This is an appealing book about a young couple who give up everything in the Netherlands and move to Uzbekistan to spread God’s Word there. Not exactly a safe environment. In Central Asia there is a lot of resistance to the Christian faith. Nevertheless, Eric and Tamar start with good courage and they manage to reach people around them. But there are also many setbacks and difficulties. Some of these challenges include searching for a good home, making contact with local people, getting used to the customs of the country and the culture, dealing with various setbacks.
When Tamar becomes pregnant, the situation becomes more complex. The problems pile up. They search for solutions, but eventually Tamar ends up in a severe burnout and the couple decide to return to the Netherlands. Nevertheless, they were able to bring about a change in the lives of people in their environment. And the Lord ultimately used this, causing the local faith community to grow in the years that followed.
The book is written in a captivating way and contains many details about the atmosphere of the meetings and the many special moments in their lives. The completely different culture in the country is also worked out in detail so that you as a reader are drawn into the story.
Eric and Tamar traveled to Uzbekistan with high expectations to spread God’s Word. Despite years of preparation, they faced many challenges.
This book is unique among missionary books. You are taken along in the adventures and setbacks, the doubts and highlights of the main characters. Their story shows how God leads and can be trusted through everything. Even though He sometimes seems absent, He continues with His plan in the meantime.
At the age of fifteen, the author already felt a calling to missionary work. After training as an English teacher, he worked with his growing family in Central Asia in the late 1990s. Eric is currently an entrepreneur in the ICT sector, but he still spends much of his free time carrying out the Great Commission of Jesus.
For those preparing for deployment, this book offers indispensable tools. Experienced missionaries will recognize themselves with a laugh and a tear in the experiences of the main characters. It is a gripping story that constantly makes you think. It offers the reader an honest account, without idealizations or obligatory ‘happy ending’.
Excerpt from the book:
They arrived at five in the morning. Despite the early hour, it was already very hot. Qarshi, not far from the border with Afghanistan, was the city they had chosen with their small work group after a year of thinking, meeting, praying and searching. They had big plans. Here they were, the two of them in the vanguard, full of expectations about what life would be like in this city. Would they easily make friends among the locals? Would God start a great work in this city? If so, would they be allowed to see the beginning of it?
On the other hand, they also felt completely shattered. The atmosphere of the carriage was still in their minds and they had slept badly. And of course they were also uncertain about the near future. Where would they sleep tonight? They had no idea. Would they be able to find a house quickly? Had they done the right thing by leaving the not overly comfortable but still reasonably stable life in the capital Tashkent behind them?
Eric wondered where on earth he had taken Tamar. Sometimes, for a moment, doubt struck. They had no home anywhere in the world now.
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