[Field Story] Uzbekistan, Strong and Courageous with God

(The photo above is not related to the content.)

Hello? My name is Sevinchbonu, and I live in Uzbekistan.

As the third daughter-in-law in a family of three brothers, I dedicated myself to my large family of 17 people, always obedient and kind, never saying "no."

From the age of 16, I prayed at dawn to Allah and worked as a seamstress. Whenever I had the chance, I learned new skills through many YouTube channels and other sources, always longing for a better and more beautiful life.

One day, my mother went to church with a friend. The idea that there might be a path different from Islam sparked a new curiosity in me.

When I asked my mother what the church was like, she couldn’t give me a clear answer, but she said the church would be able to answer my complicated questions and took me there.

Last May, when I first heard the gospel and testimonies, I was overwhelmed with emotion, shedding tears, deeply resonating with the testimonies and reacting strongly to the gospel. I immediately accepted Jesus as my Savior and began my ministry.

Even now, after 14 months of ministry, I still experience inner conflict between Muslim culture and Christian life. Yet, in order to become a true Christian, I have been worshiping with my three children for the past five months.

Due to the Uzbek culture where I cannot question my husband's work, unexplained debts accumulated. My husband fled to Russia to escape creditors, was caught and imprisoned in a Russian prison, and is currently in an Uzbek prison.

In the past, I would have been running around trying to pay off my husband's debts, unable to bear this situation, crying every day, losing my will to live, and living in sorrow. But after believing in Jesus, I have been boldly accepting God's intervention in my life and His correction of the mistakes I've made, with joy and expectation, looking only to God to resolve these issues.

It seems that God had planned long ago to give me the opportunity to raise my three children while serving and beginning a life of faith.Every time I hear about Jesus, I shed tears, as if my spirit is weeping.

When I visited my husband, who was pressuring me to pay off his debts, I told him I would entrust the matter to God and pray. Now, instead of resenting my husband for his repeated mistakes, I overcome these challenges by trusting in God who works through prayer.

Please pray that even in difficult situations, I may keep my eyes on God’s great plan.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)

We praise the Lord for His love for Sister Sevinchbonu, enabling her to hear the gospel and to keep her faith and trust in God amidst family difficulties.

As she worships with her children and grows stronger day by day, may peace come to her household. May her husband’s debt issues be resolved quickly, and may her family be established as a church.

May God, who surely helps, use Sister Sevinchbonu's testimony to bring freedom in truth to other women in Uzbekistan who are struggling with similar problems. May these Uzbek women, who are enduring hardship as their families suddenly face financial ruin, unable to know or inquire about their husbands' work, and burdened with the responsibility of restoring their families' fortunes, encounter the grace of Jesus who touches and saves their lives.

May the Uzbek churches serve these women, provide job opportunities, and witness together the restoration of families and the coming of God’s kingdom to the poor in spirit.

And may the Uzbek people rise as the heart of the nations to complete a final revival along the Silk Road in preparation for the Lord’s return!