Adoption Update

Things are proceeding positively on the adoption front. We have settled on Kazakhstan as the country, and our home study has been approved by our adoption agency. Next comes our dossier to Kazakhstan, which we are hoping to complete in September. Our agency program coordinator has indicated that we could conceivably be traveling to Kazakhstan as early as next March, though that's probably optimistic. There are still a lot of significant steps to go through before the adoption is completed. But we're definitely moving in the right direction and feel better about things on this front than we have in a while.

Kazakhstan is a very interesting country with an interesting history. Islam is the majority religion in the country, but many Muslims in Kazakhstan are fairly nominal in their religious observance. One result is that the Christian church is growing in Kazakhstan. It's not growing like wildfire as it is in places like India and China, but the church in Kazakhstan, while still small, is absolutely crucial given its strategic importance. I had the pleasure of spending some time with a Kazakh church elder who was visiting in the US last month. He is an absolute delight, and he reports that wonderful things are happening in Kazakhstan. The country is fairly tolerant when it comes to religious freedom, though some would probably disagree. He reports that a person can reliably find at least one Christian church (and usually several churches) in virtually every city in the country. Perhaps most importantly, his church considers itself to be something of a beachhead to conduct missionary activity in other Muslim countries. His church has sent missionaries to Iran and Turkey in particular and because of their ancestry, they are given a hearing in these places in contrast to Caucasian Christians. The Holy Spirit is on the move in this part of the world, and it is very exciting for us to have some connection with this movement.

Continued prayers are appreciated not only for a successful adoption for us, but also for God's continued blessings on his church in Kazakhstan.