Central Asia: Pray for TURKMENISTAN Outreach.

This week we have a special focus of Prayer for Turkmenistan, a country in Central Asia.
Muslims make up 89% of the population in Turkmenistan, and most Turkmen cite Islam as an integral part of their daily life and culture. An additional 10% of the population are of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the religion of the remaining 1% of the population is unknown, according to the CIA World Factbook.

A Special Initiative in Turkmenistan – May 15-20.

Rev. Roman Purshaga, who is leading a special initiative from the Russian Assemblies of God, has requested the following prayer requests:

AGWM and the Russian Assemblies of God have been partnering together to strengthen a group of Pentecostal churches and to establish an autonomous and self-sustainable council/network that would later join the World AG Fellowship in the Central Asian country of Turkmenistan.

This is groundbreaking work, as it was unimaginable before, considering the degree of persecution and opposition from the regime. But God has allowed us to train and consult key leaders from various parts of the country.
Not only were we able to consolidate our efforts, but there has been significant leadership development and a refined sense of what should be done in order to see a church-planting movement in the country.

‘It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” ‘

Romans 15:20-21

We request Prayer for this special initiative and for the following areas:

1. The logistics of getting everyone to the training country, Uzbekistan: for the Turkmen to arrive, they must obtain visas in the Turkmen capital, cross the country by airplane, then leave the country by a land border crossing, then take a long trip across the country to arrive at the training location..  
2. Health over each participant, leader, and hosts: each of our previous meetings have had some amount of sickness or injury associated with it. Pray for everyone to remain healthy, safe, and full of strength. 
3. The young adults to be raised up to reach the next generation of Turkmen: pray that they are able to get connected to other young adults in their region and recognize their opportunity to be the next leaders in the church. 
4. Protection for family members not coming to the meetings: pray for the children and family that are waiting for family members to return from these meetings. Pray for the families of the Turkmen that will join us, as well as our own families that will stay behind. Pray that each one is positively affected by the seminar, even if they are not in attendance. 
5. The Holy Spirit to indwell the Turkmen: We have seen the Holy Spirit poured out in our previous meetings, and we long to see His power continue to be poured out onto the participants. 
6. The teaching to be anointed: please pray for each person that will be teaching, and for the Lord to guide the teaching in the way He would like it to go.
7. The participants to be fully present in the meetings: jet lag, language barriers, and home lives can be a distraction for the participants. Please pray that they recognize the brevity of the time we have together, and focus in on each session. 
8. Pray for a Breakthrough!  The villages in Turkmenistan that are hard to reach: The Turkmen leadership are seeking new provinces that are not yet reached or have very little Christian presence. Pray for better access and creative ways to reach them. 
9. The children in Turkmenistan to be raised up in the Word: Pray for great teachers and mentors for the children who desire to see them grow and become leaders themselves.  
10. Pray for the trainings to be clear, no matter how many languages it must filter through. 
11. The seminar will result in expansion of the Church in Turkmenistan: pray that the leaders in attendance will understand how to use the teaching and apply it back in Turkmenistan, and even it teach it to others.
12. Global University correspondence courses to be widely accepted and used: We have recently made the courses available in their languages, and they are asking if they can share it with other churches. Be praying that this causes a domino effect of solid biblical teaching. 
13. Unity within the churches: the churches are spread all across the country of Turkmenistan, and they are a close-knit community, but pray that as growth happens, the unity from the Holy Spirit also grows.
14. Protection from false teaching: as we see around the world and we see in the New Testament, false doctrines and even cults can infiltrate the church. Please pray that the leadership and each member of the church is able to recognize false teachers and their messages. 
15. Unity between ethnic groups in Turkmenistan: due to border divisions, the country of Turkmenistan is a mixture of Russians, Turkmen, and Uzbek, as well as some others from surrounding nations. Please pray that these people are able to see themselves as one in Christ, not separate people groups. 
16. Peace from hard situations in Turkmenistan: life and ministry are very difficult in Turkmenistan, and the church is not immune to sinful behavior. Pray for wisdom and peace for the leadership as they navigate the difficult situations and behaviors among their people.
17. Government in Turkmenistan: trying to navigate legal ways of doing ministry can lead to frustration. Pray for the leadership to have peace and the ability to speak wisdom to anyone that tries to thwart the plans of the Lord. 
18. Wisdom in how to navigate cultural moments: learning how to be a Christian at funerals, weddings, and religious ceremonies and holidays can be a challenge. Pray for the participants and church to learn how to represent Christ and continue to be a light for their families and neighbors. 
19. The seminar center: prayer for our host, her family, and for the center that hosts us to be blessed to continue to be a blessing.  
20. Each person to use the time wisely and intentionally: in the past, we’ve seen the Turkmen visit family members that live near the center in order to share the Gospel, we’ve seen the Turkmen share with their taxi drivers that had no option but to listen as they drove them across the country. Pray that each person continues to use the time to its fullest potential. 

Thank you for praying for Turkmenistan.

For More information on Turkmenistan: Operation World.