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Have you heard the expression “Boots on the Ground?” Well our Live Dead Missionaries are the boots on the Silk Road. Here we’d like to take a moment and allow one of them to share a snapshot of their life with you. Some names and details have been changed, but this is a true story from this colorful, vibrant, and sometimes surprising region.

Christmas is a barely known quantity in our overwhelmingly Muslim country. And put us in our little remote village and it is virtually unknown outside of the non-Central Asians in town. But that did not stop us from sharing and celebrating Christmas in our language center.

We made a trek to the bazaar where we purchased a small “New Year’s” tree; Christmas trees are non-existent here, but just like during the days of the Soviet Union, the New Year is widely celebrated by decorating a tree. Then we went to work decorating the office with the tree, lights, stockings, and a nativity set. The next time our students came, they were so impressed by the colorful decorations. Then they saw the nativity in the window and began asking about it. They had no idea what this little scene represented, so of course they asked.

I told them what it was, but they just stared at me in confusion. Who was this Jesus I was talking about? I then switched to Russian and told them again. They still had no idea who this person was. So then I switched languages again, but into their heart language where I again said his name, Isa. Instantly they knew who I was talking about: the prophet before their prophet. This allowed me to begin sharing who Jesus really is and about his miraculous birth.

Soon thereafter, we had a Christmas party for our students full of the typical American things we do to celebrate during this season: food, games, and music. In my family, we also have a tradition: every year we read the Christmas story, remembering the “reason for the season.” So as part of showing how we celebrate Christmas, I read the entire Christmas story, touching on Micah, Isaiah, and the Gospel of Luke. They had never heard this story before. They had never before heard the truth of the coming of the Messiah.

This was not our first Christmas party here nor will it be our last. Every year it is an opportunity to share the birth of our Savior and to see their eyes begin to open to the truth of scripture. Every day serving among the unreached is a privilege.

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