For the past 6 months or so we've been praying for Ben - who has been overseas working with local Christians in Central Asia. He's now back in Bristol - here's some reflections from Ben on his time away:
Having
just got back from my time in Central Asia, it’s been good to have
some time to reflect on my time there. It was a hugely worthwhile
time, not just from a language point of view, but also in terms of
what God was teaching me through His word and the people He had
placed around me.
It
was good to learn from those who had spent many years in the country
working with leaders in local fellowships as well as unbelieving
locals. Seeing their faithful perseverance to local peoples’
spiritual needs, despite often fruitless periods, was a great example
to follow. It was a particular challenge to start thinking about what
God’s people might look like in another context, as they seek to
achieve the balance of being culturally relevant (without being
unnecessarily ‘western’) whilst guarding faithfulness to Biblical
standards at the same time. It was also a real privilege to get
alongside believers in the context of student groups, seeing many of
them with a real desire to faithfully grapple with the truths of
God’s word and share their faith with others, despite the
difficulties they face. It struck me how the Good News we have really
has changed, and indeed is changing lives, all over the world.
I
enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know several locals, mainly
through the language centre where I taught English and studied
Russian. I found sharing the gospel is a real challenge there, mainly
due to the language barrier and the fact that people are coming from
a really different mindset to most in the UK. However, in God’s
grace people are coming to know Him – a particular example of God’s
sovereignty in people’s salvation was in the seemingly strange
situation in which one local Russian friend became a believer through
an Afghan refugee, who God had in turn brought to Himself through a
Malaysian worker!
Thank
you so much for your thoughts and prayers over this past year, I am
really looking forward to being back in Bristol this coming year and
being back involved at Emmanuel.
Ben
