Adventist Review Online | Prayer Brings New and Former Members to Church in Central Asia

May 2, 2017

Kyrgyzstan Adventists prove once more that prayer makes a difference.

By: Euro-Asia Division News

Under that guiding principle that “nothing frightens Satan as much as the prayers of a believer,” Seventh-day Adventist coordinators of prayer groups in the Central Asia country of Kyrgyzstan met in the capital city of Bishkek April 7-9 for a conference on the principles and practice of prayer. The event combined the leaders of prayer groups in the Kyrgyzstan Mission, as well as a prayer advisory session of the leaders in the Southern Union Mission, a church region based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and which includes Kyrgyzstan.

Prayer ministries in the area have established prayer groups in the local churches in Kyrgyzstan for a second consecutive year. Prayer groups have been an effective tool for learning, identifying spiritual gifts, and educating new leaders. At the same time, prayer has proven to be a notable missionary tool. Organizers say that God has been working on the hearts of people drawn to the church and Bible truth.

Meetings themselves, which included practical workshops on the topic, were immersed in solemn prayer. A prayer breakfast provided inspiration for spiritual events scheduled throughout the day, as it gave everyone the opportunity of engaging in a special prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, participants prayed for God’s blessings on the nations of Central Asia, local church growth, and a revival and reformation experience through the study of God’s Word.

Inspiring Experiences

The leaders of various prayer groups in the Kyrgyzstan Mission had the opportunity of sharing inspiring experiences related to prayer.

One of the prayer leaders named Galina shared how, when her group began to pray systematically, amazing things began to happen. “As we prayed, the Lord was preparing and leading people to Him,” she said. “Last September, an older couple, Victor and Tatiana, visited our church in Bishkek. They said that they were impressed by the simplicity of the service, and by the importance given to a deep study of the Bible.”

Galina explained how they ended up studying the Bible and expressed their desire to be baptized. “Now we are looking forward to our evangelistic series in June,” she said, “where Victor, Tatiana, and other people will join the family of God.”

Nina, the leader of a Minsk women prayer group in Belarus’ capital city, also spoke about the reason for the joy that her group experiences. “We decided to organize a prayer group in my sister’s place,” she said. “Her son used to be a church member, but eventually stopped attending and lost touch with the congregation.” Nina said that when her group met to pray, the young man tried to leave the house time after time, but somehow, was never able to. “Finally, in one of our meetings, he decided to stay and pray with us,” said Nina, “and the following Sabbath, we met him at church!”

“The repeated calls to prayer in Scripture is what motivates us to take quality time with the Lord,” wrote one of the organizers in reporting about the prayer conference. “As beloved children of God, it is our privilege to be in constant communion with heaven.”

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