“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for me?” (Jer. 32:27)
The first meetings with Gypsies-Mugate children in February 2024 and then during a summer camp in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, deeply touched the hearts of those who participated and served children during those meetings.
Here is what one of the staff members and Bible lessons teacher shared:
“The children were longing to be loved. They were simply clinging to us, putting their heads to our hands so that we would touch them and hug them. The first time that I was talking to them about God and His love for them, they were all very quiet and attentive. The members of our team tried to show God’s love in everything that they did so that they would not simply talk about the love of God but would show it to the children as well.
From the initial visit in February of 2024, we had numerous opportunities to gather the Gypsy children, share some Bible stories with them, study, and sing. We saw their thirst for God’s Word and great need for teaching and training them of the Good News. In one particular instance, we scheduled one of the events to take place at 1:00pm, but there were children who were walking 4 kilometers and were already at the location at 10:30 in the morning. For the next 2.5 hours, in the anticipation of our arrival, they sat and stood in heat of the sun by the church building that we rented.
After just a few meetings we started to observe the changes not only in the children, but also in the adults who came with their children to these lessons as well. They were like sponges who were absorbing everything that they were hearing. It was especially memorable to see how clearly they understood Bible lessons about sin and were eager to start striving for changes immediately in their lives.
At the present time, they do not have any Bibles or even portions or single verses of the Bibles translated into their language. In addition, there isn’t a single person among them who knows how to read. We also found out that out of all the local church members, there is not a single person who knew the Tajik language similar to the dialect of this Gypsies who could have served them by proclaiming the Word of God to them. We realized that in order to preach the Gospel there, we need to teach at least one person to read. That is why in addition to having Bible studies we also began grammar classes. Both children and adults showed great interest in writing letters, numbers, and using letters to form words.
We are providing lessons twice a month for two days at a time. The local pastor has an old Zhiguli car and is bringing the youngest who have a hard time walking a long distance while everyone else comes on foot. The pastor also organizes snacks for them during the breaks. My assistant and I oversee preparing the lesson plans. I also teach the Bible, and she translates them into the Tajik language.
Unfortunately, without the financial support of other brothers and sisters we will not be able to serve the Mugate population for long. Our personal resources are extremely low. We are very grateful to God for a few people who agreed to help and support this ministry financially. These resources, however, will run out in about another month, and only God knows what will happen in the future. But we believe that He who began this good work will help and sustain us in the future.
Here is how we see our Mugate ministry in 2025:
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- Occasionally visiting the Gypsy camps with the goal of strengthening the relationships and fellowship with gypcies.
- Organizing various children’s projects (education - Bible lessons; games - various activities designed to strengthen the understanding of the lesson, social - grammar lessons and support by providing some food and clothing).
- Identifying and recruiting men who have experience in ministering to the Mugate population.
- Finding a building that can be used as a rental in the local Gypsy region to continue working with children.
- Personal work with those who already opened up their hearts to the Gospel.
We are grateful to the Lord that He is giving us the desire and the opportunities to serve among these people. I believe that God who began this ministry will continue to use the efforts there to plant a church in their midst. That is what we pray for and believe that it will happen. “They will be My people, and I will be their God.” (Jer. 32:38)”.
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Will this ministry continue among the Mugata gypsies? To a certain extent, it depends on us. Will we show an interest in supporting them to win souls for the Kingdom of God? If God is stirring your heart to support this ministry through prayer or financial support, please contact us at: (916) 716-2950 or through email:
- Making an online donation through your credit card or PayPal – Click this link.
- Using the QR code:
- Sending a donation check to the following address:
PCSBA. Missionary Department
639 Welland Way
West Sacramento
California, 95605
Under the “Memo” section please indicate:” For ministry among the gypsies in Bukhara.
All donations are tax-deductible. Receipt of donation and a tax report will be sent to the address of the envelope or check.
If you send a donation, and let us know at:
May the Lord bless you for every good work!
Olga Avetisova
Email:
Phone: (916) 716-2950
Links to the previous publications about this ministry (in Russian only):
