Missionary of Jesus’ Resurrection in Turkmenistan

A dear friend of ChristLife’s, Hana Simcikova – a young woman from Slovakia – wrote us an update on her missionary work in Turkmenistan. Her work is very inspiring. She first came across ChristLife during training Dave Nodar was doing in Eastern Europe during the 1990s. We met up with her in 2007 in Slovakia – and Pete also had the chance to interview her for a podcast on her missionary work.

Here is her letter:

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"'There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here, for he has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples, "He has risen from the dead and now he is going ahead of you to Galilee; that is where you will see him." Look! I have told you.'
Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples." (Mt 28)

Dear friends!

Almost a year ago I was writing to ask for your help with the Turkmenistan mission.

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU! Thanks so much to every one of you for your prayers, thoughts, financial support, emails, greetings, and every kind of support that helped us to serve in Turkmenistan last year. You have a special place in all that is going on in that country, and in the small Catholic community there.

The Catholic Church in Turkmenistan still lives underground.
During this mission we were able to meet many more native Turkmen people then during our first mission. We were blessed through those simple, mostly Islamic, people who were open to talking about God; they are so thirsty for His love and presence. We prayed together with them and they were touched by the Father's love through our Lord Jesus! Hope and peace changed their desperation. Their simple and joyful testimonies about Gods miracles strengthened our faith.

In two years, since our last mission, many things are still the same in Turkmenistan. There are still just two catholic priests for the whole country. However, there are many changes – much more people are coming every day, coming to hear about Jesus, seeking His love and help, ready to give Him their all. Mostly they are poor people who suffered a lot in their lives. When they come to Jesus they are blessed by His forgiveness, deep healing and new life in Him! We prayed over them almost every day and we led all the meetings for catechumens, youth and kids, which was so helpful for the priests. We also prepared simple evangelization training, where we taught them how to proclaim the Good News. We saw how the first small prayer group was born--just a few people who want to worship Jesus, and serve others by intercessory prayer.

The Priests also sent us to other places in Turkmenistan, where we spent some time with people sharing Gods love with them. More and more people were coming every day, hungry for His word which many of them heard for the first time in their lives. Their desire for more priests and missionaries in their towns didn't surprise us.

We could see the big gift of God that we have at home– daily Mass and Holy Communion especially.



I personally was especially touched by the warm-heartedness, kindness and hospitality of the poorest people in the village called Arzuw. They told us things like: "If I didn't meet you two years ago, today I would be addicted to heroine and I would also sell it as the rest of my family does." "We know, God has sent you to us – just for me!" – told with thankful heart.

I also met a woman at the market place, whom I had promised two years ago that I would come back. Her first reaction when she saw me at the same place was: "Ooooo – she came!" and invitation she invited us to visit her house. I could write a book about that meeting. Their clear eyes spoke about clear hearts, which we could also visit. In the family, everyone works from the sunrise to the late night. Love, respect and care are given to each other in all small situations, where members of that Islamic family speak so nice about each other, pray together and have God among them – it is a small (or big?) miracle in that nation.
We had a very nice time with the youth during retreats we prepared for them. Their testimonies among their friends and schoolmates bears fruit, and more and more youth came later to the meetings, to pray together, to hear Gods word, or just to play together.

We wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you!

When I was on the plane going into Turkmenistan, I saw a desert named Kara-Kum from above. It looked like a lot of small rivers, or water sources but they were empty and dry. I was thinking about the land, which is ready, rivers which are waiting for water, water which will bring the life to that land. And a prayer grew up in my heart – giving thanks to God and asking Him for living waters of His presence and love to flood this country.

I apologize I haven't updated you about our mission in Turkmenistan earlier. Thank God for these last months. They were full of challenges. I was working on my dissertation, our mission in Turkmenistan was very intense, coming back home I defended my PhD, and started my new job, so I can make some money, pay my loans, and go back to Turkmenistan as soon as possible.

Please, pray for Turkmenistan, pray for the priests. Pray for those, who are going to be baptized tonight; pray for more missionaries in that country; pray for us to be ready to give our time, money and all lives to that mission when Jesus calls us again. I hope that time will come soon!
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the free given gift of being a part of that mission, for every miracle of healing, deliverance and conversion. Thank You for your faithfulness, for your favor, and that we can come personally closer to You!

I wish you a blessed Easter. May your Easter season be filled with the grace and love of Our Risen Savior!

Hana Simcikova (in the black shirt in the above picture)
Slovakia

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Isn’t that an awesome testimony of how our Risen Lord is still using his Church to accomplish his great mission to save souls! If you would like to donate to Hana’s work or get on her update email list – please contact us

An Easter Message

A friend of ChristLife's, Lilian Schmid from Australia, sent the following testimony to me about her background as a Lebanese Christian - and how we as Christians should be more united - especially at Easter as we celebrate together Jesus Christ's resurrection. Inspiring!

I was born in Beirut, at the age of 13 the civil war of Lebanon broke in 1975. Our shelter was the small living room where many of our neighbours and relatives use to gather to feel safe and protection. Young high school Christian students left their school, Christian students left their universities to join the Christian Militia to fight Muslims. It was a nasty war, I won’t go in details because I hate politics. I didn’t have a happy teen age years, war affected everything, I remember my father use to travel under the bombs, to feed a family of 4, my mother, myself the eldest, my sister and my brother. My parents were always under stress and fear but what kept us going was faith. Being Christian Lebanese means our culture is based on our religion. So in Lebanon we have 2 cultures the Christian and the Muslim Cultures.

I was lucky because our school was not far from home. Finishing high school, money was an issue during the war and many like me didn’t have the chance to go to uni but to start working at early age to earn money to take their burden off their parents. So I was lucky to start work experience at Beirut Ryad Bank in Beirut CBD at the age of 17. I’ve grown up in a very restrictive Catholic Lebanese family; also Lebanese parents are very protective over their children.

Working in a bank at the age of 17 gave me confidence to meet bank managers, CEO, customers and know at early age how to interact with business people. But the only thing I had to keep to myself is my religion identity, because Beirut CBD was a city on fire at the time. The first week my mother use to travel with me and in the afternoon I may find someone coming to the Christian area who would give me a lift.

Prayers always were on my lips traveling everyday from the Christian area to the Muslim area to work. Many other Lebanese did the same. I worked only 6 moths in Beirut CBD and I did ask for a transfer but the problem they need more people in the city then other branches, because Muslim employees occupied the branches in the Muslim area and the Christian employees occupied the branches in the Christian areas.

I had always a cross around my neck but it was always hidden and once I am in the Christian area I would pull it out.

M parents suggested that I start finding work close to home due to the war situation and they were scared if I would be trapped one day in the other area. It was an adventure at the time and I couldn’t believe that I did it. So what kept me going? And who protected me? It was JESUS. MY FAITH WAS SO STRONG. THAT’S WHY NOW; NOTHING MATTERS TO ME BECAUSE I HAVE FAITH IN HIM WHO KEPT ME ALIVE DURING THE WAR.

I decided to go back to college and study Accounting. So I took evening classes and I was teaching languages in the morning in a Catholic School near by. I met wonderful teachers through my teaching years and we use to share our faith and because it is one Christian community, we all know each other and what we believe. Sometimes Catholics picks on Orthodox or vies versa but we never hated each other.

IN FACT ALL CHRISTIANS IN LEBANON STOOD WITH EACH OTHER (PROTESTANT, CATHOLIC, ORTHODOX) AGAINST THE MUSLIMS. HERE IN THE WEST WE PICK ON EACH OTHER AND WE JUDGE EACH OTHER. WHEN YOU FACE DANGER, YOU FORGET WHAT YOUR DENOMINATION IS, YOU ONLY THINK, THAT YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN AND YOU HAVE TO DEFEND YOUR FAITH.

I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE BEEN KILLED AT THE FRONT OF MY EYES, I HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS WHO DIED TO DEFEND OUR EXISTENCE AS CHRISTIANS IN LEBANON AND YET, I FEEL VERY SHOCKED HERE IN AUSTRALIA TO SEE PEOPLE BECOMING AGGRESSIVE AND JEALOUS FROM EACH OTHER AND THEY WANT TO GRAB EACH OTHER’S TITLE OR POSITION AND THEY SAY:” GOD WANTS ME TO DO THIS AND THAT”

I SAY TO THIS PEOPLE GROW UP. WHAT WE DO AS CHRISTIAN IS WE DO GOD’S WILL; IT IS HIS WILL NOT OURS AND IF WE DO ANY MINISTRY, IT IS HIS MINISTRY.

Unfortunately, Lebanese People who were born in Australian don’t know exactly how much Lebanese in Lebanon suffered. And yes we are very educated and we have very intellectual people who achieved PhDs, Master, and degrees, even the war hit their homes and their parents died either from cancer of bombs or stress, or poverty.

I came to Australian in 1991, I studied hard to achieve something I couldn’t achieve in Lebanon, I was lucky to come here and I thank my God for Australia, it is a great nation, be grateful guys.

To start with 1992 I worked as a machine operator at Sydney Institute of Technology and then from 1994 to 1996 I became a Second Officer in Charge in the Payroll Section. I always shared my love of the Lord and how he saved us to come to Australia.

In 1995 I met my wonderful husband Bjorn and through him I learned not to hate other religions but to love them and pray for them. I have lots of experience in the workplace and I know people from executive to cleaners and to me they are the same. Jesus loves us all the same, and he died for us all.

Maybe the cleaner one day will have a higher place in heaven and the executive will be the last. So be humble and let the light of Christ shine on you and then It will shine on others as well.

Brothers and sisters at this time of Easter let us look and feel the suffering of Christ and remember that He died because He loved us. So let’s love one another and put our hate aside

HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL!

Lilian and her husband Bjorn work for a Christian group in Australia called Australian Marketplace Connections focused on helping Christians in the marketplace network and together build the Kingdom of God.