Here is a report from my nephew who is a missionary concerning one of his co
workers you might find interesting.

Phil.


Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2008 10:01 AM
Subject: Released!


Below is the interview taken by one of our expat co-workers.

Dave

============================

Dear Friends,

I just returned from a face-to-face meeting with Makset Dzabbarbergenov, the
young Karakalpak pastor who you have been praying for over these past few
days.  I am utterly amazed at the story I have just heard.  God is so
faithful and he gives strength to his servants, just as He has done through
the ages to those who stand for the name of Christ. Here is a summary of
Makset's story:



At approximately 9:30 am on Thursday, May 29, Makset left the house on foot
to catch a bus (he and his family only moved into this house this past week,
as he is house sitting for on of our families who left for a 3 month
furlough) to go to an English language lesson.  When he reached the end of
the street, he noticed a covered truck parked by the side of the road.  As
he walked past, 6 anti-terrorist police rushed out of the truck, fully armed
with sub-machine guns and wearing masks.  They hit Makset several times with
the butts of their guns, pushed him to the ground, hand-cuffed him and
covered his face with a hood.  After bringing him to his feet, they lifted
his hood, showed his face to a police officer from Nukus (Makset's home town
in Uzbekistan) and asked the officer if they had the right person. He
affirmed that he did.

During the arrest these officers never showed identification.  They asked
him "where his Makarov (Russian pistol) was" and asked to see his papers.
Makset is grateful to the Lord that he did not have his identification on
him because that meant the police had to go to his house and get it.  It was
at this point that Aigul, Makset's wife, learned that he had been arrested.
Makset believes that if he had had his papers with him, they would have left
with his wife having no idea he had been apprehended.

While he was in the truck, they continued to beat him. He had no way of
deflecting the blows as he was handcuffed and handcuffed so tightly that
eventually he had no feelings in his hands.  Upon arrival at the police
station in Kaskalen (a small town about 15 kilometers outside Almaty), they
made him remain in a face-down prone position with his hood still on for
almost 4 hours.  They were unable to remove the handcuffs because the
officer with the key had left.  There was quite a bit of excitement among
the officers as they were celebrating Makset's arrest.  Several made phone
calls saying things like, "We got Bin Laden today."  The officer from Nukus
was especially happy, calling colleagues in Uzbekistan to tell them the
"good news."  But, in a few hours, the real "good news" was going to get
out!

Even while Makset was laying on the floor, unable to feel his hands, he
started to tell the police he was a Christian.  He even used the Russian
word for this.  In Central Asia, Muslim-background believers in Jesus often
do not use the Russian word "Christianin" when telling others they believe
in Jesus. Instead, they usually say they are "Masichshi"  or a follower of
the Messiah.  Makset, however, knew that if he didn't use the Russian term,
it would confuse the officers and they would think he was part of a radical
sect and it might cause him more problems.  This worked, because after a
couple of hours, one of the arresting officers, who was a Russian apologized
for the way they had roughly treated him.

Eventually, he was put in a jail cell with five other prisoners.  These
prisoners were all convicted or confessed murders.  Yet, they were all
impressed by the fact that they had Makset in their cell because he was a
"real terrorist."  (The wanted poster that the policeman from Nukus had used
to instigate Makset's arrest claimed that he was a Muslim extremist).  For
the remainder of the day that Makset was in this cell with these hardened
criminals he shared the gospel of Christ with them.  One Kazakh man from
Shymkent who claimed to be a strong Muslim and even read Islamic material,
seemed to be particularly interested in what Makset had to say.  Makset
later said, "I thought this was the reason I had been put in jail."

The next day, the police wanted to transfer him to the main Almaty city
jail.  It is from here that most of the illegal Uzbekistani immigrants are
taken before they are deported.  (By the way, Makset has official UN refugee
status to be in Kazakhstan, so he it NOT illegal for him to be in the
country.)  However, when they noticed how dirty and messed up Makset was and
how bruised he was from the previous day, they knew they couldn't send him
in that condition.  At one point when they had him in the main office, one
of the officers had him go into another room. Apparently, police stations
here now have video camera surveillance and they didn't want the camera to
see how "roughed up" he really was.  So, at that point, they had him clean
up and wash out his shirt.  He then had dry out his clothes in his cell.
His fellow inmates said it would be a good thing for him to go to the city
jail, because from there he could make phone calls and even contact the UN.

During his whole time of captivity, Makset testifies that he experienced the
peace of God.  He knew that God was in control of the whole situation. He
main worry, however, was for his wife and three small children.  Not knowing
how they were and what exactly what was going on with them, consumed his
thoughts.  He also said that he was continually in a state of prayer.

Later in the afternoon, two officers came and led him into the police
captain's office. This man Makset describes as being a "very good person."
He told Makset that he had spoken with the prosecutor who had told him that
they could not hold Makset for more than three days.  His arrest had not
been done properly because there had been no official warrant for his
arrest.  They also could neither deport Makset to Uzbekistan nor prosecute
him simply for being a Christian.

We don't know for sure at this point in the process if some of the contacts
we had attempted to make with various government contacts came through or
not.  However, by this time in the process, we had contacted people for them
to do some investigations into Makset's case.  Or, it simply could have been
a matter of these governmental personnel actually following the rule of law.
My hope and prayer is that it is the latter!  At the very least, it appears
that there are those within the government of Kazakhstan that genuinely want
to have a modern state that respects the constitutional rights of
individuals.

Following his meeting with the police captain on that Friday, Makset was
hopeful about his release.  While he was physically quite sore from the
previous day's beating, he had the hope that he might actually be released.
In addition, he continued to have opportunities to testify for the Lord.
During the process, some of the Russian inmates he encountered said things
like, "Your suffering for Jesus," etc.  For the remainder of his time, he
was put in a different cell.  This one was more of a minimum security cell
for petty thieves and those with minor offenses.  His cellmates were 4
Kazakhs and a Russian.  Once more he had the opportunity to share Christ.
(As it turns out, one young man had previously been ministered to by a
friend of mine, Anarbek).

For the remainder of Friday evening, Makset heard nothing concerning his
situation.  He had a fitful night's sleep and woke between 5 and 6am, and
spent a long time in prayer.  For the next several hours he waited by the
cell door, listening.  At that point, doubts began to creep in.  "What if
they are 'playing' me and I'm not really going to be released?" "I wonder if
they waiting for my wounds to completely heal, so they don't get in
trouble." "What if they are really going to deport me."  Eventually, with
this weighing heavy on his heart, Makset told the Lord, "Ok, Lord, if you
want me to return to Uzbekistan and it's your will for me to go, then I
surrender all of this to your will!"  Three minutes later, a guard opened
the cell door and told him to gather his things because he was free to go.
Everyone in the jail celebrated and wished him well.

Upon entering the office, an official from the UN was there to secure
Makset's release.  Makset signed a paper saying he had no complaint with the
police (!) and then entered an official UN vehicle and returned home.

In reflecting over his experience, Makset said, "The Lord gave me the words
when I needed them. During certain periods of interrogation, I was tempted
to lash out and criticize the Kazakhstani government, but God kept me quite.
Other times, I was able to say just the right thing."  He was able to fully
share the gospel with 10 prisoners and 3 policemen.

There are several things to be thankful for in this whole experience. First,
Makset is HOME tonight, he faces no further charges and no one is seeking
him. Second, he was not deported, which could have easily happened.  Third,
the gospel was proclaimed.  Fourth, the rule of law may actually be starting
to take root here, although this could change in the blink of an eye. Fifth,
the Body of Christ all over the world mobilized to pray for this brother.
And, finally, I believe God gets the glory.  Thank you all for your prayers.

One final thought: While this story has a happy ending, there are other
brothers and sisters even within Central Asia that continue to suffer for
Jesus' sake.  As I write this one Uighur brother in NW China is serving a
2-year sentence in a labor camp and another has a pending case of treason
weighing against him because of their association with us and the gospel.
Everyday, Central Asian followers of Christ face persecution and threats to
life and limb from family, friends, employers, teachers, village elders, and
government officials. Please continue to lift them up.  Jesus told us that
such things would happen, but he also told us to carry one another's
burdens.  May He find us faithful!