Arizona District Team Serves in Central Asia
From September 17 to 26, 2025, a small team from the Arizona District traveled to Central Asia to serve alongside local team. The goal of the trip was simple, to help build a floor for a new discipleship center, while witnessing how ministry looks in another cultural context, and building connections with the ministries in Central Asia.
The story of this trip began in 2023, when Field Strategy Coordinator Trino Jara spoke with then-District NMI President Joshua Jorgensen. Through many conversations and moments of prayer, the partnership with Central Asia began to take shape. Churches across Arizona raised funds and prepared to go in 2024, but plans shifted, and the door opened for 2025. With only a couple of months to organize, they were able to gather a group of five who came from four different Nazarene churches across the district.
We interviewed Joshua Jorgensen, who at the time was serving as the District NMI President, and asked him a few questions about this ongoing partnership.
Joshua shared that the moments of worship during the trip became powerful reminders that the same Spirit moves across every culture and language. “They were able to see what ministry looks like in Central Asia, to make connections, and even though there were language barriers, they were able to spend a lot of time with the local team, asking and answering questions, listening to one another, and learning together. The ministry looks different around the world, but we serve the same God who helps us through all challenges.”
Reflecting further, Joshua addressed a question he often hears about short-term mission trips: why travel so far just to lay tile? Smiling, he said, “That is not the point. God made a way, and we were called to be obedient and go. Now it is not just a story we have heard, it is one we have seen.”
The discipleship center they helped build carries a vision that extends far beyond its walls. District leaders in Central Asia hope it will become a place where pastors find rest, leaders are trained, and people from across the region can grow together in faith. Joshua reflected on Philippians 1:6, saying, “When God gives us a vision, challenges may keep us from seeing it through ourselves, but God is the one who will finish it.” The team may have laid the tile, but as Joshua reminded, it is God who sets the foundation and builds His house.
Although Joshua has since stepped down from his role as District NMI President, he hopes the partnership will continue through the local churches that joined the trip. Prayer and financial support are still ongoing, and the team trusts that the seeds planted during those days will continue to grow in the years ahead.
