bus to church in town by himself every Sunday.  He is a model of faithfulness, humility, and affection for his fellow believers.  He always gives me a big hug when he sees me.

 

Eight people who live in Kalkaman have professed faith in Christ:

 June 2003  Kuterbai  Age 51  His name means:  "frequent guest or frequent visitor."
 July 2003  Sahrat  Age 73  His name means:  "time."  We call him grandfather time.
 August 2003  Aman Kelduh  Age 60  His name means "health came"
 September 2003  Goolnara  Age 48  Her name means "Camel flower."
 October 2003  Daria  Age 59  Her name means "talent, gift, or ability."
 November 2003  Saldat  Age 60
 February 2004  Djuma Rhalee  Age 35  His name means "Friday."
 March 2004  Eye Djamal  Age 45  Her name means "beautiful moon."

  

Above:  Daria and Aman Keldi.   He professed Christ in August, she in October of 2003.  They live with one of their sons and he is very upset about their new faith.  Aman Keldi told his son that his faith was his own business but Daria Apai is not sure what to do but she has many questions relating to the usual worries about whether your nationality determines your religion. Aman Keldi has some brain damage from drinking and blows to the head.  He gets a headache when he reads more than 5 minutes at a time but he is able to understand Scripture. Pray for their two sons.

Above:  Goolnara and Molly.   Goolnara professed faith in Christ in September.  Her and Kuderbye want to get married.  They attended pre-marital counseling with me.  They both have drinking problems.  Goolnara has decided not to enter the treatment center with Kuderbye.  Pray for both of them to grow spiritually.

(Update: Kuderbye only lasted 1 month the first time he entered rehab.  But in September of 2004 both Kuderbye and Goolnara entered.  See Ministry Center 2005.)

The following are also frequent guests at our Evangelistic Lunch
Above:  Maria, Roozila, Noorzila.   Maria lives on the fourth floor with her husband Karowbek (photo above right).  Karowbek works at the live sheep bazaar.  Roozila is one of our oldest friends here.  We visited her family in her home village on the Aral Sea in 2003.  Noorzila (with head scarf) has had poor health this last winter.  She is 72 years old, a widow, and lives with Roozila in the apartment next door to our ministry center/office. Above:  Dave, Kumbat. Dave and Kumbat live on the 4th floor.  They have been married for 54 years.  Dave (not his real name) is a devout Muslim.  He goes to Friday prayer at the central Mosque every week after our lunch.  They have been coming to our lunch for 2 years, since they moved here from another city to be near their children and grand children.  They are "great" people by the world's standards.  Pray for their salvation.
Left:  Eye Sulu, Maria, Kuanish.  They all come regularly to our lunch.  Eye Sulu lives on the 9th floor.  She washes the 9 story main stairway in our building every day.  Her 85 year old father, husband and 2 young sons have also come.  Maria lives on the 7th floor.  She is a widow.  She is Russian Orthodox.  Kuanish (her names means joy) sells sunflower seeds at the bus stop outside our apartment building.  She is 70 years old and a widow.  She has visited Germany.  
In the back yard of our Ministry Center:
Above:  Former English club students play "Asuk".  This game is like marbles except is is played for and with sheep knuckles. Above:  2003/2004 projects.  Last year's big project was building a 200 foot long fence to separate our apartment buildings' back yard from the new houses behind us.  It also keeps garbage from blowing in and sheep and cattle from grazing and messing up our yard.  This year Byeram and I built 3 metal tables with benches and a metal ping-pong table (with a metal net).  We cemented the tables into the ground to discourage the ubiquitous thieves who love to take 1 or two pieces of metal every month.  We have 1 of 4 metal swings left and three fourths of our two sand boxes (2001 projects) have been scavenged already!

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