Story number 2 for 25 Feb 2003

(Uzbekistan)–Elsewhere, recent reports indicate several Central Asian governments were coming down hard on believers. However, Educational Services International’s Jennifer Teske says they were spared from a government crackdown in which the Uzbek government threatened to expel Christian groups. “The government sent out a notice that they were going to evaluate everyone’s work there, and they were hinting that they were going to throw everyone out. The American government actually intervened on behalf of a lot of these Christian groups, and for now, we’re still there, and hopefully that will continue, but we’ll have to see what happens.” Teske says while teaching skills to the Uzbek people is one part of their mission, there is another part. “They want to get to know you, they want to know what makes you tick, and so, they will spend time with you and it’s a real time of fellowship. So, as you grow closer to these people then the door is opened for you to share that what makes you tick is the love of Christ.”