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Tears and Prayers for their betrayal Posted on 02/20/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (8)

We have exchanged one type of death for another. They have stopped the violence of guns in exchange for Shariah law in the Northern regions of Pakistan. Those beautiful little girls whose faces you may have seen on CNN or BBC or which ever news channel you prefer, those girls who said they wanted to become Doctors&Teachers, those girls wanted to become change makers in their beautiful Pakistan. In their homes, 'beautiful Pakistan', 'Beautiful Swat', is fading away. Remember I told you about Daadi’s honeymoon in Swat. That beautiful Valley where every morning for a week they would wake up to a fresh blanket of snow where the sound of trickling water in the streams& the pebbles that looked like semi precious stones glistened&reflected only a fraction of God's wonderful creation. For those girls their dreams of becoming teachers, or doctors, perhaps even just having the freedom to buy meat from the butcher has been quashed. The term 'house wife'has been given new meaning& our leadership has given them that on a golden platter- that is the gift to those beautiful lively faces that could one day have taught a child to read or saved the life of a dying person, or could have helped someone cross the road in the market place. Today clad in Burkas, they will need help to cross roads- and no one will help them- they are women&cannot be touched by another man, today they will be those dying bodies&there will be only male doctors who cannot save their lives because theirs is a woman’s body and they forbidden from touching her, today no one can teach them to hold a pencil in their hands because only boys can go to school and only men can teach. Today those bright eyes shine but with the tears of betrayal. It was bad enough when loved ones were being killed, but it was for a cause- just last week there was a cause to dIe for- for their beautiful valley&her future. Today they are being killed not in a battle but as punishment, today hopelessly they may remove bricks from their walls& make peep holes to see the world outside, today hopelessly they may read an old book that someone hid under a bed. Today in that hopelessness will you pray that Jesus will meet them at their point of need. Today when a man is beaten in the market place for wanting his daughter to go to school, or when a family grieve for a murdered husband who owned the local English paper, will you pray that they will behold Jesus. Let their despair be a place where they behold Jesus, take His hand&come to know freedom. Men have let them down, let Jesus lift them out of the mirey clay. Today in their hopelessness, I hope BBC or CNN are not your little peep holes¬ you moving bricks to look out at that strange world to fashion some weird conjuring in your mind of life of those strange backward people. Today you are NOT hopeless, not only do you know the Lord of transformation, you live in parts of the world where you can be change makers, where you can access this website&seek out those involved in change making in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, in Iran&in the Arab world. You can draw alongside us, you can support our vision to make change in our nations - you are not hopeless, don’t let CNN or BBC be your peephole, you are not cordoned off by brick walls&Shariah Law- I leave you with the words of scripture 'Seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you'- Go forth my friends&help restore the hopes of those who seem to have lost it all. It is amazing how far we can go if we start on our knees before the Lord.

One day later... Posted on 02/19/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (3)

Thank you for your prayers. Boys' problems are so different. Girls tend to stay home or go supervised, to friends’ homes or very public places. Guys on the other hand go out, use public transport or hitchhike with one another, eat out a lot- street food, go to cafes & game arcades. Amma & Abba used to be terrified when Abby would get on the back of his friends’bikes & head off to tuition for physics or maths. Tuition is big business here in Pakistan. Everyone who goes to school needs to go for extra coaching in the evenings. It becomes a dating spot- a place where kids do all those things that are forbidden at school & home. Abby in his time experimented with smoking but gave up pretty soon as it aggrevated his asthma & shortly after he gave his life to the Lord so that was sorted. But it means he knows the signs and symptoms and has been begging us to keep an eye on the younger ones. Johnny is not proving so uncomplicated.I don’t think he has thought about what he is doing. I know he struggles, Amma &Abba are aching for him. He is not the only one. They don’t smoke with their Muslim friends. But they are tempted & so they have formed some kind of brotherhood, Christian kids, who smoke together & Abby’s other concern, watch pornographic movies together but never do they allow their Muslim friends in. They protect each other from being found out but this is their way of being normal without letting their Christian identity down. Jesus is crying & weeping for his children. They think they will be able to give up in a second. This is how the Sub Culture began in Pakistan. Sadly I know of many who have gone from cigerettes to alcohol & drugs & then other kinds of substance abuse. Johnny is trying to hide it from us but yesterday I found a lighter in his room which was what Amma&Daadi (grandma) were praying: to find hard evidence to be able to talk to him. This was off the Lord. Daniyaal & Sunny two of the other boys from youth group who come from lovely Christian homes, are also in this ‘brotherhood’! Daniyaal’s sister (Rina) is my friend&prayer partner &we finally broke down crying with each other for our baby brothers. Daniyaal aka Danny, told Rina not to worry ‘Papa used to smoke- Jesus took his habit away- I can give up too- what are you stressing about!’. Poor Rina. She&I are praying for the boys because we do not know what else is going on&they have it so well covered. I for one do not think there is anything more than smoking going on, but it may be only a matter of time. Abby is praying Johnny will ask for help &be honest with us about the problem so we can all be praying for all of them. Johnny is a joker, jokes his way out of every thing, singing a song or laughing to keep the attention off the real issues. We are one family &have stood by one another,now they are hiding something so dark, such a lie of the devil. Pray for them to be honest, see their lies to one another, to themselves &the way that Jesus is longing for them, for their bodies &lives. In an honour shame culture it is hard talking about things your kids do wrong. Amma &Abba have taken the bold step of talking to our Pastor. This is going to start a crisis. Please pray for Johnny, pray for the others who struggle with Alcohol, drugs etc… Pray they do not fall into the ‘pornography’ trap which is a big problem in a culture like ours where men &women are kept apart for so much of the time. Our young people are in Crisis. We need to strengthen the youth because they are the next set of leaders for the Church in this nation. Please pray for us.

Revelation! Posted on 02/18/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (0)

It’s not over. Nope it goes on & on. In this journey of ours where we pray for one another, the warfare continues for you & me.There are many many casualties. The girls with their image and identity issues & the guys – well they have their own set of problems. Today we found what we were looking for. I told you were we struggling with Jonny. As I write to you, Johnny is with Amma & Abba in their room. Since the door shut I have heard nothing. Abby told me to leave them to do what they have to do to help Johnny. He is aching because Johnny never listens to us & we know a good spanking would make us all feel better but he is such a little rebel! Abby has just been through Jonny’s things to see if he is up to anything else - looking at anything not healthy but there seem no signs of pornography or drugs or violence just lots of smoking. It has all started at those tuition centers. I am seeing repeated what used to happen to my friends. I will get back to you on this. Abby is calling me. He wants us to pray while Amma and Abba talk to Johnny. They need discernment in this whole issue. Please pray for us we are a community in crisis, with a youth in crisis- in serious crisis. We need your prayers desperately.

More Posted on 02/15/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (3)

Last time I introduced you to a new problem-the honour issue involved in protecting our Christian identity. Young Christians want to share Jesus but fall into all sorts of traps & deception because they are human & tempted as anyone else by the same fiery darts from the evil one. They forget to go to Jesus for His strength & do all things through Christ who strengthens them. The girls have been deceived into thinking they have to be cover girls for the Bible. They think they have to be as fashionable as the rest. The problem is that as Christians they sometimes feel they can go the opposite extreme from the Scarf&Burka&wear slightly tighter tops or jeans&still show the love of Jesus. But that brings with it its own problems! No one complains about tighter tops- I know I was there – but when you get to college – the guys begin to notice, Christian girls become easy play. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that fashion is bad, I am the last one to talk, but we can look cool& fashionable& enjoy colour& express our uniqueness without compromising the temple of the Holy Spirit. The thing is with tighter shirt& jeans, or the tighter Kameez (Pakistani clothes) goes a smaller figure&with that has come this mad rush to lose weight-subtly turned into anorexia&even bulimia! It goes from a desire to be as thin as the other Muslim girls in school who are also bulimic but NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT because bulimia is sin because you are wasting the good food God provides for you (WHICH I TOTALLY AGREE WITH). No one talks about it but everyone does it- it is spreading –& because it is not something being passed on by word of mouth or friends teaching one another, it just shows me how spiritual it is& how the devil is attacking your brothers&sisters with problems that were never part of our world. In fact it was a sign of wealth to have a little flesh on you&look as though your family could provide for you. The food of the Punjab was made to keep us healthy,strong&able bodied for the fields or for building of all those wonderful palaces&keeping of those gardens you see in pictures- eg the Taj Mahal etc…& produce strong healthy babies. We are deceived by the devil that our Muslim friends will listen to us better if we lose weight&look ‘sexy’ - a Bollywood import into our culture. How many of you have watched Indian Movies? Go back 20 years& actresses had colour in their cheeks& were not in any rush to lose weight but with all that dancing they did, they needed the food. Now you watch those same movies, all skinny! The clothes hanging in the market place are getting smaller& the new ‘normal’is beginning to look abnormal. What will be next! Please pray! They all love Jesus but Neens (my little sister)& her friends are always talking about the size of their ‘bottoms’&arms. She told Amma (mum) one day that she had been so disgusted food because it scared her that it would sit on her body that it come up. She did not throw up purposely but she was unable to keep it down. Amma prayed with her& gave us both a reality check – we have food& we should be thankful- what about Sharifaan’s sister’s family&her nephews&nieces – all of them who struggle for one meal a day! Will you pray for the health –spiritual and physical. This is a lie from the Devil&many many of your sisters feel they have to look the part to be able to live for Jesus. I enjoy mangoes,& potato& meat curry& chapattis& naans& Gaajar Halwa (Carrot Halwa) too much to go anorexic.Am desperately worried for these girls. Please pray with us for wisdom&guidance. We are desperate!

Salt and Light and what goes with it Posted on 02/13/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (3)

Something is going on. I cant put my finger on it. Abby (my older brother) is smiling lots & Johnny (my younger brother) is as well... This nose has sniffed out many tales but this time it is not sure what to sniff & which trail to follow. Abby is mature & sensible. So I am not so worried about him- I would dearly like to know what is going on but I shall wait to figure him out. Johnny- I have no doubt he loves the Lord but the youth group still act so immature sometimes. Our youth group is in crisis. Serious crisis. Girls in their way & guys in their way. Will you pray for us. What I tell you about my youth group is just a teeny weeny window key hole view into what is going on with our brothers and sisters in Pakistan. I am so concerned about them. Please commit to praying for the young Christians in Pakistan- a community in crisis. We have been ostracised for so long that we have begun to think the only way to be accepted is to blend. We don’t want to deny Jesus & reject him, but we want to prove we are every bit as good as the rest of the citizens of this land. For centuries we have been equated with the sweeper caste, the ‘unclean’ & in the past 40ish years there has been a growing resentment of this. We are tired of being considered ‘sweepers’. I am tired of that horrible memory from school when I called a friend of mine, Neelum, her little sister picked up the phone and yelled out to her sister, ‘Appa, its your choori friend on the phone’ (Appa is the respectful term used for an older sister and ‘choori’ is the not so respectful term used for Christians meaning ‘Sweeper or unclean’). Neelum was a close and precious friend, I had shared a lot of childhood fun with her. That day I was heart broken. Again & again I have to give it to Jesus & rebuke it. Each one with their own painful memory is tired of this mentality. Educated Christians (only a few in relation to those who are still struggling like Sharifaan) have worked hard to get better jobs & improve our standard of living so we can be salt & light in offices, politics, banks & other places of importance. We have worked hard to get where we are & then get greeted by all kinds of attitudes & marginalisation. Those who have made it and fought the system and clung closely to the Lord to get them through have protected their children. They have given their kids a good Christian upbringing at home, taught them how to walk the tight rope of being a single Christian in a majority Muslim environment teaching them the importance of being Salt & Light. Over the years that has become mingled with resentment, becoming a burden in some ways. Young people are sick of the way we have seen our parents treated, the way our parents’ bosses treat them. Sometimes those same bosses have kids who are in the same schools, sometimes Christian Schools, & we never get to be friends… Over the years the youth have become sick & disgusted. There are many in our youth group. Our youth pastor has become distressed by what is going on & feels God is moving him on. He is praying & pleading with the Lord for a new Youth Leader who will understand this group of kids. They value Jesus & their opportunities but for many of those who are Johnny’s age (16-20+) Salt and Light is a responsibility which they take seriously, their Christian ‘reputation’ is their honour & they do anything to protect it. They never want their Muslim friends to think ill of the Christian kids or KID in class. So we try to be the perfect example. Think about this for tonight and ask God to lead you in your prayers.

But what about the others... Posted on 02/10/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (2)

I had this beautiful note from one of my precious friends who reads the blogs. Thank you all for your beautiful notes and encouragement and I want you to know how much it means to me to have the blessing of your friendship but also the blessing of this opening to be able to share my heart with you about my Christian family and life in my country. A beautiful country with beautiful people, being affected by the ugly wave of violence, anger and unforgiveness. This note was a response to my blog on Moharram which is the Islamic Month of Remembering the battle of Karbala in Iraq in which the Prophet's grandsons were killed. The Month which is most sacred to all Muslims but especially so to Shi'ite Muslims who take this month of mourning very seriously. A friend wrote in thanking the Lord for keeping me safe at home during the processions and the rioting. I was thankful too the students can go quite nuts and become more emotional and passionate than others. However I was safe because I was sick and indoors. But what about all those who were not able to hide away at home. What about those who had to go into work and schools - those Christians who had no option. Dear Jesus please be with them as well, please send your angels to stand by them and protect them. For those who were attacked and came in the crossfire of those processions I ask for a healing for memories and wounds. It is only the Lord and His Grace and Strength that keeps us going as long as we do - all of us- even you my precious friends who read this.

Praise and Prayer- URGENT Posted on 02/10/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (0)

Dear Friends This is an SOS asking you to pray for your brother Haddayyat. If you remember I blogged about him before Christmas. He is the one who was injured when he was shot as he protected his Church in Sona Mundi. You can go back to the blogs I did in December before Christmas and read the one titled Sona Mundi. Well God is good. In spite of the things going wrong with mission hospitals the Holy Spirit is still at work in the hearts and minds of those who love him truly. That Holy Spirit stirred the hearts of about 9 Christian doctors who Abba knows. Abba spoke to them and they were moved to help Hadayyat and they raised the funds for him to go to a private hospital for treatment. Sadly he is badly infected and needs a lot of prayer as he goes into suregry to be cleaned up this morning. Please be praying. They will not replace the tubes as yet but will wait for him to heal and just rest which will mean he will be out of work for some time. But the main thing is that he will be getting stronger and better so he will one day be able to work. Please pray for the doctors as they operate and that they are able to clean him up properly. Pray there will be no complications and it all goes well. Also give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and how He has moved the hearts of these doctors. See all is not lost. :)

Hostile Hostels Posted on 02/08/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (0)

Fareeda came home with me for lunch. I am back at college after a long spell of being unwell and am just glad the cold did not hit us too badly this year. There are plenty of beautiful sunny spots by the Chai Corner where we all collect for our breaks. Ghani has been going off about Obama's second name being Hussain. I am still too tired to talk and argue and I think he kind of enjoys being able to say all these stupid things and not get a response from me. I on the other hand go crazy but I do not have the energy to fight him. But I am learning a lot about patience and keeping quiet. As long as God gives me the strength to share Jesus' love with people, whether it is through being vocal or being quiet, I just pray I am used of Him. That's all. I really wanted to be quiet under my favourite tree and just let the warmth of the glorious sunshine wash over me. I feel so much better after spending time in the sun. That was not happening but I was happy to see Fareeda come up to us. She is from another city and does not know anyone here and has enjoyed coming to Church with us and spending time with the family. She is a precious girl. She has been such a blessing to me. She has been through her fair share of trials. I at least can cut off from Ghanni's constant jabbering about how wonderful Islam is and how amazing the Prophet Mohammad was and how amazing that moment was when he heard the President of the USA taking oath and saying 'I, Barak Hussain Obama...'. I think he forget the bit about the President being a Church goer, a Christian, a believer in Jesus. Well thats Ghanni for you- that's the whole of the Islamic Student Coucil for you. Get one end of the stick and hit everyone with it even if its the wrong end of the stick! But as I was saying, I get to cut off from Ghanni and Mrs Zia, but Fareeda goes from her classroom to her dorm and it continues. The girls saying their prayers and talking about Islam. She does not get to cut off from it at all. She is constantly targeted. This week she has found all manner of bits of paper rolled into her pillow and she is so upset because even though she knows that this hokey pokey voodoo business will not affect her at all because she is covered in the blood of Jesus, she is worried about these bits of paper and what to do with them. Sometimes they have Quranic verses on them, or the names of Allah or the Prophet Mohammad or Quranic references and she does not read Arabic so she does not know whether or not that is the case and if it is then she could be in for blaspehemy if she burns them, tears them or bins them. What on earth can she do? For now she put them in an envelope and gave them to the warden who took them and said she would take care of them but it was risky, because the Warden could have turned on her and said she had torn them out of a Quranic book or publication! What would she do or say then, especially if the other girls in her dorm room had turned on her? These are difficult situations not just for Fareeda, but for the many many Christian students like her who are in hostels. Will you pray for them. Only a handful make it to college and into professional education and even fewer make it through with many of them dropping out because life has been made impossible for them. Pray for protection for them as they live for Christ and that they may never lose their vision and purpose and may never grow weary of their Christian identity.

Advertising spaces in schools Posted on 02/06/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (1)

There is this ad on TV for soap. I do not know if you get it whereever you are. Its called 'Safeguard'. It is an anti bacterial soap and the marketting campaign for it is huge. Anyway they have this one ad that's been playing for a while now and every time I watch it, it represents my people to me. It is set in a classroom where some kids are in their places but there are some empty seats. Some kids could not get to school because of the flu which they from not using Safeguard! The teacher asks a question and only one kid in the class answers. At the same time at the empty desks sillhouettes of the missing children appear with their hands raised because they know the answer. Those kids could win the quiz but they are not well enough to be in class & participate! That is the story of so many Christians kids. They are not at home because of the flu or because mummy did not make them use Safeguard, though to be honest they probably cannot afford the Rs 40 cake of soap (which is about 30 p or 60 cents). They are bright kids who could win any quiz, partake in any class discussion and should be able to be in any school, they have brains, they have voices to answer questions and they have arms to raise in class when asked a question. But they are not in class. So many of them cannot make it to school. Why? Well there are a multitude of reasons. Many Christian children have parents who are either involved in menial low paying jobs and simply won't get better jobs or any jobs at all because they are Christians. There is blatant discrimination against Christians and so if they cannot get jobs then they cannot afford to send their kids to better schools. There are some mission run schools and they are either deteriorating or those that are good are full to capacity and cannot take anymore. So where should they go. If they go to government run schools it will be hard for them because they will either not get admission in and if they do they will be a small minority and will be bullied and ragged to an inch of their lives. Those who do make it, become very strong, becoming either crazily vocal or extremely introverted. I was talking to Fareeda, a Christian girl at college. Life for her is hard. She lives in the college's hostel as her family are from many many miles away. She is one of the only Christian students in the hostel. Many times she has found bits of paper rolled into her pillow which have been acquired from the local pir (holy man) who would have done some hokey pokey over it for some girl who would either want Fareeda to fall sick during exams so she does not do better than her, or would simply want to Fareeda to turn to Islam as the answer to her problems. Fareeda is secure in her faith in Jesus and the protection of His blood and knows that these occult practises do not stand a chance. So she rebukes these potions and spells in Jesus name and boy has life been interesting for her at her hostel. I will share more about her experiences in hostel and what God has been doing for her and all she testifies to. She is precious, like so many others in our country. She and I made it through school and were able to get into the school system and pay for it but there are many many more who could be in classrooms, raising their hands when a teacher asks a question- but they are in some cold dingy place sick from malnutrition and lack of medication, unable to go anywhere because what their parents earn will not fund bus tickets, just food and Sunday collection for Church.

Whose Cross is it anyway? Posted on 02/04/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (3)

You know the night Amma & I wept after listening to Sharifaan share about her little situation at the pharmacy & the hospital. It was not just about Sharifaan that we wept. We love her dearly. Her pain is our pain & her suffering made us sad. But she is a fighter. She did the right thing. What made me weep is the imminent closing down of the local mission hospital. Well it has not really closed down but it may as well. It is such a mess. First there were threats to the security of the hospital so over a period of time the missionary doctors and staff left and handed it over to untrained and unprepared locals. Handing it over to locals was great but not preparing them, not training them to run such a huge establishment, not getting them the best qualifications to equip them to run the hospital, that was a mistake. Granted they did send some people abroad to get educated, but those who leave seldom come back- and so that was what some of the tears that night were for. Then there were the tears for the corruption that had entered the hospital. Christians had been identified randomly and left in charge simply because those who were trained and prepared had not come back to Pakistan. So those left in charge did not have a vision for mission. They just saw themselves as better than the rest of the Christian community and forgot they were there for the poor. Those who wanted to serve and were not interested in competing for money and power in the system got sidelined and were not able to define the direction in which the hospital grew. This was also the story of some of the mission schools in the country. Then the tears were for the threats that had come from Islamic extremists who abhored the idea of prime property belonging to Christians. So then politics began and servanthood was forgotten. The hospitals that once served rich and poor, Muslim and Christian selflessly, became less of hospitals and more chess boards. With Muslims becoming more influential in the running of things. There were several Muslim doctors on board and the Christians with the servant heart were serving quietly becoming forgotten by the powers that be. But those who did not forget them were those who were being served and loved by them in the wards. So all was not lost. But then there was the day a Muslim man rushed his wife into the hospital. He had been born there. Amma was there to see someone in the hospital and she was waiting at reception. The man had brought his wife there because of the respect his mother had had for the Mission Hospital and he wanted his child to be born there too. He was so shocked at the bad management and wondered where the ethics and efficiency and love had gone from the place his mother raved about for some 30 years. The bill was full of charges he had not even run up and he was shocked. He walked away but as he did he asked a question that broke Amma's heart. 'The Cross on the top of this building- is it the one Jesus hung on or the thief?' Outside the walls of that hospital 1000s of Christians are dying because they have nowhere to go and no one to help them. They are begging at the traffic light just across the road, they are dying in the servant's quaters just behind the building. Muslims are being let down by the place that gave people the message of Hope and life and some Muslims are slowly sucking us dry and we cannot stop it because some of us have lost the vision. Those tears were for many things. Will you think about these things and take them to Jesus?

Identity matters Posted on 02/02/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (6)

Amma and I wept last night - sometimes we wish we could solve the world's problems. A few weeks ago Sharifaan had come to work looking tired and haggard. Her husband who is seriously nuts had been downing sugars in coke and sweets and smoking his lungs out when he is a serious diabetic. He ended up in hospital and there was Sharifaan going from one hospital ward and pharmacy to another. The very first pharmacy she had gone to the young man at the counter suggested she go to another pharmacy across town where she would be able to get the medicine free if she was able to prove that she was the only earning member in her family of 6. That is the truth. So there was Sharifaan walking to bus stops in the middle of manic city traffic, then getting across town to this pharmacy with a letter from her local co op office to support her claim. As she got to the pharmacy she saw the long queue and instantly felt intimidated as it became clear to her she was perhaps the only Christian Woman in the queue. There were mostly men in the queue and all of them apparently Muslims. She stuck it out though and felt as though they were all x raying her. She was most uncomfortable and said that probably the thing that saved her was her age and her chaddar (huge shawl) into which she sank and hid herself for security. She thanked God in her heart that she had not taken her daughter with her but did wonder why her son was not here instead. He was another one busy spending hard earned money on cigerettes. 2 hours later, she was sore, tired and cold but managed to get to the counter where she produced her letter and prescription. The young man at the counter looked at her long. He asked her a question and told her that her answer was important. If she answered correctly he could use his discretion to give her the free medicine if not then he would have to turn her away. He was suggesting she lie. He said it hurt him to see how far she had travelled for the medicine and he did not want to turn her away empty handed. 'Are you a Muslim- you are not a Christian right?' Sharifaan said she felt the earth shifted beneath her feet. It was obvious from the form and letter that her name 'Masih' identified her has a Christian. It all fell into place. He quickly added to her that this was a government run pharmacy and the only free medicine available was to Muslims because it was from Zakat Tax. That meant that the free medication was only open to Muslims. Only Muslims qualified for zakat as it was a compulsory tax levied on Muslims and so it was only for Muslims. Poor Sharifaan- she says she did not know what to make of the young man at the counter. She did not know whether to scream with anger or whether to burst into tears and cry but she was not going to deny her Christ for medicines. She is an amazing woman. She told Him she would not deny Jesus and walked away, went back to the hospital and bought the medicines from the hospital Pharmacy. That my dear friends is the story of your brothers and sisters in Pakistan. I wish I could set up a hospital in my city where everyone would be treated fairly and given free medicine and free treatment and the love of Jesus. Thats what the mission hospitals in Pakistan have been known for. But they are struggling. I will share with you about them next time.