I was also very encouraged by our meeting with the representatives from Central Asia. The conversations were concrete and practical as we began planning the upcoming training seminar. What felt especially important was shaping a shared vision for this workshop — not as a “helicopter mission,” but as a step toward building a local team.
We talked about involving experienced camp leaders from the region to co-teach alongside speakers from Russia, so the training can be adapted culturally and truly serve participants well. For me, that was one of the most meaningful parts: listening carefully to real needs and building something together.
Later, I met Lyale, a conference participant from Turkmenistan who studies in Russia but keeps serving in Christian camps in her home country. Turkmenistan is one of the most closed to the gospel countries in the world, and it was a such a blessing to hear about underground Christian camping activity there! Lyale was genuinely excited about the possibility of bringing some of her teammates to the training from a very challenging context. She also wants to come and help with organizing the workshop, which was another encouraging sign that this is already becoming a shared effort.
