(Central Asia)–Next, in spite of the reports of persecution against believers in Central Asia, there is word that the church is strong and growing. That’s really no surprise to Bible Mission International’s Malcolm Smith. He says the harshness of oppression has had the opposite effect. “When we talk about persecution, these young people live with it everyday. They live with the young Islamic extremists that have gotten into the countries, that are really trying to push Islam, and these believers have been equipped to share their faith in real ways in very practical ways.” Smith says because of the atmosphere, they’ll be holding a special conference October 16th through the 18th. “We are very excited to have the youth leaders of central Asia coming together in October to not just get together and have fellowship but to also have some training for the leaders and the leaders of the youth groups that they have been working with.”
