Journeys with Jesus in Central Asia

Published: September 6th, 2010

Jesus’ invitation to me to “come away with Him” to Asia was a beautiful one, and as usual He had much more in mind than I did! Over the past 2 months I have ventured out with my Father, journeying in 3 Asian countries with 3 different teams on an adventure that I’m sure will continue to change my life.

It is odd to be away from home for so long - knowing that life  continues without me, that my garden grows but I can’t eat from it, and that I am in an utterly foreign place different in just about every way than where I’ve come from! But, I don’t miss my homeland - I miss my family and friends but not much else. I love this place and I am full of dreams for these people.

Hong Kong Camp

This is my fourth year (on behalf of 24-7 Prayer) of partnering with a ministry for an outreach preparation Camp in Hong Kong. This year’s Camp primarily hosted Mainland and Hong Kong Chinese, focusing on reconciled relationships between the two groups in order to see the advancement of the Gospel among and through them. I brought a team of 7 other women and we facilitated one of the most incredible 24-7 Prayer Room experiences I’ve ever witnessed or participated in! 

What God has prepared for the Chinese, and for Asia and the globe through them, is so grand and glorious! In all this, I cannot fathom a more important work than prayer - and it is a privilege to be part of seeing 24-7 Prayer with this DNA spread throughout the East.

Snapshots from the 24-7 Prayer Centre at this Camp:

• A 7-year old sought prayer for his calling to be a missionary - and the prayer minister sat with him, holding his feet in her hands, proclaiming, “How blessed are the feet of those who bring Good News…”
• A Chinese woman confessed for the first time that she’s had six abortions, and began the process of releasing her shame and pain to the Father who loves her.
• I prayed with a 19-year old Hong Kong girl, who longs for intimacy and wants Jesus at the centre of it.

Central Asian Leadership Camp

Directly after the Hong Kong Camp, I set off with a small team to two former Soviet nations in Central Asia. We’d been praying and preparing for this trip for nearly 9 months!

We spent three days in the first country, where there’s been much violence in recent months. We prayed, met with local and foreign missionaries, and learned a lot about this strategic nation that is the most open of all the Muslim-majority nations in that region.  It was fun to experience a very new culture and to use the tiny bits of Russian that I learned on a trip to Russia in ’98!

From there, we took a road trip to a neighboring nation, where we joined in a camp for church leaders from three Central Asian “-stan” nations and from Hong Kong.  The 70 who gathered prayed, worshiped, received teaching, and sought God’s heart for that region, where the church is increasingly persecuted. There was particular focus on partnership between the Chinese and Central Asia church, and I was deeply impacted by time spent with the Hong Kong team of 10 who joined that time.

Trip to North West China

Early August found me in Northwest China with a dear friend from university and nine Chinese friends. We had intended to spend just a few days in one city there, pausing on our way to a mountainous area nearer the Chinese border with Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, flooding had damaged the road between the city and the mountains, entirely changing our plans! Instead, we remained together in that city for 10 days.
Security in that part of China is very tight and we were unable to do any obvious ministry. Instead, we enjoyed extended times of prayer, Bible study, sharing and intercession. We spent time with long-term missionaries and local believers living there. We toured the area, learning about the culture and the local people, who are Muslim Turks.

One highlight for me was being welcomed as a Westerner onto a Chinese-led team, to partner with them for the Kingdom in China. Another was our meeting with a 94-year old Chinese woman who’s preached the Gospel since she was 18. She is a legend in that area, she still preaches at her church, and her childlike faith was deeply challenging. Lastly, my heart was deeply stirred for the local Muslim peoples, over their bondage to Islam. We prayed much for them as Ramadam (the Muslim holy month) started, that they would encounter the mercy of God in Jesus Christ.

So many moments over these past two months capture a piece of my heart. I adore these chances to be in Asia, meeting people, learning culture and bits of language, catching big-picture, broad-stroke glimpses of what God’s doing. Seeing convergence of words He’s spoken, people, streams of relationships and ministries, my life.

I don’t know how much of what moves me as I’m here is primarily for the purpose of me engaging in intercession, and how much I will actively have a hand in bringing forth in other ways as well. Perhaps it doesn’t matter. Prayer is the starting place, and I am learning more and more how to give what I see and feel immediately to the One who’s ever-with me, right in the moment. He can take it, break it, and multiply it, even through my life and my friends’ lives, if it pleases Him.

Feature image and North West China image are the property of Erin Rufledt and appear here with her permission. Thank you Erin!

The Phantom Intercessor has dedicated his life to battling for Prayer, Mission and Justice on Planet Earth. This caped wonder is rarely seen, appearing at prayer meetings only when all eyes are closed. His utility belt is packed with razor sharp tracts, Holy Water and a Jesus Loves Ibiza bible. He can leap lego buildings and takes the stairs 2 at a time. The Intercessor has all the gifts of the Spirit including the much misunderstood Old Testament power to 'Smite'... Such is his saintly nature that he is yet to use this gift on anything other than wasps and the occasional rabbit.

In all seriousness 'The Phantom Intercessor' is a fictional writer employed for pieces where the authorship of an article is generic or where the writer needs to remain anonymous.

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