I grew up in a small farming community in rural Kazakhstan. When I was six years old, the Soviet Union collapsed. During my childhood, my family lived in poverty, trying to eke out a living growing potatoes and tending fruit trees.

My community suffered from a lack of resources, and years of Soviet suppression of spiritual truth also left most in the dark.

When foreigners started a comprehensive farmer training program in my region, I saw changes in the local farming techniques. Farmers started to prune their fruit trees and control pests and diseases, dramatically improving yields and quality. They were also taught new grafting techniques and a commercial nursery was started in a nearby village. I was anxious to join the program!

“After several years of training in the program, I became an expert grafter and pruner and was paid well to work for the commercial operation.
Now I'm highly sought after by farmers due to my growing expertise. ”

In our training, I noticed that spiritual principles were often integrated into discussions about farming issues. I found it fascinating to see the connection of how nature works and how God relates to us spiritually. So I began to seek and ask more questions, eventually starting to read God’s word for myself, starting in Genesis. I learned about God’s plan for salvation and began on my own journey of faith, eager to understand more. Naturally, I felt obligated to share what I was learning with others.

In the beginning, I wondered why foreigners would come to my region to help my people, though I was very thankful for all of the technical innovations they introduced. It finally dawned on me that they had a bigger reason to come and bless my community.

They were bringing with them the light of Truth that now I could finally see after so many years of being in darkness.

About the Author

Rashid is a local farmer in Kazakhstan