Armenia and Azerbaijan

Earlier this week, fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia killed hundreds of soldiers on both sides. Eric Mock with the Slavic Gospel Association says, “The sons of some of the leaders there have been lost in the fighting. So they are feeling the pain and the difficulty.”

Last Wednesday, a ceasefire agreement ended the fighting. A delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives announced plans to visit Armenia. Mock says, “There are, of course, the disputed territories they’re fighting about. But I think it’s even deeper than that. Armenia tends to be Christian where you see Azerbaijan predominantly Muslim.”

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

Friday, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan agreed to a ceasefire after a round of fighting at their shared border. Mock says, “Centers for helping children in these more impoverished communities were hit by shells. They’ve had to remove the younger families and their children to safer locations.”

Some clashes were still reported after the agreement. SGA works in Tajikistan, ministering to poorer communities near the border. The boundary between the two countries has not been well defined, leading to conflicts since the Soviet era.

Ukraine

Meanwhile, Russian forces retreat from a counter-offensive in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have approached the city of Kherson, taken by Russia earlier this year.

Mock says, “Previously occupied territory is being returned to Ukrainian control. We’re seeing very deep humanitarian need there. We’re seeing the destruction. But mostly, what we’re seeing is how people in the churches have stepped up. They’re actually traveling into these regions and helping the people there.”

Through SGA, you can send help to each one of these countries. Mock says, “As we face winter, people are already beginning to ask for wood and coal.”

Pray the love of local Christians will draw many to Jesus.

The header photo shows now of the first Armenian towns to come under attack during the recent fighting with Azerbaijan. (Photo courtesy of Armineaghayan, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

They have retaken almost the entire Northeast Kharkiv region, including the city of Izium. Forces made advances in the South as well, hoping to retake the city of Kherson and even the Crimea peninsula.

The offensive comes after the U.S. unveiled nearly $3 billion in aid for Ukraine and surrounding countries. Weapons from the U.S. and other Western countries continue to play a significant role in the conflict.

Bible translation

Steve Martin says Wycliffe Associates Bible translation teams remain active despite the fighting. “The goal in that is to be able to see translation projects started. So pray that they will be able to maneuver around safely in an unsafe world.”

“That is a major prayer request. The second one would be that they would not grow weary.”

When the invasion first happened, several Ukrainian translators were meeting in another country, separated from their families. Martin says, “That was an alarming time of confusion for them. Their home eventually ended up being one of the tragedies of the bombing, and it was destroyed. But the daughter who was at home was able to get out and eventually reunite with her family.”

911 fund

Wycliffe Associates created the Emergency 911 fund to help Bible translators in time of disaster. Martin says, “So in this particular situation, we needed to act quite quickly. We began to assist those either in Ukraine or already out of Ukraine. We helped them set up so they could stay in safe locations and get family members to those locations as well.”

You can contribute to the 911 fund. Learn more here. And pray for peace to come to Ukraine.

The header photo shows Ukrainian soldiers outside a newly liberated settlement in the Kharkiv region. (Photo courtesy of Mil.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)