Some of them have been waiting here for two or even three months, trapped in a sheer endless line of trucks. The situation in Ukraine and Eastern Europe makes them sad heroes - the long-distance drivers, holding out in their trucks to be able to cross the border. Carrying cargo from Asia to Europe, they can no-longer go through Ukraine or Belarus. Instead, they must take the difficult detour across the Caucasus. The small, completely overcrowded border crossings in Ossetia and Georgia are like the eye of the needle for the 4.000 trucks trying to pass through.
So, they wait. Days, weeks, months. In the cold days and nights of the Caucasian mountains. Running out of fuel, of food, of water. Without toilets and showers.
But in this desperate hopelessness, God is using the small evangelical churches of Ossetia, Georgia, and Chechnya to serve the truck-drivers in their need and this way, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The believers serve the truck-drivers in two ways. First, by caring for their basic needs.They bring them water, food, fuel, and hot meals cooked in the churches.Second, knocking on the doors of the trucks and distributing help, they also share the Gospel with the truck drivers. Most of them come from Muslim countries - Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turks, Kazakhs, but there are also Armenians,Ukrainians, Greeks, Belarusians. All of them can hear the Gospel and receive a Bible. The believers witness that first, many of the truck-drivers are confused and hesitant to accept a Bible. But later, as they feel and watch the ministry of the believers who faithfully serve them day by day, week by week, month by month, they change their attitude. Then you can see them sitting in the cab reading the Bible.
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God is writing wonderful stories with these people, stories you must read:
Barish (in the middle of the picture above) had been waiting in the truck line for weeks when he developed a painful skin disease. The brothers serving him water and food noticed his pain and organized a treatment by a doctor. When Barish started feeling better, he thanked the brothers and in tears, he shared this story: When we saw you Christians first coming, we didn’t get in contact with you for about a month, because others had warned us about the Christians by saying they would steal our minds. However, as I was observing how you served us all the time, each day, from sunrise to late night, I felt that my attitude turned upside down. I will keep your good deeds in my heart. I never thought Christians would be like you.
Saying this, he gave the brothers a big hug and wondered as we told them that there are Christians in Turkey too…
Aman (in the middle of the picture above) had been waiting in line for over a month. When he saw the Christians coming and feeding the truck drivers hot meals, he decided to go to church and help them, working in the kitchen, peeling carrots and potatoes, washing rice. Others followed his example. For many of these Tajik, Uzbek or Kazakh drivers, it is the first time they cross the threshold of a church. They work in the kitchen and have fellowship with the believers who use the time to share about their faith, sing songs and pray with them.
Aman has not accepted Jesus yet. However, he wanted a Bible to read in the long nights in his truck cab. Later, when it was finally his turn to drive through the checkpoint and cross the border, he refused to leave. Instead, he wanted to stay with the Christians and continue helping other truck drivers.
A testimony of Maxim from Tajikistan (Leader of Bible Mission Tajikistan who came to theCaucasus to serve the many Asian truck drivers):
I was humbled to see the selfless ministry of the believers in the Caucasus. They are serving 24/7. Just think about the time it takes to buy 1,5 tons of water, and that’s just for one day. Or how long it takes and the cost to buy all the food on the market and then cook for thousands of people. 4000 trucks, and I saw that often, it’s not one truck driver but two or even four. All of them received help, and all of them received a testimony of God’s love.
When you knock on their cabs and they open the door to you half-asleep, unshaven, unwashed, hungry and often sick - when you can give them a hot meal and water, when you can tell them you do this because God loves them, and when you then hear them telling you RAKHMAT - Thank you - then you can only praise God for the opportunities He gives in times of big trouble and need, for using us to share His Word and this way make an impact on their lives.
Yours gratefully in Him,
Paul H. / Field Director
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Thank you for praying and for supporting the ministry of believers in the Caucasus as they share the Love of Christ with truck drivers mostly from Islamic countries.
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