Paula Shields   Long-time St. Lukan Paula Shields has worked for 21 years with Aglow International, a worldwide ministry to women, and currently is that organization's Director for Central Asia. Paula lives and works in Central Asia most of the year, making her home in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Paula's team endeavors to provide Central Asian women with humanitarian, emotional, and spiritual help.  On two occasions her group has been honored by the Kazakhstan government for their efforts.  This year she is co-leader of a women's conference in the largest Kazak church in Almaty.

The Aglow team in Almaty

A key part of Paula's ministry is raising up local leadership to tend to the needs of women in their own country. Here is Aglow's team in Almaty. Each of these wonderful people is supported by the prayer of

one of these members of St. Lukes in Seattle, forging a spiritual link across the continents.

Babushka Ministry
Babushka means grandma... women in their 70's and 80's who have worked their whole lives have a pension of $24.00 a month. They cannot live on this.  Paula's team delivers food and spiritual care two times a month for three months. They also have a doctor visit the Babushkas, and provide medicine, canes, glasses and other medical needs as they are able.

Village Ministry
They visit several villages each month to minister to the women there. The villages are very poor and they bring any humanitarian aid that they have available. Sometimes they even go into villages without a Christian church.  Paula's team is now in five cities in Kazakhstan.  Aglow also has a ministry to women in Bishkek, Kyrghzstan.

Hospital and Prison Ministries
Aglow has a team that goes into two prisons, one a womans prison and the other a teen-age prison. They go two times a month...over 100 attend the meetings in the womens prison, and they are bringing changes into many womens lives. This year they are also starting a hospital visitation ministry.

Paula has special interest in and concern for the Uighur people group.

Aglow has a beautiful magazine printed once a year and distributes 10,000 copies all over Central Asia and even into Russia. It is believed to be Kazakhstan's only women's magazine.   10,000 copies of the newest edition "Women Have Influence" have been distributed, and letters from women have been coming in telling how this magazine has touched their heart and helped them.

Paula has authored Healing of the Soul: God's Restoration from Life's Hurts with JoAnne Sekowsky, which has now been printed in 20 languages, the latest being Kazak, Burmese and Indonesian. Her team uses the book, plus the Study Guide she wrote to go with it, to bring healing and forgiveness. The Study Guide groups meet for a three-month period, and because of so many requests from men we now have groups for men and women. In the office in Almaty, there are 16 groups meeting each week, with between 10-15 in each group.  Some groups are in Russian and others in Kazak.  Paula and her team also go into churches to train their leaders to organize similar groups. Healing of the Soul may be purchased for $5 (USD) by emailing the St. Luke's office at info@stlukesseattle.org .