Derek is a college student that recently joined with a group of friends and came to the Silk Road. Below he shares a snapshot of his trip and the impact it had on him.
If you are considering joining us this Summer, click here for more information.

The Lord is moving in Central Eurasia! Being a part of this mission trip has truly changed my life and I now understand more of the need for believers in Central Eurasia and all over the world.

On my third day here, I woke up to the usual Islamic call to prayer early in the morning. Knowing that this was the norm in this city had broken my heart and was a reality check about other nations not seeking the one true God.

My group and I began the day with our abiding time. Abiding time was a significant part of each day and taught me the importance of what it means to abide and how necessary it is for believers to have that time daily. After our abiding we had the opportunity to hear from a former Muslim’s story on how she came to Christ. Her story was truly inspirational and heartbreaking as we heard the trials she faced before coming to Christ. After she shared, I realized so much more how much God loves Muslims. I no longer saw them in a way that I had before. Each one of them has a story that is longing to be fulfilled with Jesus Christ, and her story showed me how much this is true. After we spent some time with our friend, we met with one of the missionaries to learn about Ecclesiology. The lesson was impactful and gave us more insight on what a church should look like and what the scriptures say about it.

Afterwards, as a group we went into deep prayer for quite some time. We prayed that God would reveal himself to the people in this country and other countries in Eurasia. We prayed the Holy Spirit would move in a massive way in this city, and that he would give the people visions, dreams, and burrow their hearts, that they would come to know Jesus more than just as a prophet but as Lord of all. The presence of God filled the room and the Holy Spirit was moving through us.

When prayer ended, we all headed to a local restaurant to get some dinner. One of the workers in the restaurant was a close friend to one of the missionaries and we were able to speak with him about America, soccer, and eventually God. We shared the Gospel with him which lasted quite a while. His friends even came and joined in on the conversation to learn more about what the Bible says about Jesus.

At the end of the conversation two of them had received Bibles and we left knowing that the Lord is moving in their lives.

The day had ended and we all headed back to the apartment we were staying in to reflect on the day.

I sat on the couch thinking back to the times when friends and I would pray that God would raise up spiritual warriors to reach the lost in other nations; and then I realized we were living out those prayers. Just a group of college students who had a drive and desire to serve Jesus, who said to themselves, “I will go for the summer,” were bringing the Kingdom of God to Central Eurasia. The point is, there is a need and Jesus is in Eurasia and the entire world pushing back the darkness to save his lost children. No child should be without The Father. We must ask, “Will I help my Lord with such a task and give my life as a ransom for many, as He did?” See that the need is great and take up your cross to follow Him! The Lord is moving everywhere!