Murego-Gubden in Russia

Introduction / History

The Murego/Gubden oral language—related to the Dargin family of languages—is spoken in 14 towns and villages up in the mountains west of the coastal city of Izberbash.

What Are Their Lives Like?

In these villages people raise sheep and chickens along with some cattle, and fruit-bearing orchards are visible on many hillsides.
The Murego celebrate both Russian and Muslim holidays. They have traditional, distinctive clothing that they wear during festivals. The Murego sing ancient songs and dance during their holidays. Most Murego do not want to be absorbed into the Russian culture. Rural Murego tend to marry among themselves. Some young people are moving out of their mountain homeland and moving to cities hoping for a better life. These young people frequently marry outside their people and speak Russian are their primary language.

What Are Their Beliefs?

In the book of Acts, Paul said that before his conversion, “he was a Pharisee of the Pharisees!” If Paul had grown up in Dagestan, he probably would have been from the town of Gubden. Gubden—in south central Dagestan—has the reputation of being one of the fiercest fundamentalist Muslim epicenters of Dagestan.
Islam in the Gubden region is influenced by a zealous Salafi strain of Islam emanating out of Saudi Arabia. Women dress more conservatively than in the other Muslim regions of Dagestan. The devout pride themselves on their adherence to Muslim law and rituals.

What Are Their Needs?

The Murego/Gubden need to understand that their keeping of Islamic religious rules will not gain them favor with the one, true God of the Bible. Christ alone can forgive their sins and grant them eternal life.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to raise up “Apostle Pauls” among the religiously zealous Gubden people.
May the eyes of the Lord to see open, struggling hearts among this people group and meet them on new Damascus roads in the mountains of central Dagestan.
Pray that the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit will begin to flower on Dagestani hillsides just like the fruit orchards one can see now.
There is only one known Christ follower among the Murego/Gubden. Pray for an abundance of grace and the fruit of the Holy Spirit to be made powerful in her heart.
Pray for the Lord to protect the Murego/Gubden people as they endure endless violence in their Dagestani homeland.

Text Source:   Joshua Project