In Central Asia, God is writing stories of redemption that begin with a single life and ripple outward in powerful ways.
When one woman named Maria*, weighed down by isolation and shame, heard about the hope and love of Christ, her heart was healed. In another town, Aya*, a believer who had found freedom in Christ, learned to walk with others through their pain and watched as healing multiplied into 17 new groups sharing the hope of the Gospel.
From individual hearts to entire communities, God is bringing beauty from brokenness. Through the partnership of e3’s short-term teams, long-term missionaries, and Indigenous leaders, the Gospel is spreading quietly but powerfully, transforming trauma into testimony and despair into disciple-making across Central Asia.
A Canceled Plan, a Divine Appointment
When an e3 short-term mission trip team traveled to Central Asia to support Indigenous leaders and share the hope of Jesus among Muslim communities, every appointment on their schedule suddenly fell through. As the team prayed about what to do next, one member thought of Maria – a woman she’d met only twice.
Maria, part of an unreached Muslim people group, lived in deep isolation. She’d married a man from an Orthodox background, creating tension in both families. Then her third child was born with autism.
In her culture, disability is often seen as a curse or divine punishment. Most families send their children to orphanages.
But Maria refused.
She quit her job, stayed home, and chose to love her son as he was.
Her neighbors shunned her. Her husband’s job took him far from home. She felt unseen and unloved.
So when the e3 team arrived at her door, it wasn’t just a visit – it was a divine appointment.
They listened to her story, shared their own, and gently introduced the hope of Jesus. Maria’s eyes filled with tears as she heard that God does not curse people – He restores them. He sees her. He loves her.
Maria chose to give her life to Christ in that moment.
When the team left, they knew something sacred had happened. They had simply followed where God redirected and found a heart He had been preparing all along.
Shaina connected Maria with a local church pastor, and he and his wife are doing follow-up discipleship and fellowship with her.
Healing That Multiplies
Not far away, Aya, another Central Asian believer, was asking God how she could help those around her. Her community was marked by trauma and hopelessness due to pressure from government restrictions, economic instability, and the lingering effects of war and persecution. Traditional counseling isn’t available, and talking openly about pain often carries deep shame.
Aya wanted to help them find the same freedom she had discovered in Christ. But she needed the right tools.
She heard about a Trauma Healing training led by a short-term missions team from e3 and decided to attend. What she didn’t know was that this team was serving alongside our long-term missionaries – faithful workers who live among local communities, building up Indigenous leaders to share the Gospel, make disciples, and plant churches in sustainable, multiplying ways.
During the training, Aya learned how to walk with wounded people using the truth of God’s Word. The training equips believers to help hurting people by building safe community, telling God’s redemptive story, and reproducing healthy churches. It combines trauma-informed listening groups, Bible story-based discipleship, and a church-planting mindset so participants not only receive healing but also become healers and launch new groups.
Aya knew this would help her reach her immediate community, but she didn’t realize how greatly God would use her obedience.
After returning home, Aya began leading a small group – and within months, 17 new groups had formed as others started leading, too. Healing spread. Faith deepened. The Gospel took root in new places.
What began as one faithful believer answering God’s call to care for those around her is now a movement of healing and hope through the Gospel across Central Asia. And it’s happening because of the collaboration between short-term teams, long-term missionaries, and Indigenous leaders who together form a self-sustaining, disciple-making network.
The Movement Grows
From Maria’s home to Aya’s community, God is working in Central Asia through partnership – between short-term teams, long-term missionaries, and Indigenous believers who are identifying and developing disciples and planting new churches.
In a region where evangelism and discipleship often happen quietly and behind closed doors, God is bringing hope and healing in remarkable ways.
People come seeking comfort, and they encounter Christ, the One who heals every wound.
You Can Step Into the Story
As we approach the end of the year, you can help this movement grow in Central Asia.
Your gift equips believers like Aya to lead Trauma Healing groups. It sends teams to reach people like Maria, longing to be seen and loved. It strengthens Indigenous leaders who are shining the light of Christ across Central Asia.
And this month, every dollar you give toward Central Asia will be matched – doubling your impact up to $50,000 in advancing the Gospel where it is least known.
God is transforming pain into purpose and multiplying disciples across Central Asia. Through your partnership, the story continues.
Give Now to Support the Work in Central Asia »
*Names changed for security