Day 7
Kyrgyzstan
Jesus, You teach us in Your word that those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. We pray for Christian Believers in Kyrgyzstan to be pure in heart; to take good care of their hearts as out of the overflow of our hearts, the mouth speaks. We pray that their speech will be life-giving. We pray You will give them many opportunities to speak about Jesus in a way that wins souls. We pray that the testimony of their lives, what they speak and what they do, will clearly point to Jesus (The Bible, James 1:26).
Kyrgyzstan remains one of the poorest countries in post-Soviet Central Asia. Unemployment, corruption, inflation, and religious and human-rights violations still plague people’s lives, as it did before the Tulip Revolution. In 2010 a parliamentary constitution with elaborate checks and balances was adopted, making Kyrgyzstan the only Central Asian country in which the president is limited to a single term. Most Kyrgyz are nominal Muslims, but a growing Islamic identity is concerning. A lack of growth in the Church has been observed. There is diversity even within Kyrgyz culture: city, youth, and village cultures, Russian and Kyrgyz speakers, let alone other people groups including Uzbeks, Tajiks, and Uyghurs who live in Kyrgyzstan. This poses a very real challenge for effective church planting.
