Kazakhstan is currently the country in Central Asia with the most severe lockdown of society. The borders are closed and all entry and exit to cities is prohibited for passenger transportation. Major cities are divided into zones where the army assists the police with patrols, while citizens are forbidden to move more than 200 meters from their homes - unless they have a specific errand. Violations result in arrests and fines.
But despite these conditions, Christians are very active. Many churches livestream Sunday sermons, Bible teaching and children and youth programs on Instagram or YouTube, while also evangelizing on WhatsApp, Messenger and Telegram.
"Never have I and the church's Christians been as active in online mission as now, and never have we told so many people about Jesus as we have in the last month," says a pastor in western Kazakhstan.
In the weeks after the country closed its borders, Christians were very active in distributing food to those in need, but as guidelines became stricter, this stopped. Now, only a few churches are allowed to distribute large quantities of food. However, many Christians continue to buy food themselves, knock on the door and leave a bag of produce on the doorstep.
