Women in Central Asia

April 2013Women of Hope broadcasts in more than 60 languages. PH’s monthly prayer requests are used in 77 languages.

1. A spiritual awakening among Central Asian women so that many would hear about Christ through media and come to believe in him.

2. Safety, health and God’s anointing on those producing Project Hannah’s Women of Hope programs in Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen and Uzbek.

3. Women who do not know the loving Jesus to fi nd him and to know that he will be their strength through diffi cult circumstances and that he will give them peace and eternal salvation. “Th e Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble” (Psalm 9:9).

4. Christian women of Central Asia who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. Pray for Christian mothers who are threatened that their children will be harmed. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4).

5. Women in Uzbekistan who are seen as second-class citizens. In many cases, husbands, even sons, humiliate them. Pray that these women deeply understand that God loves them and that they are precious to him.

6. Central Asian girls who are forced into early marriages. Single women are afraid to say that they are unmarried because people will think that they are sick or that they have lost their purity. Many women marry at the fi rst opportunity and then suff er for the rest of their lives. Pray that negative attitudes toward girls would be changed, leading to healthy families and love in marriages.

PL E A S E P R A Y F O R . . .Praying for . . . P R O J E C T H A N N A H

7. Believers in Uzbekistan who experience severe persecution and do not have the right to gather for worship. Small, secret house churches are scattered throughout the country. Th is makes organized women’s ministries almost impossible.

8. Women in remote areas to hear the Women of Hope programs and be spiritually strengthened. Uzbekistan, with a population of 28 million, is the largest Central Asian country. Most people live in rural areas, often in very poor conditions.

9. Kazakh families: the number of divorces is increasing, therefore the responsibility for the family often falls on the women.

10. Th e improvement of the lives of women living in remote rural areas, especially those who are experiencing humiliation and abuse. “Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping” (Psalm 39:12).

11. Kazakh women who already believe in Jesus Christ. Pray that they would grow spiritually and be an example to those around them and that they would be involved in ministry among Kazakh women.

12. Central Asian women who have hardened their hearts in order to silence the pain and anguish of multiple abortions. Abortion is legal in Central Asia and remains one of the most popular methods of birth control.

13. Kyrgyzstan, where the custom of bride kidnapping still exists. As a result, many unhappy women live without love in obedience to their husbands.

The infl uence of relatives and tribes dominates the lives of the women of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). Women have the primary responsibility for passing religion and other traditions from generation to generation, so there is a natural tendency to avoid change in order to preserve things as they are. Unfortunately this passion to preserve their customs has allowed religious extremism to hinder the light of the Gospel from penetrating women’s hearts and lives.

Although Central Asia has many underdeveloped regions, the major cities offer women the fast-paced life associated with careers, professional sports and higher levels of education. Modern women in these cities use the Internet and smartphones. They struggle to keep up with the latest fashions, to be successful in business and, at the same time, to be mothers and housewives.

Traditionally, a young couple lives with the husband`s family after marriage. Often the young wife becomes a servant of the mother-in-law and her daughters. Respect for elders is important in Central Asia, but when it becomes more like slavery, problems develop in the marriage and the wife suffers emotionally and physically.

Since gaining their independence from the Soviet Union, Central Asian countries have seen health-care problems in many areas worsen. There is a severe shortage of medical equipment and medicines. Women suffer during pregnancy in particular. There are also high rates of death and disability among children as well as in society generally.

Many women in Central Asia experience domestic violence. Women are also humiliated and abused at work, school and in the community. Few women dare to report abuse to the police. Often, rape is blamed on the woman and not the man.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 3 P R AY I N G F O R W O M E N I N C E N T R A L A S I A

carry all the responsibility for the home, and their children often work alongside their mothers. Th e divorce rate is rising, and with an absent father, the children are malnourished, girls are depressed and boys are more aggressive (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16249737).

18. Women who agree to be second or third wives, which leads to many confl icts and emotional wounds. Because men have to travel to fi nd work, some towns have very few men.

19. Mothers and children in Central Asia, where the health system is very poor. Pray that Christian mothers with sick children will have strength to endure the diffi culties and not lose hope in God. “O Lord, my

strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress” (Jeremiah 16:19a).

20. Parents to understand that their daughter should not be forced into a miserable marriage, which could lead her to the desperate act of suicide. Arranged marriages have increased the number of suicides by Central Asian women. Many times the husband is much older. In Kazakhstan, young wives drink acid or hang themselves to escape their misery.

21. Central Asian parents and husbands to lead the way for women who want to accept Christ. (It is considered

disrespectful for them to go against parents’ or husbands’ decisions.) As they listen to radio broadcasts, pray that God’s Spirit will fi ll them with understanding and give them courage to accept God’s gift of salvation.

22. Increased freedom for Turkmen believers to confess Jesus Christ and be able to meet for spiritual fellowship without fear. Turkmenistan is also closed to missionary work, so radio is very important.

23. Christian women who have unbelieving husbands. Pray that they would act wisely and that through their lives their husbands would come to Jesus.

24. Women who are qualifi ed to produce the Turkmen Women of Hope programs. We need to form a new production team.

25. Prayer circles in Kyrgyzstan to continue to grow. Also pray for wisdom in developing Project Hannah’s prayer ministry in the other Central Asian countries.

26. Maria, Project Hannah’s Central Asia prayer coordinator, as she encourages women to join the thousands of intercessors in 120 countries praying through the monthly prayer requests in 77 languages. Pray for the safety of women in Central Asia who courageously do the work of prayer.

27. Th e Russian government to continue to free Central Asian women who are trapped in slavery (bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20338534).

28. Women who lack understanding of God’s love and forgiveness to hear of God’s salvation through Jesus. Th e atheistic teachings of communism have blinded many to God’s truth. Folk religions and myths about

Christianity have many lost in the lies of Satan. “Th en you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. … So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:32, 36).

29. Men to understand that women should be respected and that the tradition of bride stealing is degrading and uncivilized. Bride stealing is still practiced in certain areas of Central Asia, and a young woman is most often taken without her consent. Seldom does such a bride return to her family, because this would be dishonouring to her and her family.

30. Central Asian women who live in cities but are very lonely even when they are with their families. Pray that they would experience trust and deep friendships with Christian women.

14. Clean water to be provided to the Kyrgyz people. Many villages in Kyrgyzstan lack access to safe drinking water (http://eng.24.kg/politic/2012/01/27/22645.html).

15. Christian women to be a good infl uence on their relatives. Pray especially for women whose husbands do not follow Jesus.

16. Respectable jobs for Tajik women so they are not forced into prostitution. Many women cannot fi nd work to provide food and housing for their children. As a result of prostitution, many women and their children have HIV/AIDS.

17. Tajik women whose husbands leave the country to fi nd jobs. Th ese women stren

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country to fi nd jobs. Th ese women

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