In August David was the key-note speaker at SOZO, the all-Central Asia Youth Conference. Participants came from 73 cities and 16 countries worldwide: from the 5 Central Asian ‘Stan’ countries, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, and also from Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, India and several Western countries, like ourselves from the UK. Your generous support made this event possible. The participants are very grateful to you.
The name ‘SOZO’ is Greek for salvation. It is the vision of one young man, father of a young family. He saw that only in unity across the whole of Central Asia can the work of revival be prepared. 7 years ago he initiated these United Youth Conferences – always under KGB (state security) surveillance. Their agents are in every meeting. Last year, he was stopped at the border on trumped-up charges and was not allowed to attend his own SOZO conference which, that year, took place in Kyrgyzstan. This year he was told, if he showed his face publicly from the platform, they would arrest him immediately and close the conference down. Even on the opening day, two of his helpers were in fact arrested and taken to the police station. It took a lawyer to secure their release.
This is the price believers are paying to do the Lord’s work in these countries.
When the freedom first came to the communist countries in the 1990s, there was a wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Central Asia. Living congregations and churches sprang up everywhere. At the same time, active oil-rich Moslem countries vowed to rebuild Islam in Central Asia with a massive, unimaginable outpouring of petrodollars – thanks to which, they could lean heavily on the organs of local government and KGB to crush the Christian revival.
Today there is a new move amongst the Churches and the youth who are looking to David, with his life’s experience, to spearhead Holy Ghost revival. Now is the time. They say, “David, you are building a spiritual bridge between all our leaders, and your faith and energetic example is touching the hearts of our young people.”
David writes: “I am working intensively in Central Asia. All my time in ministry and in fellowship here is in preparation for an all-out spiritual breakthrough. The older generation of leaders, who were faithful under persecution in the communist days, are passing away, but these young ones, also living under persecution, albeit a different one, desperately want the Fire and the courage to evangelise that I have. Time is short, Jesus is coming. Money to do the work is short, God’s Power is unlimited. Yes, I admit, the older I get, the more I need His Power to overcome my human weakness – but I am determined. I will not stop until my work is done. Thank you to you, our dear supporters – without your help, we cannot do the work God has called us to. With your help, whatever God says ‘do’, we will do!”
