Brian M

Greetings from Central Asia

Tomorrow, Kami and I will head back to the US after being in Central Asia for the last two weeks. By God's grace, we had no major travel issues (so far) on multiple flights to various countries.

The trip began with a visit to two families serving in Kurdistan, the semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq. While there, we stayed with a young couple I supervise. We also visited another family who just landed in the country a couple months ago. Both families are in the middle of full-time language study and actively involved in a local English-speaking church of about 100 members from all over the world. The couple who has been in the country longer also serves in a local Kurdish congregation.

From there we traveled to Georgia by way of Turkey, and were able to visit two more families I supervise. One has been on the field for many years, but has just transferred to RTIM. The other family has been with RTIM longer but just redeployed to the region. While in Central Asia, I also had the opportunity to teach about 30 students at a training center for those preparing for future work overseas. Some of them are already appointed by RTIM, and we met with a few others who are interested in joining our organization.

A multi-story, light brown stone building featuring a large white cross on its facade, seen from the street behind an ornate grey metal fence.
A view from the back of a full church hall where a diverse congregation stands and sings, facing a band performing on a stage with a lit cross.
A group of adults and a baby sit at a table on a balcony overlooking a city square with a Kurdish flag, traffic, and traditional arched buildings.

Grateful for grace

As we come to the season of Thanksgiving, I'm reminded of all the things we have to be grateful for, including the generous support of many of you who make this work possible. God's grace is evident to us in your partnership in the gospel which allows us to travel and visit workers in the field as well as represent RTIM in various meetings and conferences.

For example, in October, I participated in the Nicea Conference in Istanbul. While there, I got to visit Iznik, the modern-day site of the ancient city of Nicea, location of the early church council n 325 AD that composed the Nicene Creed. But that wasn't the highlight of the trip. Instead, it was the opportunity to gather with over 100 church leaders from Turkey and the Middle East. One of the Turkish pastors I had lunch with that week has been a friend for many years, and it was incredibly encouraging to hear him share how their church in southern Turkey has baptized 20 new believers just in the last year.

Earlier in October, the Lord allowed me to represent RTIM at the Pillar Conference in North Carolina, sharing about the work in Central Asia and teaching on Paul's approach to ministry. In November, Kami and I were also at a couple different missions conferences in Illinois and Ohio. Then I traveled to Washington DC, for a conference with Christian business leaders and investors to learn more about ways we can work together for the sake of the gospel in hard-to-reach places. In a couple weeks, this year's travel will wrap up with me going to Louisville to teach at our orientation week for new missionaries.

We thank God for your prayers and support which make all this possible.

A tour group stands on a stone path under a large, ancient stone archway at an archaeological site, listening to a guide.
High-angle view from the back of a church sanctuary filled with men sitting in pews, listening to a speaker at an ornate wooden pulpit on a raised stage.
A man lectures a group of students in a classroom. The audience is seated at tables with laptops, and a screen behind the speaker reads 'Purpose of the Letter'.

Thanksgiving & Praise

  • Praise God for safe travel on multiple trips over the last two months. 
  • Praise God for opportunities to invest in local leaders and future missionaries. 
  • Praise God for supplying our financial need this year. Praise God for his work to start and strengthen churches in Central Asia.