Jeffrey and Kristin Lee on the Road: SfK BAM Field Trip 2025

Our next destination was Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. We took a land route to go there. From Almaty, we took the rented minibus to the border, called Kordai, first. It took us approximately 3.5 hours. After crossing the border, first on the Kazakhstan side and then on the Kyrgyzstan side, another minibus was waiting for us at the border. It took another hour to go to Bishkek City.

The city name Bishkek is derived from a legendary Kyrgyz knight, called Bishkek, or a wooden churn or paddle that is used for making kumis (fermented mare's milk). There was a statue of Bishkek.

The first place we went to see was a jewelry business run by Sangwoo Kim. He was in the middle of finishing up the construction at the new site, but the work was getting delayed because the construction company had broken the contract. We prayed for God's mercy and guidance in this transition time.

Then, we went to Rodem Cafe, operated by Mr. Sang Taek Oh. He gave us a tour of the restaurant that he runs, and Eureka Skin Clinic, which he owns legally, but is managed by Dr. Sunyoung Kim. We met with Dr. Sunyoung Kim, who is a dermatologist educated in Kyrgyzstan, and also an acupuncturist certified in Kyrgyzstan. She was running a skin clinic, called Eureka Skin Clinic, treating patients with vitiligo, a skin disease with white-colored skin. This clinic seems to be one of only a few that specialize in this disease treatment.

Later, we hosted a dinner for all Korean guests at Rodem Cafe. This cafe is also offering Bon Juk products, and is considered the only profitable Bon Juk location in the world. This cafe also offers Korean cuisine and a bakery. This venue is regarded as a popular restaurant among expats, Korean or not.

Throughout our Field Trip, we began each day with a devotion. This time, we meditated on the Scripture about the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. We all were blessed by the message that came through the passage each day.

In Bishkek, we chose to stay at a hostel called People Hostel and Co-Working. The place had bunk beds and shared bathrooms. So it was a bit inconvenient, but we were able to save money to afford a higher-than-expected spending on food to host guests. Also, it was convenient for six males to use one dormitory without anyone else.

For the following two days, we spent time with Micah on Dutch Nature and its affiliated businesses. First, we went to his office, where Micah explained about the history, the background of the region, the current status, and the Joseph Project he has been leading to empower local pastors through the poultry value chain and the ancillary businesses to support the value chain. It was a grand plan, and it surely required God's help in getting the projects done. Micah is relatively young, but his vision, passion, and leadership are so powerful that we were all energized.

Oasis Agro was the first business that was started. It remains the brand name for the chicken feed products. Under the umbrella of Dutch Nature, there are many business entities. It would not serve the purpose even if I list all the business names because the entities frequently change in compliance with and in line with the needs arising from the market and regulatory requirements. After the presentation, Micah showed us around the feed mill,

Afterwards, we went to visit Integra, one of the entities that specializes in producing bio fertilizer from cow manure, called BPS. Dan started this business, which merged into Dutch Nature.

Currently, they are not able to sell the products as much as they produce. We prayed for God's grace in making the breakthrough in marketing.

We also went to visit the Xpert Agro facility, where local farmers bring their beans for sale. While Integra is located on the western side of Bishkek, this facility is located on the eastern side of Bishkek, thus making three key locations to serve their customers.

On the way, I found an Orthodox Church, which is kind of rate, since the country became an Islamic country. It is the Russian Orthodox Church.

In the evening, we invited key managers of Dutch Nature to dinner. A couple of managers brought their wives, and the food was authentic with a lot of meat. We were surprised to see a huge plate of meat after we felt we were well fed. We learned that it was customary for them to take a good amount of meat to their homes after a good meal. It was a feast!

The following day, we went to see several plots of land that Dutch Nature acquired this year. The lots will be used as a seed farm. SfK made a loan to help close the purchase deal early this year. We walked to the land and prayed for God's wisdom and blessing on the land for effective use.

We visited one of the pastors serving at one of the villages. Janis was born and grew up in this village. When he returned as a Christian, he was not welcome and was mistreated in many ways. But, they stayed and built the current house. When he started offering healthy chicken and also nutritious feed, they now talk to him and his family. They are the only Christians in the village of 15,000 inhabitants. We were served lunch and prayed for them.

On the second night of our time with Dutch Nature, we invited Micah and his family to dinner. We also invited Sy, who is doing a Cashmere business. There was a misunderstanding in our communication, and we could not allocate time to see his operations. We agreed to do it next year.

We as a group explored the vicinity of our lodging and took a shot at a park.

On Sunday, we worshipped at one of the Korean churches in Bishkek. We were asked to sing a praise song during the service. We shared the joy and blessing with the congregation members. We met up with Professor Won Gyu Hwang, whom I met in Rwanda, but I have been out of touch with him for a long time. He was helping a Kyrgyzstan government agency as an advisor sponsored by KOICA. Also, I met with Mr. Lee, who is doing a water purification system business, and Mr. Ahn, who has been doing a variety of businesses, including an art gallery cafe.

Professor Hwang

Mr. Il Gyu Lee

Mr. Dong In Ahn

After the worship, Mr. Ahn invited us to his cafe. His cafe was indeed an art gallery where people displayed art, and an art workshop was also carried out at a corner. The artworks were superb, and it was a unique experience. We met with Mr. Jeremie from the U.S.

Mr. Jeremie from the U.S.

We met up with Caleb Choi, who was waiting for the government's approval for him to preach at the church where we worshipped. He is an old timer, knowing most of the Koreans living in Bishkek. He specialized in studying Nestorian Christianity that passed through Central Asia a long time ago. He was hosting a forum on this topic, and I agreed to consider joining one next year.

I had to leave early, but some members took a walking tour and shared some photos taken at the local market.

After Bishkek, we went to Osh, Kyrgyzstan. After we returned to Bishkek from Osh, we met up with Almaz, a leader of a network of tens of house churches. Instead of receiving the Western church's support, he decided to run a business, generate a cash flow, and support the local evangelists. He is running a garment manufacturing business, and there are nine other businesses, altogether supporting a dozen evangelists. It was a model we should support. We were considering helping his automate the sewing operations thanks to Mr. KR Lee's experience and his expertise. It will be our next year's project.

In Bishkek, we held the final evaluation meeting at a hotel without Wonjun Choi, who had to leave early in Osh back to Danang, Vietnam. We all shared God's blessing and encouraged each other to keep on doing what God has called us to. Already four people signed up for the next year's Field Trip. Praise the Lord!