Arvin* and Cristina* were praying for the Greater Caucasus for years before they first set foot in the region. “When we first arrived in the south of the Greater Caucasus, carrying memories of our own country’s, Colombia’s, revival and the conviction that Muslims were the hardest to reach, we soon discovered a different reality,” Cristina said. 

“For nearly four years, we have walked alongside the local church, listening to their stories of 20 years of faithful labour, guarding the fragile fruits of the 1990s revival after the Soviet Union fell, often with little visible harvest. Trust has grown slowly, until now we stand together, asking how to reach the 12 surrounding communities, many still resistant.” 

Prayer at the centre 

The couple’s journey to the Caucasus began over a decade ago in an online prayer group. “We had been praying for specific territories in the Greater Caucasus every week since 2013 with others over Skype; someone challenged us: ‘You have been praying; [now] you need to go and see!’” Cristina recalled. 

Prayer has remained at the heart of everything they do. When they arrived in the South Caucasus country where they now serve they joined three other established families who were focused on the same people group. Unity formed as everyone prayed together, and through being a House of Prayer with 18 others. The group is now over 70 believers strong and growing, including pastors, leaders, expatriates and children.  

This has also led to more opportunities to work with the local churches in their ministries to the 12 ethnic groups who live in the area, including Muslims, Orthodox believers and those with no faith. 

“We set out with the Prayer Hub team not only to strengthen our bonds but to share life and ministry together as family. Hosting guests here has become a doorway into remote communities, and we have carried prayer and worship into the high places where travellers gather, lifting His name over the land,” Cristina said. 

Preparing to harvest 

“Most recently, in a small room filled with expectancy, 21 trainees gathered to learn more. Questions filled the air, but so did hope, as hearts leaned in to discover God’s way for this season. As we look toward the final session, where three churches will discern steps forward together, the atmosphere is charged with anticipation for days ahead that feel like the dawn of His harvest. 

“Later, we sat in a local restaurant, simply seeking to build a bridge with its administrator. To the eye, it may have seemed uneventful, yet in truth, much was stirring: in the spiritual realm promises were awakened, in social circles new reasons to belong emerged, and in the community seeds of friendship were sown, even among one of the most resistant Muslim groups in the province. Each small step matters, for together they weave into the greater vision: His Kingdom breaking through on earth.” 

*name changed