Pastor from Kazakhstan told about influence of Manmin church

Roza Makhatayeva, a pastor in Alma-Aty, Kazakhstan, told to Christian Telegraph reporter about Christianity in Central Asia, in countries like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and in Turkmenistan. In her interview she states that teaching and books of Korean pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee have a great impact on believers in Central Asia helping them to receive divine healing and live a life of holiness and real dedication to Christ.

Many people do not know much about Kazakhstan. Is it considered to be an Islamic, Christian or secular country?

After the collapse of the USSR, Kazakhstan is trying to protect freedom of religion. We heard that in Russia and in countries in Central Asia, like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and in Turkmenistan (I haven’t been in the last one personally) but I heard that all these countries officially recognized either Islam or the Orthodox faith. Kazakhstan practices democracy and freedom of religion.

Is there any tension against Christian church?

There is some tension but it comes not from the government but from Muslims. My church is in Alma-Aty. There are also many Islamic movements – Wahabi, Bahay and many others. Those Muslims who go to mosques, even they sometimes feel the tension from Wahabi groups. For example, not long ago some trainees came to us from MMTC (Manmin Missionary Training Center), they were delighted to be called as “twelve disciples of Dr. Jaerock Lee”. They held healing services – you know, to pray for healing. So I, as a pastor, introduced them. And Bahay Muslims came to the service. They did not interrupt but some of the ministers said they heard them saying that such people should've been shot or slaughtered. Of course, the Holy Spirit was there and they did not do any harm, but they threatened us with words.

Is there any Islamic propaganda in schools?

I personally haven’t seen this but I heard people say that there is even a special Islamic TV- channel, like our Christian channels, only that one is Islamic. The operators and producers show our Protestant churches in a bad way. They enter our churches with deception. Like last year one of our brothers, Monarbek, wrote a book about Christianity in Kazakhstan, hat our country has been Christian from of old. So this book became a cause for them to come to us and offer to shoot a film. They said they want to show us in a good way and want people to know about us. So they interviewed that man and his wife and then showed the film on television. But when they were cutting the film we noticed they were doing it differently. It was really offending. They were showing this brother and his wife in their home and then they would show Bahay groups and Jehovah witnesses and some other movements. They mix it all. We were shocked. So now we do not give interviews to anyone.

How many Manmin churches are there in Kazakhstan?

Two years ago we received a disk of Jaerock Lee – “The Power of God, part 2” and we saw it and I was so happy in my heart to know that there are people who not only live the Gospel of Holiness by their words but they live it in their lives. You know Aral Sea? It’s like a disaster, there really is an ancestral curse on that place – all families from there who came to Christ were healed. All of them had tuberculosis. Pastor Murat Pai and his wife, they dedicated their home to the Lord and now they have a home church – about twenty, twenty five people. They had tuberculosis and their son fell from the five-story building not long ago. And when the trainees of MMTC - “the twelve disciples of Jaerock Lee” came, all of them were healed. The boy who fell from the five-story building had gleets coming out of the wound, he couldn’t be healed but he was healed on the service. Just before coming here we had a camp – people from Aralsk, Kazalinsk, Baykonur and Karaganda – our filial and home churches came together. The church in Karaganda by the way is not a home church anymore. So many of them were healed. There was a boy of fifteen years old who wasn’t able to go to the toilet for all his life. He had to use a clyster just once in fifteen days when his body temperature would go high. He was healed after drinking the Muan water. The disciples of Jaerock Lee came and brought some of this water. He drank it and after some prayer he was healed. It was a miracle.

And is everything good since then?

Yes, everything is good. Not long ago we had a camp in Alma-Aty. And he himself told about the healing. Everyone was crying, only Jesus can do such things.

Do people in Kazakhstan accept the teaching of Dr. Lee?

About two years ago we heard about him and just six months ago we became a part of Manmin church. Our church in Alma-Aty is called The Spiritual Way. Every year pastors in Alma-Aty hold a pastoral meeting. There are also meetings with Turkic pastors – this year they came from Afghanistan, Baku, Turkey and there were a few from Kazakhstan. And I told about Manmin church to many of them. Our brother prepared a disk with photos of Jaerock Lee and we gave this disk to many people. There was also an MP3 disk that I gave to some people. There was a pastor from Uzbekistan. We are praying and distributing the Gospel of Holiness, because Dr. Jaerock Lee really shows it with his own life. That’s why I want to go and spread the Gospel of Holiness throughout Central Asia.

You saw how it all works here. Do you think it is possible to bring the experience of the revival of Korea to Kazakhstan? Or there is difference in culture?

This could be possible. It’s just that the time should pass. This would be possible because of the regular people, especially those who live in villages. In Astana it would be more difficult. It is the capital now, the atmosphere is harder there. It is easier in Alma-Aty, although quite a few mosques are being opened at the moment. About two years ago it was different. But now, it became like a fashion - to go to a mosque each Friday and pray, listen to namaz. One young man said he received a call from his friend who said: “Hey, I haven’t seen you for such a long time. Come on, let’s meet in the mosque, we could talk there.”

So it’s some sort of the Muslim outreach?

Yes. In Alma-Aty there are a lot of people who wear hijabs now. It’s not very pleasant, especially when it’s all dark. Even fear comes: what if this person is a terrorist? Is it a man or a woman?

So Islam is spreading its culture?

Yes.

I heard there are many Koreans living in Kazakhstan now who were deported there.

Yes, there are quite a few.

Are they Christians?

Yes. Big churches in Alma-Aty are Korean churches, like “Grace”, Alma-Aty Central Church, pastor Han. Big churches are Korean and Russian ones. There are about fifty people in average Kazakh churches, I have about forty people.

How can Christians around the world help with the revival in Kazakhstan? Send missionaries? Just pray? Build seminaries?

We had a couple of seminaries but they were closed down for some reason. Last year a very good seminary “Kaltek” was closed down, my daughter studied there. We need more of such seminaries to spread the Gospel of Holiness. Many people would want to study. The only seminary here belongs to that Korean church “Grace”. There is one Moscow seminary but we belong to the Manmin church now and we will be waiting for our church to open its seminary. This would really help the revival.

Can Christians in other countries help you with materials through Internet?

Yes, we have Internet but it’s very slow in our country. Most of people speak Russian. Even young people speak Russian most of the time. They only start learning Kazakh language. So we will appreciate all materials in Russian.

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TAGS: Kazakhstan South Korea Manmin church Dr. Jaerock Lee Roza Makhatayeva healing miracles

[09/23/2010]

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