Orlan slowly opened his eyes and groaned, his head throbbing with unbearable pain. He was lying on the couch in the small coal-heated home. As his eyes began to clear, he saw his mother sitting nearby on a small stool in the kitchen. He recalled being jumped by a band of young men the night before and beaten nearly to death. After spending the entire day drinking with his friends on the outskirts of town, they’d eventually stumbled back to their respective homes.
The last thing Orlan remembered of that walk was several guys coming up behind him, throwing him to the ground, kicking and hitting him until he was unconscious. Since no one in his town had much money, they certainly didn’t attack him for that. Still, he should have known better than to walk alone at dusk without all his faculties. Life in Tuvan towns can be rough, and this kind of random violence happens far too often. He would have died if his cousin had not found him on the side of the road.
As he squinted across the room at his mom, he could tell she was crying and soon heard her praying to her God. His mother had not stopped telling him about Jesus for the past few years. She told him how Jesus was God and had died for his sins, but Orlan could care less. None of the kids he went to school with or the many people he interacted with daily believed in Jesus. They believed good Tuvans worshiped Buddha and sought to appease the spirits of nature through the shaman. Jesus was not their god and Orlan had no interest in his mother’s words.
Yet, despite rejecting his mother’s God, the young man began to reflect on life while lying in bed for weeks recovering from his injuries. Questions swirled in his mind. What purpose did his life serve anyway? There was little joy apart from the temporary comradery of drinking and joking around with friends, which usually ended with more pain and sorrow than it was worth. What did his future hold? What did he have to look forward to? He knew he needed something more in order to continue living. As his body healed and his mind became clearer, a longing began to grow in his spirit—a longing for a different kind of life.
One restless afternoon, with wounds mostly mended, Orlan knew what he needed to do. Something deep in his heart pulled him toward the God of his mother. With a sudden burst of determination, he put on his jacket, stepped out through the creaky cottage door, and began running. He sprinted as fast as his still-recovering body would let him, to the nearest high hill where Buddhists traditionally went to make offerings and pray. He hiked up to the top with his lungs heaving, fell to his knees, and called out to Jesus. There was no one there to walk him through the Romans Road or the ABCs of repentance. Still, Orlan knew that he was weak, broken, sinful and needed a relationship with the One True God, which his mother had explained was only through Jesus.
In the weeks that followed, Orlan connected with the pastor at his mom’s church and learned more about the salvation that Christ offers. He read through the whole New Testament in just a few days and was hungry to know more about God. A year later, God opened an opportunity for him to lead a Bible study with a few high schoolers at his new church. Orlan stopped hanging out and drinking with friends. His life was changing.
A couple of years later, Orlan landed a new job working at a local news station. The hours and pay were better, but the pressure began to mount from his coworkers who looked down on Christianity. When he refused to participate in a shamanistic ritual at work, his coworkers wrote formal complaints against him. Eventually, discouragement dragged Orlan down, and he began to step back from serving with the youth at church. It became difficult to live for Christ when the world around him was against his faith.
Several believers at his church noticed Orlan was struggling and met with him. They explained how they experienced persecution for their beliefs at times. One man pointed him to several Scripture verses, including 1 Peter 4:12-14. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. … If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (ESV). His church family prayed with him and continued to care for and encourage him in his walk. Orlan thought of quitting his job, but no other jobs were available. He remained true to his faith and decided to stay in his career despite the persecution.
Enduring mistreatment from nonbelievers is the harsh reality for Tuvan Christians like Orlan. Every day, followers of Jesus like him risk their jobs and well-being for their faith. Orlan still gathers with friends to pray for the truth of God’s Word to be known among their people. They pray for believers to share the story of Jesus, as Orlan’s mother did with him.
This story is based on the lives of multiple people compiled to give you a glimpse of what life may be like for a young Tuvan Christian. Orlan and Mergen are fictitious names, but they represent many people who greatly need the hope found in Jesus Christ. There are more than 12,000 communities in Siberia without any gospel witness, many of which are in Tuva. Please pray for more workers to bring His Word and truth to some of the least-reached people in the world.
At a glance, all seemed calm and normal in Grayling, Alaska, a beautiful Native village on the expansive Yukon River. But tension ran high in the hearts of the people when a warning was spread about a massive ice jam upriver.
It was late May—the season that rivers start to break up from their icy winter hold with the warmth of spring. With many large ice chunks still making their way toward the sea, the threat of the ice jamming is a yearly risk. Ice jams tend to build up and hold back an immense amount of water which can release suddenly with force, putting villages downriver at risk of flooding. Residents along the river understand from experience that waterlogged structures require extensive repairs.
Aaron and Tisha Dalton, InterAct missionaries living in Grayling were not in the village when the threat arose. Knowing their home was in a potential flood area, they put out an urgent request for prayer. There was a possibility that most of the village, including the church building and the Dalton’s house could be flooded by a surging wall of water. Many believers responded with prayer for the village. There was nothing they could do but wait and pray. In Aaron’s own words,
“The power of the Yukon River is amazing to see, but we know our God is mightier.”
The wait felt lengthy but within a couple of days, joyous news came that the ice jam had broken. Rushing waters only reached the bank's brim and no jams occurred downriver. Grayling had no damages and no flooding. All praise to God for His protection and may His care for the village be acknowledged among the people. Once again, all is calm and normal along the Yukon, and we are reminded that prayer isn’t the least one can do, but the best, for all is then placed in God’s hands.
Steve and Jill Horsman have served with InterAct Ministries since they moved to Alaska in 1989. They worked their first two years at Victory Bible Camp after serving for seven years in multiple roles at a Christian camp in Wisconsin. Over the next twenty-one years, they lived with the Chilcotin in central British Columbia and were blessed to have the people welcome them into their community. They began learning the language, started a small house church, and assisted with community development.
In 2013, Steve and Jill moved back to Alaska to be part of reaching the least-reached through strategic partnerships and collaboration. They launched LEaD Alaska, a residential discipleship ministry, and began implementing the summer internship program EnGage! Alaska.
Steve accepted the position as InterAct's Alaska field director in 2018. His responsibilities include leadership, strategies and staff oversight for the field and working with the executive leadership team.
This year they are working toward the implementation of two new ministries. One is a counseling center on the Lazy Mountain Campus that will support village missionaries and provide caring discipleship for people on the road system. The second is a network that will support Christian educators serving in remote village schools. Steve and Jill believe these new endeavors will play a critical role in expanding the reach of the gospel into Alaska.
Also, this year, the Horsmans will transition out of several ministries they have led, releasing them to new staff. Their primary focus will be leading the field staff. They are thankful for the people God has brought to the Alaska field and appreciate prayer for wisdom and focus as they seek to support them.
As new, still wet-behind-the-ears missionaries, my wife and I desperately needed input about this whole “missionary thing.” Fortunately, InterAct Ministries provided excellent pre-field training and a practical manual for doing missions. As a result, we had a clear picture of what it meant to be a missionary! We were to make disciples of the people we were called to serve and facilitate their gathering as a local church. We knew the “business” we were in.
As a friend of interAct, you benefit from knowing about the “business” in which we have chosen to invest! In the last issue of the InterACTION I introduced our mission statement. Since it is foundational to the understanding of our vision statement, I’ll review it here:
InterAct Ministries exists to make disciples among least-reached peoples in cooperation with churches and like-minded organizations.
A vision statement differs from a mission statement by painting a verbal picture of the future we seek to accomplish. Ours reads like this:
InterAct Ministries desires to see reproducing disciples impacting communities across the North Pacific Crescent.
Simply stated, “disciples who make disciples who in turn make disciples” (II Tim. 2:2). Those who are taught to obey all things will gather! We call this church. Reproducing and gathering disciples will impact the communities around them!
This vision continues to be the heartbeat of InterAct Ministries! It’s the picture that fuels the efforts of each of us. As you read this InterACTION, see if you can spot ways this is lived out day to day. This is the future we partner together to accomplish.
Will you partner with us to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to the North Pacific Crescent?
InterACTION is a publication of InterAct Ministries
Credits:
Created with images by Kevin Carden - "Praying at sunrise" • Korradol - "Prayer flags with snowy mountain in the morning at poon hill, Ne" • Igor Tichonow - "Trakking concept - Analogical Compass laying on the rocks with mountains in background"