“No Obstacles for God”: Opening Doors for the Gospel

In a country with a majority Muslim population and strict restrictions on proselytizing, there are large hurdles for Christian missionaries to overcome to reach the unreached. Many missionaries are expats. Some are trying to raise families while struggling to adapt to a new culture and language. Without the support of a Christian community and educational resources for their children, the likelihood of staying long term diminishes significantly.  

TeachBeyond has embraced the mission of reaching the nations through education. Sometimes, that looks like a school that serves the children of expat workers, allowing families to stay and serve in the country to which they have been called.  

The Call to Central Asia 

In 1998, an American couple packed up and moved to Central Asia with their three young children. Melody and Chris felt God calling them to work with an unreached people group.  

“There were maybe five, maybe 10 believers in the whole country of this ethnic group,” Melody said. “So, we just felt like this was the country we should move to.” 

Melody was preparing homeschool materials to bring with her for her children’s education. Then, she discovered other expat parents in the country were hoping to start up a school if they could hire a teacher. They managed to find one willing teacher and started school that fall.  

A Season of Growth and Goodbyes 

Seven families sent their children to the one-room school that first year. As a parent co-op, parents would volunteer to teach four hours a week per child. By the second year, another teacher had signed on to help the school. The school began to grow, eventually moving into its current building.  

Despite this growth, many families still said their goodbyes for the sake of their children’s education.  

“In the beginning, for quite a few years, there was no high school,” Melody said. “We tried to cover classes up to eighth grade. After that, all the parents had the mindset that they would either send their children to a boarding school or they would probably leave and go to another country and serve there at a place where there was a high school.” 

Chris and Melody moved away after seven years of faithfully serving in Central Asia.  

Returning to What God Began 

On August 24, 2026, approximately 165 students and their parents gathered in the courtyard of the international school, which is now a TeachBeyond Family School. They listened as the school’s director, board chair and other staff members welcomed them back for another year of learning and spiritual growth. Included among the speakers were Melody and Chris.  

After many years away, they have returned to Central Asia. Chris is now working in the country as the pastor of an international church. They have come back to a country that looks very different from when they first arrived, with infrastructure improvements, increased tourism, and a booming economy.  

“It’s changed very much, and yet the people are still the same,” Melody said. “We very much enjoy reconnecting with people we knew years ago and also meeting new people. The international community has also grown very much.” 

Likewise, the school has grown significantly, including children from countries all over the world.  

Answers to Prayer 

As Melody and Chris looked out at the student body, which now includes high schoolers, it was clear that God had a plan beyond what those first seven families could imagine.  

“When we often despaired at not being able to find teachers, there were no obstacles for God. We couldn’t see it, but God had a whole line up of people willing to come here to serve, to teach; and financial partners to invest and to pay for all of this remodeling, the enlargement of this entire property. Those are all answers to prayer.” 

Those answers to prayer have also included seeing the school stay rooted in the vision that inspired its founding. It remains a Christian school, teaching the Bible and supporting students’ spiritual formation.  

“If you’re in a school just starting out, keep the vision,” Melody said. “Don’t lose your vision.”