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To be unreached in America is to be lost. To be unreached as a Kyrgyz is to be lost without hope. Will you take some time to pray for this unreached people group?

A crowd of university students had begun to form around an elderly man holding a long and skinny instrument. It had 2 strings and a pear-shaped body. The man waited until he knew he had the crowd’s attention, and then he began to play and sing.

The students were silent, listening as the man sang in Kyrgyz. They did not interrupt, did not even speak until the man had finished his song.

The are 4,718,000 Kyrgyz in the world, and 85% of them live in Kyrgyzstan. Like many other Central Asian people groups, the Kyrgyz are descendants of the ancient Scythians and were more European in appearance; however, today’s Kyrgyz have much darker features. They still closely resemble Genghis Khan and the Mongols who conquered them during the middle ages.

The Kyrgyz have held onto their roots. The majority of the Kyrgyz today are rural herders of sheep, goats, horses, camels, and other animals. Yurts are still scattered across the land. The arts and story telling are fundamental to Kyrgyz culture. The epic poem Manas is made up of about half a million verses and is still performed today, having been passed down orally for centuries.

The Kyrgyz have also held onto their religions, in spite of the Soviet Union’s efforts to eradicate religion. Islam was first introduce in the 17th century and today is the religion claimed by 97% of the Kyrgyz. Shamanism is still practiced as well, and many Kyrgyz will seek out shamans for magic and to communicate with spirits.

Kyrgyzstan has faced many hardships since it’s independence from the Soviet Union, including two revolutions-the First Kyrgyz Revolution of 2005 (also known as the Tulip Revolution) and the Second Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010. Today, Kyrgyzstan still struggles and relies on its friendship with neighboring Kazakhstan for electricity as well as fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. In addition to economic troubles, Kyrgyzstan is also being targeted by Islamic State recruiters looking for fighters and supporters in the conflict in Syria and Iraq.

How you can Pray

The Kyrgyz people need help and wisdom in developing their country. Pray for the Kyrgyz economy to grow strong, for the Kyrgyz government to eradicate corruption, and for the Kyrgyz people to be protected from dangerous extremists.

But the Kyrgyz need more than just that. They need Jesus. Pray for the church to take root in Kyrgyzstan. Pray for Kyrgyz hearts to be softened towards Christians so that they might be open to the salvation, peace, and hope of Christ. Pray, too, for the spiritual bond over the Kyrgyz. Many Kyrgyz struggle with demonic forces in their lives when they become Christians. Pray that the church would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to withstand such evil, as well as persecution from Muslims.

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