A brave team from the Bible Society of Tajikistan took Bibles all over the remote north of the country— including over two of the highest mountain passes. The trek, which spanned more than 600 miles, brought the travelers in contact with speakers of Tajik, Uzbek and Russian and allowed them to distribute Scriptures in those languages.

Although the central Asian country is mostly Muslim, it is an ancient crossroads. The team was allowed to see rare handwritten editions of Scripture in the Persian and Arabian languages.

“The trip has shown us the importance and benefits of undertakings like this,” says Bible Society Executive Director Olga Pilkevich. “When the warmer days come, making mountain passes easier to negotiate, we plan to make journeys to the areas of Pamir, Khatlon and the Rasht Valley.”