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The Win Posted on 06/24/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (5)

There are times when the internet works so well and then suddenly it all stops! I am sorry for not being in touch for a while. We have had so much 'load shedding' which is the term we use for power cuts. This means that the main internet supplier also loses power every so often and so we keep losing connectiion. However I know that in spite of not being able to talk to you and send you information regulary you have been praying for us. On Sunday there was so much tension and pressure because we had been warned about going to Church and the government has suggested that all Christians stay home and not go to Church and attract attention. None the less, once again we had more people at Church. :) Things continue to be tense but we have had some reprieve from the tension with our cricket team and actually making it to the final and then winning the T 20 World Cup match! It was amazing. We have had so much sad news of late that the whole nation needed this break. The cricket match was taking place at the Lord field in England. We sat glued to the TV watching every move the batsmen and bowlers made and while there was a break we had a call from a cousin in the UK who had been to watch the cirkcet match at a restaurant. When Pakistan won, people came out on the streets like you cant imagine. A country in conflict had been given a beautiful gift. Our players had done us proud and there were young poeople dancing in the streets and sharing sweets with one another! It was amazing. We are thankful for that. In fact there has been a deep work of healing in the hearts of many Pakistani Christians who had given up on cricket in Pakistan every since our Hero, the first Christian player in a long time had converted to Islam. Please continue to pray for us . The Cricket Victory has spoken volume of our abilities and our skills. May we continue to glorify Jesus even though that is a crime. Thank you for your prayers. Could you pray for Mohammad Yusaf who converted to Islam (he was formerly the only Christian on the team) .Please pray he will remember his conversion experience. Thank you my friends

Take it to the Lord in prayer Posted on 06/17/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (10)

All I can think is WOW! Did you ever think this would happen in Iran. I did not put Chaos and disorder and the violence beyond the realms of possibilities, but to see men and women come out into the streets and scream out, begging and demanding justice. Did you ever think you would see this on the news? But is our responsibility as Christians just to observe a story of injustice behind the LCD screens whatever size they may be. The largeness of the story is not dependent on the amount of time CNN and BBC and Dawn news or PTV or Express news is giving it. In Pakistan we are split between Pakistan, Iran, Palestine. Afghanistan, India and the American President's opinions. But I assure you friends, that this story is only large to the media as long as there is nothing else to talk about. The Brazillian air tragedy has been almost forgotten, Iraq is hardly on the news... Brethren, our responsibility extends beyond the TV screen and the computer screen which gives us our news. We have heard about the amazing way in which women and the young people of Iran are coming out on teh streets. What is the amazing thing in this? The amazing thing is that there are people there who were born after the revolution, who have never known the freedom that those in the west, or even the relative freedom that those of us in Pakistan have enjoyed. They do not even know the Iran that was before the Islamic revolution. Let that speak to you of the image of God in which each of these have been created by God. I was suddenly struck last evening as I watched the news that those precious precious people on the TV screens, including Ahmadenijad, each one of them, are not only made in the image of God, they may not believe in Jesus, but they were handmade, crafted, designed, painstakingly by the hands of the living God! The God, who's son's hands, would one day bear nails, whose back would bear the whip and whose head who would bear the crown of thorns for them. We think of ourselves as so far away from one another, we think of ourselves as so different from one another in our own little parts of the world, but how humbling, how awsome but we are all made by the same hands- the hands of God. Just soak that in for a few seconds. Does that not suddenly make the media and the 'story' so small. The plan, the blue print, hand drawn and purposed by the Maker, the Alpha and Omega, that is what is important. Will we as the brethren around the world join together in prayer and be the body we are meant to be, will we pray for those whose faces and images we see in Iran. Will we pray for a greater Salvation and Freedom for the people of Iran. A freedom and a Salvation that comes through the blood of Christ, the work of the cross. A Salvation that is coming to so many in that land that is closed. A land that may seem closed to all things western. But in truth, the spirit is at work in that land too. We hear the whispers, the rejoicing in hushed voices when we hear of new family members who come to know Jesus in Iran. Take this beyond the TV Screen. Take this to the Lord in prayer.

Heat, falsas, old things, fear, uncertainty, death, restoration, Christ's love Posted on 06/12/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (2)

College closed earlier than it was meant to so with every one at loose ends a bunch of us have decided to go out for ice cream. Amma and Baba are not convinced that we should but we have sat home for so long now. Abraham and I will pick the young people up, we are borrowing a church member's 9 seater. It is so hot& there is nothing to do. Wereally need to get out. Let's see. We are not been rash or silly, we cant stop living. We are going to a fairly safe part of town, in fact it is all heavily protected- no where is safe, home is not safe, Church is not safe, but we cannot stop living. It is not fair. Today Johnny&I went into the store room&took out the VCR&the old video tapes. As he lifted it he threw something at me and screamed 'lizard'. I nearly fell of the top concrete shelf. I hate those slimy things. They hibernate in summer and get all fat and yuck and so if you disturb them they come running at you and slither away. They are harmless but yucky. But he was just playing the fool. Silly brothers. I had almost forgotten about the VCR -now a relic. Johnny dusted it while I took out the old video tapes&called out the names of movie after movie. Sharifaan made us Falsa Juice. Falsa's are exclusive to my part of the world&only on the market for a very very short while, they are tiny dark purlply blue berries, almost like blueberries, but do not taste like them at all. They produce a purply burgundy juice. We crush them, then pour the pulp into muslin& leave it to drip into a jug. In the olden days daadi remembers letting it drip into a terracotta jug which was left out at night& kept the juice cool. Now we put it in the fridge after squeasing the muslin. It has to be drunk more or less in a day or two or it ferments&is sickening. But while fresh& cold, it is full of vitamins& ever so refreshing. While Sharifaan prepared the falsa juice& Amma was busy making packets of soap, lentils, rice, sugar , tea& dried milk. Uncle Hameed would come to take the packets to some of the secret believer families he was ministering too. He would come some time at night& then give the things to his contact in the North. I abandoned the box of movies for another time. I helped daadi write her letters. Her eyesight has become worse& so she asks me to write her letters. An old friend of hers lost her son in the bombing in Peshawar. Daadi wanted to write& counsel her. Her friend's son knew about Jesus but had been too afraid to accept Jesus as God. He was very sick as a little boy&his mother had brought him to Church for prayer. He had experienced a miraculous healing. But then they have broken all contact for fear of what the Mullahs would do. Today after many years contact had been re established when she called to give the news- but also begging that daadi pray for her&ask her God to forgive the rejection and refusal of the last 30 years! These are frightening times, but also times of opportunity, times to take stock of the souls around us& act as the Church should, as arms, legs, feet, hearts&eyes- all of the living Christ. May we all be faithful to His voice.

Rejoicing for every day of life Posted on 06/08/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (3)

I am alive and I praise God for it. We lived through another Sunday, another set of opportunities to love and forgive and minister His grace to those around us- even in the midst of this confusion, chaos and conflict the message of the cross is simple- Go forth - and we do in our every look and even breath, we must go forth with the good news- the Gospel of Christ Jesus, Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Yesterday more than in a long time, as we as a Church said the words of the Apostles Creed together, each word was a powerful declaration of 'I believe', a declaration, a battle cry, re affirming our faith, and declaring to the evil one, that we believe and we will carry our crosses because we know he has been defeated. God was good nothing happened. Our Pastor has told the young men to be on guard and watch out if anyone new was in Church, to be welcoming and not treat them roughly or be indifferent to them at all but to be watchful, if they seemed susupicious not to take it lightly and to notify him (the pastor) and the elders, they would deal with it themselves. The guys, full of bravado has been talking on Saturday night about how they would protect the Church and if anyone came they were sure they could take them on. But our Pastor, who knows them well, a man of deep faith and God's wisdom and spirit, saw the mask over the fear inside them, the sadness, the disillusionment and realised they really wanted to have responsibility and take care of the Church and family they loved so much so he organised them and gave them tasks. They felt so important and it was good for them too. I was amazed. St Martins was more packed yesterdat than it has been in a long time. If I did not know better I would have thought it was Christmas or Easter. People who do not usually come except at Christmas and Easter were there- amazingly - it was because of the threat. With all the craziness in the world around them, nominal Christians have started to ask themselves who they are and if they die they want to die for something they believe in, they want to go to someone they believe in, they want to know what they are in for. Those whose children would not have come before had turned up. Not only did people come for answers, everyone is nervous. Families and friends and communities are sticking together, they are spending time together, doing thinsg together, if anything happens to one member of the family, they all want to be together, no one wants to be left to face life without the other, so those who did not come to Church previously, do not want their parents to go alone and so they are coming with them. God has been preparing us at St Martins for this. Some continue to be in denial of the problems we face as a community and a nation, but some of us has been spurred on. We know any day could be our last and we have a responsibility to those who do not know Christ. Pastor Naeem, came to the pulpit and spoke from what God has spoken to him through the week. Things may be dangerous and difficult but a time for Christians in this nation to ask ourselves afresh who we are in Christ and what the days ahead hold in terms of pain and how we will respond as Christians. Stand with us in that and declare with us that we as the body of Christ believe in God the Father Almighty - let us be connected and One in that Father, let us be Saved by His Son Jesus and Let us live Him in Pakistan and for the people of this war through His Holy Spirit.

Even in times such as these... Posted on 06/05/2009 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (1)

Amma and I went very quickly into the shops yesterday and we were hardly there when my phupho (father’s sister)called and told us there had been an alert and we should come home immediately. Seems as though every one had the same sort of call as we turned around every other car in the street was doing the same, trying to get out faster than the next. It was the day after the US Presidents speech in Egypt and there was a lot of hype among people trying to make up their mind about it. Being just before Friday prayers made it all the more tense. As we crawled in the traffic, Musa’s wife called almost 100 times to ask where we were and if we had gotten away from the market place. Amma and I were almost sure it was a false alarm but had to be careful. We had called the store manager of the little department store where Amma used to shop. We had told him what we wanted and he had kept it ready for us. In the car waiting to move, we had pedestrians scurrying around us trying frantically to get to buses and through the traffic. Suddenly in the middle of the craziness there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was a begger I was about to take out a packet of biscuits which I always keep in the seat pocket for them, when mum told me it was Mustafa Khan- the owner of the store. He had seen us come up the road and had then see us turn. He ran out after us to give us the bags. He had a big toothless smile. He was about 50 and had seen me since I was a little girl. He would always give me a Jubilee bar when we went in there (the Pakistani version of a mars bar but much thinner). In his white Shalwar Kurta, he looked in and as mum paid him, she asked him why he was not going home. He smiled and said that he was going for prayers. ‘God comes first ‘, he said ‘If something has to happen, it can happen anywhere. I must be faithful to God because without him there is no hope for me in the afterlife. God comes first, He gives this life He can take it. I came to give your groceries but also to ask you to pray for my wife she is very sick and with so little business it is becoming more difficult. Please will you ask your mother to pray for her also. I know Christians believe in healing. Ok take care and don’t worry I think it is just a rumour’. As he said this, he ran off back toward his shop. Amma and I looked at each other in shock! He had packed in extra groceries in another bag for Musa who had become his friend in all these years. We got home, everyone was safe but tense. Nothing happened in our city but other cities have had attacks. Children are terrified of going to school. One little boy told his dad that he did not trust his school teacher any more because she told him ‘don’t worry nothing will happen’. But even though these are bad times and there is so much evil in this whole mess, none the less there are still those like Mustafa Khan who can think to be gracious and generous, even when their own business is suffering. Even in the midst of this, there are those who are acknowledging Christ’s healing. Let us not forget to pray for Christ to be revealed to the millions of Muslims who are just faithful followers of God. Let us pray they will be saved from indoctrination and will come to know Jesus.