(Central Asia)–Topping the news, believers in Central Asian countries continue to report oppressive trouble with government agencies. International Bible Society’s Jim Courter says while most of their work has been allowed to continue, it is prudent to be cautious. “As far as the area that I’m talking about right now, I can’t mention any names or even countries; it might compromise what’s happening there. I would ask, in general, to pray for those areas where fundamentalism is coming in stronger and the call for jihad, and so on, is getting stronger…that the workers there would be protected and the churches would grow.” Courter says after several delays, they are ready to move forward with the next phase of their work for Central Asia and the former Soviet Union. “We’re doing a translation of the Russian now, the first translation really, that’s come out with this philosophy of the presenting the meaning of the Scriptures rather than just word for word. This is going to be finishing up at the end of this year; the New Testament is ready to be published in June.”
