– Names have been changed –
Recent months have proven wonderfully different for one SGA-supported church in Central Asia. Rather than being repeatedly inspected by the authorities, they have been left free to celebrate six baptisms of new believers who, having come from Islamic backgrounds, recognise the dangers of publicly expressing their faith in Christ, but if called to do so, are willing to suffer the consequences.
One such is Akmal. Having long rejected the truth of the Gospel, he went one day to the House of Prayer and was surprised to find not only that the service was in his native language, but also how many indigenous believers were in attendance. Akmal kept on going to meetings and, after a few months, accepted Christ as both his Lord and Saviour.
His wife, though, was not happy. Unwilling to live with somebody whom she now considered to be an infidel, she left the family home with their one-year-old son and went to stay with her father. After this, solely because of his love for Jesus, Akmal was both rejected by the rest of his family and sacked from his regular employment.
His faith though, remains firm. He continues to grow spiritually by studying the Scriptures and attending the church where the leadership were pleased to find work for him as a driver. He refuses to divorce his wife, in the hope that one day he will be reunited to both her and his son.
Please pray for Akmal.