Silk Road Summer 2024
Are you ready to join a short-term team and serve in locations along the ancient Silk Road next summer?
We are looking for young adults ready to take on their next ministry adventure by joining one of our teams for six to eight weeks in cities across Central Asia. You have the chance to further the work of making Christ known in places where few believers exist. Pray about joining one of these pioneering teams!
At the crossroads between East and West, what once was a wild, embattled region of feuding city-states, lie the modern-day countries of Central Asia. These countries formed the hub of the Silk Road, an extensive trade network bridging Xi’an, China to Venice, Italy and beyond. Traders brought silk textiles West to satisfy the ever-increasing fashion appetites of Europeans, and in the process, mixed cultures and religions in places once insulated from foreign ideas.
Since the Muslim conquests in the eighth century, Central Asia has been predominantly Islamic, though adherence and practice vary considerably from region to region. Against a backdrop of harsh deserts, vaulting mountains (“The Roof of the World” as some call it), and fertile valleys, Central Asia retains many of its ancient cultures and traditions, though in the cities, there are visible shadows cast by its towering neighbors to the North and East.
One of Central Asia’s military heroes, Timur (also known as Tamerlane) described himself as “The Sword of Islam” yet even he could not totally eradicate faith in Jesus here. The same roads that enabled the trade of textiles and culture are once again enabling a far more precious trade: the message of the Kingdom of God! And by God’s providence, there are now thousands of followers of Jesus and small churches along the Silk Road.
You have the opportunity to partner with both multicultural mission teams and local churches across this region! The workers and believers are few, yet – as Jesus said – the harvest is plentiful. We are partnering with the workers and believers in this region and want to encourage them, add to their capacity, and expand their reach.
We have identified several cities to which we are inviting young adults (18-30s) to come and serve in this beautiful region next summer. Silk Road Summer is designed to connect believers from North America and Europe to Central Asian ministry teams to help expand their outreach. We hope and pray for great gospel breakthroughs during this summer project, but are also praying that God calls some to go on to full-time ministry in this part of the world.
Silk Road Summer gives you an opportunity to experience God in new places and new ways. It is definitely a step up from the average weeklong mission trip! We hope you come back with a deep love for the peoples of the Silk Road, a new reliance on Jesus, and a bold willingness to take your next step towards God’s call on your life.
Please share about Silk Road Summer with your friends at church and college! Our hope is that many young adults will prayerfully consider following the Lord to Central Asia in summer 2024. We also need praying and resourcing churches behind them. We want to support our ministry partners on the Silk Road so they have greater endurance and encouragement! Find out more by filling in the contact form below.
