(July 18, 2014 - by Sheila Leech, vice president of global healthcare, Reach Beyond)  While geography was never one of my favorite subjects in school, I remember learning about the wildness of the Russian steppes and seeing the images of people in Central Asia living in large round, domed tents called yurts. I never imagined that one day I would have the chance to visit those remote lands.

After a tedious three-day journey from my home in Ecuador last month, my fatigue level was somewhat relieved by the sheer beauty of the snowcapped peaks surrounding the Central Asian city that I was visiting. My purpose was to meet with Christian medical workers from across the region who are sharing Christ’s love while providing medical care to people in security-sensitive countries in the region.

All preconceived notions I had about the spiritual state of this area were dissolved the first night of a conference that I attended. Rather than find a spiritual wasteland, I joined with more than 80 Christian doctors from some of the world’s most closed and difficult countries to praise and worship God.

The believers raised their voices and hands in worship, their faces radiant, their song tunes familiar; their language, not. The presence of the Holy Spirit who lives in me and in them was powerful, and so was the witness that we are one in Christ—brothers and sisters.

I was also encouraged and challenged by the many powerful stories that I heard from participants whose lives have been transformed through encounters with a living God.

“Brenda (not her real name) and I sat together at dinner on the first night. The country she comes from is practically a police state. She talked about the long journey she had made to reach this gathering—many hours on the bus and many more hours spent at the numerous border crossings. Yet she was happy to be there, joining with other likeminded believers for fellowship, encouragement and academic input.

Brenda related how she was taught to think that religion was ridiculous and the idea of a God even more so. Brenda told me she had developed an intense interest in history and loved to visit some of the ancient Orthodox Church buildings in her country. It was during one of these visits that God revealed Himself to Brenda and won her with His love. Now a vibrant believer, she told of God’s keeping power in her life and His provision for her every need as a single parent.

Another medical worker who I’ll call “Linda” sat next to me in the back row during the conference. About 30 years old and having excellent English, Linda told me that she’d come from a Muslim family that valued knowledge of foreign languages. As a result, her mother sent her to learn English from some foreigners living nearby, and they told her about Christ.

While she didn’t have a church to fellowship in, after a year of becoming a Christ-follower, Linda felt the Lord wanted her to be baptized. When she shared this idea with her parents, she was told she’d have to leave home forever if she did. After waiting another year, the Lord spoke to her a second time.

Once again she told her parents, and once again they told her she would have to leave … so she did. In her final year of university, Linda found herself homeless and with no means of support. In spite of that, God was faithful and provided her with places to stay and the means to finish her studies.

This reminded me of the Bible passage in Matthew 10:37-39 which states, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”

Although I found the Russian steppes rugged, harsh and beautiful, I saw those same traits displayed among the Christians living there. There still aren’t many believers in this land—perhaps 0.5 percent of the population—but God is calling out a people to Himself in that place.

They are rugged and tough to withstand the hardships they face each day. Their faith is strong, and they stand firm. They are light and salt, beauty and joy in the midst of a society that does not remember how to laugh. They are God’s chosen people, His holy nation—a people belonging to God.

Source: Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global)