Many of our City Teams in the Russian-Speaking World face this extra threat of arrest each time they engage in any sort of outreach. Even still, they boldly share the hope of the Gospel.
“I hurried. Started running back to the area to try to talk with the police, but when I got there, only a few guys from our team remained. The three girls had already been taken to the police station.”
This was the scene our young Almaty City Team faced in late September. Although evangelism is illegal in Kazakhstan, these bold followers of Jesus - most of them still teenagers - knew they couldn’t let that stop them from sharing the truth. They set up provocative creative evangelism projects in a busy part of the city and quickly began connecting with many of the young people hanging out nearby. Twenty minutes later, they got the news that police were on their way, and though some of the team was able to scatter in time, three of the young women were arrested.
Our bold Almaty (Kazakhstan) City Team in action!
City Team Leader Amal shared, “We found out which police station they’d been brought to and I went straight there. I had to explain about the posters the girls had with them for the project and there was a lot of confusion. But after three hours of waiting, they were released without charges.”
City Teams in Russia brave the threat of arrest to share the Gospel
In the words of one of the young women who was arrested, “Despite the fact that I had never been in a similar situation, I felt confident that God was with me and everything would be fine.”
Praise God for the protection of the Holy Spirit in this encounter and for the people the Almaty City Team was able to speak with before they were interrupted! Please keep this young, courageous team in your prayers as they continue to boldly proclaim the love of Jesus.
Breaking Ground in Houston
God is working in people’s hearts through every encounter
Nine courageous young people. Five different home countries. One common goal. The North America Pioneer Team has been diligently and intentionally tilling the hard soil of Houston’s Global Youth Culture. Since they arrived, they’ve connected with followers of Christ from 9 churches around the area and hosted 7 times of training and seeking God together for the city’s secular youth.
Moah, one of our Pioneer Team members from Brazil shared, “We are just being guided by the Holy Spirit. Because everywhere we go, connections are being made in a supernatural way. And when we go to the streets, we are seeing God move powerfully.”
Houston, Texas
Young believers joined our team for powerful fellowship and prayer for the city
Last month, the team hosted a Jesus in the Secular World Training event, where they equipped people from different local churches to relevantly engage the young people around them with the Gospel. After the event, many of them joined the team at a popular nearby park and put what they’d just learned into practice. For most of them, it was the first time they’d ever taken part in any sort of creative evangelism!
Pioneer Team member, Josué from Colombia, led one group from the seminar in the Instagram project, where they invited passersby to choose a hashtag representing something they’d like to get rid of. “One couple picked ‘suicidal thoughts’ and ‘lack of identity.’ I asked what solutions they have to fight against these things, and the girl said, ‘friends, community…’ Then someone from my group said, ‘What about God?’” At that point, Josué felt the Holy Spirit leading him to pray over them. “I put my hands over theirs and asked the Holy Spirit to come. He released joy, peace, and freedom over them. We blessed them and exchanged contacts. It was such a powerful time of encouragement for them and our group.”
Over the next month, our Pioneer Team will continue to build connections and ignite a fire among Christ-followers in the city. We’re confident that the work they’re doing will serve in laying a solid foundation for a strong and catalytic Houston City Team.
Hundreds in the Balkans Challenged to get Back to the Streets
Realizing God considers them the greatest masterpiece often brought young people to tears
“Behind this veil lies a beautiful work of art. The Author of this masterpiece wants to meet you and has even invited you to His home. Would you like to see what it is?”
Over and over, when those who participated in the Back to the Streets Seminar across Central Europe and the Balkans stepped out of their comfort zones to use a creative outreach tool like this one, they were blown away by the response.
Over the seven days of the tour, our 10-person Steiger team stopped in five countries, engaging with hundreds through seminars, evangelistic events, a radio interview, and a 2-day Steiger Intensive. Of the 220 people who participated in the seminars, 145 of them joined our team members on the streets to put what they’d learned into action. As a result, 204 people heard the Gospel, 123 received prayer, 40 people wanted to remain in contact with believers in their city, and two people made the decision to follow Jesus right there on the spot.
David Pierce and Luke Greenwood shared the Gospel on a radio show in Slovakia
Teodora, who participated in the Steiger Intensive in Serbia, shared, “This weekend, my heart was broken for people and obstacles were fully destroyed. I was encouraged to get out of my comfort zone and receive new strength in sharing the Gospel. God did great things, from deep conversations to people giving up on suicide! People heard about Jesus for the first time and now have a chance for a different life with a purpose. It’s a weekend I’ll remember forever.”
Many of those who took part in that final Intensive came from cities across the Balkans and are now eager to reach the young people of their cities with the hope of the Gospel. They have already begun to apply to participate in next year’s Steiger Missions School, and we are looking forward to seeing all God does through these courageous young people across the region.