Eurasian Baptist Youth Workers Conference 2007 - Kiev

What an amazing experience it has been being invited to be at the Eurasian Baptist Youth Workers conference. Representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Kurgistan, Moldova attended the annual gathering. This is a fellowship of youth workers of countries that were a part of the former CIS (Soviet) era so for the working language of the conference was Russian. I was the only non native Russian speaker attending and was graciously treated and had my own interpreter for the conference and the session I spoke at. It was an intense time of learning and sharing. My room mates from both Turkmenistan and Kurgistan shared with me thier lives and how challenging it is to be a believer under persecution and political and cutlural adversity. It makes you thankful for what you have and increases your prayer life! The one young lad from Turkmenstan shared of persecution against the four Baptist churches that have been struggling to have witness under a cruel and forbidding regieme. There is hope that now under a new president (the last one just died and not many miss him!) there will be hopefully new religious freedom. Pray for the incredible work that is going on in Ukraine and Russia with 100's of leaders reaching out to 1000's of youth across these vast territories. Also pray for the assistance they give to other poorer countries like Moldova and the other countries mentioned.