Rev Arie van der Zwan, chairman of deputations for missions, visited Uzbekistan in the second week of December. So do we as a mission have ties with that? Yes and no. He also lost a cap there...
Rev van der Zwan's caps
Rev Van der Zwan, when it comes to missions, wears two hats. He is chairman of missionary deputations. Since 1 January 2013, he also chaired Friedensstimme Netherlands foundation. Friedensstimme supports the missionary and evangelistic work of unregistered Baptists in Russia and several former Soviet republics. Since the beginning of this century, Mission and Friedensstimme have worked together in supporting the work in Tajmyr in the Siberian part of the inhabited world above the Arctic Circle. Mission supports the work of Br Oleg Lyubich and his team of evangelists.
Meeting, gathering, praying and encouraging
Why did the trip now go to Uzbekistan? That's where the annual meeting with Baptist Union leaders took place. In that meeting, the budget of the entire working area is reviewed and decided. A special two-day meeting, which was surrounded with much prayer, meditation and singing together.
After that budget meeting, the working visitors stayed for a few more days to visit small congregations in Muslim Uzbekistan. This was a mutually encouraging experience, especially for the evangelists, who were often still young. They proclaim the Gospel of our Saviour in lonely posts.
What made the contacts extra special was the presence of the large number of deaf congregation members (a well-known phenomenon in Uzbek society). Therefore, the sermons delivered by the working visitors were translated not only into Russian but also into sign language.
Grateful for progress
During the budget discussion, the work in Tajmyr was also discussed at length and the support that mission can give here. There is progress in the work, for which we are grateful to the Lord. The work is not standing still. There are concrete plans to continue evangelisation and encouragement trips to Tixi. This city is located in the eastern province of Yakutia on the Laptev Sea, and formally falls outside the working area of Br Oleg Lyubich and his team, but has been visited regularly by the brothers from Tajmyr for several years now. From Tajmyr, Tixi is easier to reach than from Yakutia.
An elderly evangelist couple lives in Tixi. The trips Oleg and his team make to Tixi are therefore also a valuable support for them in their lonely position.
New chairman Friedenstimme
Rev Arie van der Zwan 'lost' one of his hats during the visit to Uzbekistan, handing over the chairmanship of Friedensstimme to Rev Pieter den Ouden (HHK Katwijk). He did take back the cap of chairman of missions, however, and so he obviously remains involved in missionary work in Tajmyr.
