Partners International (2025), Central Asia
When an acquaintance invited a church-planter to an unfamiliar location, his team took safety precautions, unsure of the intentions of the man who had called him. The man he was going to meet seemed curious about Jesus, but was actively practicing another faith. In fact, the two of them had met on a bus weeks back, when this man was on his way home from travelling for religious rituals in another country. The church-planter, returning from a meeting late at night, and having missed the bus his group had booked tickets for, had landed himself on a later bus sitting beside a stranger.
Sensing an opportunity to connect with someone new, the church-planter began praying silently and started a conversation with his seatmate. After gentle questions he had the opportunity to share the gospel. The six-hour bus ride became an open door for deep spiritual dialogue, ending with an agreement to meet again.
The church-planter had met his bus friend several times in the following weeks, leading up to the invitation to this new, unfamiliar location. The team approached cautiously and prayerfully. To their surprise, the man was alone in an empty house, ready to be baptized! He shared, “Since our first conversation on the bus, I have not been the same. Last week when I prayed to ask Isa Masih (Jesus Christ) to forgive my sins and take control of my life, I experienced peace and joy I have never known, even after years of religious rituals.”
Today, this man is a passionate leader, actively serving in one of our new house churches. We praise the Lord for His divine orchestration in turning a missed bus into an eternal encounter.
