How can God use one family to bring healing? This week we take a look at the Koshevnik church, a hope center in Kazakhstan!

On our trip to Kazakhstan we took a trip to the city of Taraz, 4 hours west of Almaty, where we stayed for most of our trip. Taraz sits on the old silk road, an ancient city with roots 2000 years old. Taraz has over 300,000 people in it and a major issue with substance abuse, alcoholism and addiction.

Imagul was the first to encounter Christ in her family. Her brother Seric recalls, “we didn't love each other, we actually hated each other. We didn't want to spend time together.” The family struggled with alcoholism. Seric, Imagul, their sister Bela and their mother and father each had their own personal demons with the drink.

Imagul gave her life to Christ and started to change for the better. She brought the gospel to her family. Seric had a background of gambling, and was actually a criminal in Russia. He vividly remembers a dream from this time; “I saw God and the devil standing in a courtroom and the devil was reading my charges. But God forgave me.”

Bela was addicted to alcohol with depression and suicidal thoughts. Her daughter and son became believers first, and started praying that their mother would stop drinking Vodka. 

One night Bela hit a low and came crying to the mosque, hoping for answers and comfort. She said she went to the mosque hoping she could push away Jesus. That night there was no one who would accept her at the mosque, she said she took it as a sign that Allah had turned away. Bela said, “I felt like like Allah was saying; ‘you’re dirty and I don’t want you.’”

She then went to the prayer house at the baptist church her children attended. There on the wall they had the verse; “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” She fell down in front of God that night and cried out for mercy, and God forgave her.

Bela was freed from drinking, smoking and swearing over the next 8 months. Bela said, “from this moment my life belongs to God. I gave myself for him. After many bad things I did to my kids, I want to apologize and do new good things.” 

The entire family came to faith, and the Lord began using them as a unit for his glory. Seric said, “he made us as one again.”

They started doing ministry together from their apartment. God started moving through the family first as a house group. Seric said, “We had around us a lot of addicted people, and God started to save them through our family.”

Bela told us a story of seeing a woman drinking on the street with a Vodka bottle: “I said to God; look at her she's the same as me, you love her like you love me.” 1 month later, Imagul brought this same woman home to the family and she was saved and got her children back from the orphanage.

The small group became a church that now reaches 80 to 100 people every week. They all meet in the family house, filling all of the space.

This church became a Hope Center, allowing Bible Mission to partner and equip them in the ministry God has called them to. Over the covid pandemic, the government of Kazakhstan closed the roads in or out of Taraz meaning most food couldn’t come in. Using their qualifications as a ministry organization they could leave the city and get bread.

Seric said, “We started bringing in bread, we were ready to go give it out in one place and we were stopped by the police. They told us to follow them to a new place: ‘much worse than where we were going.’” Over the pandemic the church gave out up to 1000 loaves of bread per day in Taraz. Bela started to cook in mass at the house, making up to 800 meals there on some days.

They also have added a banja (Russian sauna) and washing machines to be able to address community needs. 

God has given Koshevnik Church a vision for a rehab ministry, which they are doing now. They have a separate house for their rehab program, as well as women’s rehab being offered. I will write more on this branch of their ministry soon, but God is doing incredible things through this family that was previously in the grip of addiction.

Seric hopes that there can be 5 churches in Taraz that started from Koshevnik. They also hope to have 2 rehab centers that can fit 30 people each. The Lord is bringing life to the ministry, as 3 house groups have sprouted from the original group in Taraz. 

Seric said, “We are a small church with a big task from God.”

As I sat in their dining space hearing all the stories I was struck with the power of the Lord to redeem the entire family and do ministry from there. This only comes from total surrender to the Lord and following his will. I asked Seric if he ever struggles with the idea of living a more normal life.

He responded, “Our family can't live normally."

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Joshua 24:15

“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”