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Terror in my country. Posted on 05/28/2010 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (5)

I don't know what I feel. I am not angry- I think I am just plain sad. No, I do not want to leave my country. But I wonder what the days ahead hold. Ahmadis as I understand are a sect of Islam who believe all the fundamentals of Islam and hold fast to the 5 pillars of Islam. But they have some unique beliefs about Jesus, having survived the ressurection and then coming to Kashmire and about another prophet, diminishing the finality of MOhammad. Pardon me! I am assuming you know what happened in Lahore yesterday! I am sorry. I assumed you knew. The stench of death and terror still lingers in the air so thickly so many miles out of Lahore in my city, that I forgot that perhaps many of you in other countries do not know what happened. Yesterday after Friday prayers gunmen from a local terrorist group attacked two Ahmadi mosques. Almost 70 people are dead. The death toll was rising the last time I looked. I was not able to blog yesterday. We sat with our eyes glued to the TV watching this horrible violent act unfold before our eyes. Sunnis and shiites debate the 'Islamicness' of the sect because one of Islam's main teachings is the finality of Mohammad. Every since facebook's alleged competition to draw pictures of Mohammad this has been brewing. Just the other day we heard that in Lahore there were banners up saying Christians, Ahmadis (also called Mirzais) and Jews were enemies of Islam. We wondered when the boxes would start getting ticked. We did not really think it would happen though. Friends yesterday they ticked one box. One minority group attacked. We dont have Jews so they wont find a functioning synagogue to attack but on Sunday- what will happen on Sunday? well I believe if we build a wall of prayer around the Christians of Pakistan we can see a miracle and we can see disaster averted. Please pray. Send the word around among your friends and spend today (Saturday) praying for Christians in Pakistan and for their safety. For Churches, Church schools, hospitals, mission bases etc... Please pray for protection. Please pray for the people who lost their families today. So many people have suffered. Please pray for Jesus to bring comfort to them. I heard one guy in college say 'I am sick of Mullahsim'. My heart lept because he will be searching for something better. Pray that he would look for the truth not a substitute, but the truth and that Jesus would become known to Him. Pray that at this time when people are sick ofthe lie, they will see the truth in the lives of Christians. Pray for us.

Canvas and Crosses Posted on 05/25/2010 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (5)

I was thinking about the big picture of Jesus. The more I think about it the more priveledged I count myself to be in His painting. How it must ache when he sees those wanting to be on another canvas- those who do not know He can paint the most beautiful hues into their lives. I wonder about a Muslim man I once gave something to. Did he ask to be moved from a canvas of dark and perpetual night onto the canvas of light? I may never know. A few years ago I was in a part of town I rarely visit. I sat in the car while Amma took Sharifaan to buy medication for her husband. It was a hot day much like today, I never turn the air conditioning on because then I can leave the window open and speak to the beggars who come to the car and maybe Jesus will give me the opportunity to share something with them. A 'Mullahesq' man walked up to the car. He was selling religious literature and had a letter with a picture of a sick child for whom he was collecting money. when people sell us Islamic Literature we have to be very careful. If we dismiss them, or frown or look disgusted they could actually accuse us of blasphemy. We have to be careful in how we respond. Normally I just pull the cross out from under my scarf and smile at them so they know I am a Christian and would not read Islamic Literature. Many times they get the message and leave after giving us a filthy look. But I dared to ask this man what was wrong with the child in the picture. He was an old man himself so it hurt me that he was walking the streets in the hot sun trying to make some money for a sick child or grand child. I still remember thinking 'if you cast your cares on Jesus He will care for you and go to Him with Heavy burden and He will give you strength. He spoke shortly and told me this was for his grandchild and that the mosque was helping him by giving him this Islamic literature to sell. That way he was not beggining but was working for God at the same time as raising money for his grand child's medication. I dont knwo about you but I was pretty impressed at even the Mosque's take on this. Giving people dignity and making them feel stronger. At 75 this old man probably did not need to feel like a beggar and unable to meet the needs of his family. He told me his son had died in an accident in the North and he was caring for his grandson. Now with hind sight I wonder if his son died in some kind of terrorist activities. Being a student I did not have much money on me. What I did have was my tithe in my purse and I never give my tithe to a Muslim, because that is money to support the struggling Church in my land. Its not much, its from my pocket money, but it is for the Church- certainly not the mosque! But I was led to do the unthinkable&I know Jesus led me. I removed the silver cross from my neck&gave it to the man. I told him it was all I had to give but that the silver cross could do nothing, he should try to find out the story of the wooden cross 2000 years ago. He was confused. I assured him I would pray for him&his grandson. He took the cross&disappeared. I have often looked for him in that part of town. Perhaps he sees me and hides. Perhaps he has died. I dont know. But I know when God leads you to do something, you do it. It does not matter if you see the fruit. The fruit is that you know you obeyed&God did something in that man's journey that really only God needs to know about. I take heart that that was not a random act. Perhaps a Muslim man on his way to meeting Jesus&I was just one of the pedestrians crossing his

Worry lines Posted on 05/24/2010 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (1)

Every one has worry lines on their faces. The newspapers capture pictures of the Prime Minister &the Chief Justice in their bid for power,playing with the constitutions and worrying that the other might win. But there are worry lines on every Pakistani's face. Pedestrians crossing the street, the student whose father lost his job &worries about paying his fee this semester, mothers whose sons have turned to drugs or terrorism, the man wanting to run for politics to improve his community's situation, the priest who cares for his persecuted people &wants to save them, the girl who loves a boy from the wrong clan, the daughter who worries about her ailing parents, Mullahs who wonder in the black of the night if ther are leading thousands into a den of lies&darkness &if Mohammad will intercede on that final day. Oh&the little boys&girls in Swat in the North Western Regions of Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan where the Taliban had regrouped before the 2009 offensive against them. Their nightmares dont stop when they awaken screaming. They just go on when they wake up& hear the sound of gun shots, explosions&see the hopelessness of the refugee camps&wonder 'were we not better off under the Taliban- we could live in our own homes'. I feel so small when I look around me &think Jesus wants me to be an agent in all of this, to serve Him, be His hands&His love to all the people who cross paths with me. I know He does because when I look at them I am filled with love and compassion for them that could not be off me. Huge bearded men who smell of drugs and sweat and stare and try to touch woman going past are not attractive and easy to love as is a cute Swati boy of 3. Yet when I look at them Jesus must have done something in my life that although I am wary of them and will conduct myself carefully and never be vulnerable to their abuse, I am still filled with compassion for them to share some of Jesus' love with them. We are after all no longer on our own self decided journey. With Jesus, we get off the road to self destruction and become a part of His big more beautiful picture. In that picture he paints emotions into the picture that are not natural to us. He paints love for the persecutor, he pains blessing for the persecuted. He has painted in Salvation. Even for the Mullah. Let him paint over the worry lines and transform worry to colours of joy and hope.

When one window is slammed shut - there is a God Door Opening Posted on 05/21/2010 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (2)

What a day! I cant believe how much support the government suddenly has! People who have had not one good word to say about the governance in this land are suddenly all about 'Government'! We have before us the classic example of what Mohammad means to the Islamic faith. There is no room for any offense against him. He is pivotal to Islam- or so it has become clear over the last few days with this crack down over facebook, youtube and wikipedia. People with blackberries cant use them either. But it is also interesting to see the split. There is a small but couragous minority of people in college who are against this act of blocking facebook. Some say they were able to evangelise on facebook, others say that this is going back to the dark ages disconnecting us from the rest of the world. Others say that they are offended but it does not mean they have to go around killing people over it. On the other hand, I have had people look at me from the cornder of their eyes and say this has been the best thing ever because the world needs to know they cannot mess with the Muslim Nations of the world and the Islamic beliefs. They have said that if Facebook and Youtube do not remove derogatory material about Mohammad from these websites they will have a lot to answer for. They want to make it quiet clear to the only 'Christian' in their midst that there is no room for compromise or dialogue. You just do not say or draw or express anything about their Prophet that is in contradiction to their faith! Ghazi has become so weird. His aim in life is to make me feel Islam all around me and make me uncomfortable. How I wish there were more Christians around me? This is not just about Maaria. This is what countless Christians in Pakistan are feeling as I write this. This is not about facebook. The point is so many Christians can share the truth via facebook and youtube and that is another reason for this crackdown. While we are disconnected from the rest f the world and our Christian family in other places we will be made to feel the anger every Muslim has toward this whole issue. It is weird. On one hand my government says they are allies of the West, on the other hand they who supported the arrest and the investigation on Faisal Shahzad for an attack thought to be aimed at the creators of South Park, those very people are shutting down facebook because a page that began in the aftermath of the South Park controversy! I do not knwo what to think. But I do not know how much longer I will be able to write to you. They do not know who I am as yet, but without knowing who I am they can block our access to each other. Praise God they cannot block our access to Jesus and to the Father. We can continue to intercede for our brothers and sisters. Please I urge you to never forget the stories of Maarias and Abrahams and Ghaazis. I urge you to continue to tell our story. The more Christians know, the more prayer there will be. Even when we are cut off from you- we can never be cut off from our Father and we will always be connected. Pray for those who are frustrated by this move of the government and the irrationality of the extremists and Islam. Pray they will be led to seek the hope we have in Christ. Pray for us Christians at this time to shine for Jesus.

Facebook Banned Posted on 05/19/2010 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (2)

I cant sign onto facebook. They have blocked it. Perhaps they will start looking for otherwebsites that promote any kind of anti islamic material. I am afraid of how this may affect our future communication. There have been protests. Although I long to go onto facebook and see what is going on and communicate with my family and assure them I am alright, I am actually concerned that if I were to type www.facebook.com, I would get that huge 'restricted' notice but also would alert someone. Please pray for us. If this protest grows it will become like the 2006 protests and that was a bad year. I remember how manic it became and the crowds grew dangerous and nasty. Aparrently there is a page on facebook that is encouraging people to draw pictures of Mohammad. They say it is to prove to Islamic extremists that they are not afraid. I am torn. I do not agree that is this is the way to go and I would not waste any artistic ability on drawing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. I would rather draw images and pictures inspired by the Holy Spirit with the hope that my friends would meet with Jesus through my art. However if every time someone who is 'western' decides to draw something that upsets Muslims, will they throw a tantrum and say 'Christians are being blasphemous'. This is a crisis. Shall we ask facebook to give in so Pakistani Christians can access to facebook. No, this is not about facebook. This is about keeping the Church in Pakistani safe. Although shutting down facebook is a step backward for Pakistan. None the less, we can live without facebook I am sure of it. What we can't live without is the Church. Please pray for safety for Churches and Christian schools and that this would not escalate into mob violence and attacks. This is being used to create even more anti Western sentiments. College in a few hours. Please be praying.

4 men of God Posted on 05/10/2010 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (3)

Meet a young pastor. He has a young family, beautiful children&an absolutely beautiful Christian wife called to ministry as he is. Their love for Jesus is contagious to all. When he smiles, his face glows and his eyes sparkle. When he speaks of things of the Lord he speaks with authority and has scripture to support everything he says. He has a vision to see many more come to Jesus and to work with the young people of Pakistan. I also want you to meet a young man - a member of the cleaning staff at a Church who loves Jesus with all his heart. In their mid thirties, him and his wife earn only very little but their faith in Jesus is strong. They have suffered much for that faith, falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. He was offered the chance to become a Muslim and go free, but he held firmly to Jesus despite the torture in prison. Nothing in the world is more precious to him than Jesus. His job as his offering, an opportunity to keep the house of the Lord beautiful and worthy of worship. Meet Saiqa's husband. Most men in my country would rather not have an abused wife if they can help it. If they know she has been raped in the past they would rather not have her in thier home. It is a problem of honour and shame. Saiqa is one such young woman. She worked as a cleaner in the homes of many Muslims- she was raped and warned that if she got pregnant and it was a boy she must bring the child back and he would be brought up a Muslim, but if this was a girl, she could kill her but never come back. Saiqa did not get pregnant but she feared no one would love her and marry her. Today she is a married to a man committed to Jesus who has married her&oves her deeply. The last person I want to introduce you to is a school teacher in a government school with a very difficult job as the only Christian on a 50 strong staff. He faces much opposition. The rest of the staff would like nothing better than for him to leave. He is a reminder of the Christian presence in our land. He wears a cross reminding them there are some educated Christians. He tells people about his faith if they ask and is keen to see his students do well and realise their potential. Because of his regular attendance and his refusal to take leave &lie about it means they have all got to attend & are compelled to be honest & truthful. Some days his books are stolen from his desk in the staff room, other days he is presented with a Koran & asked to convert, some days he is asked to come into work on Sunday so he will miss Church, he is given a broom and told to clean. He is not allowed to drink water from the same cooler as the rest & drinks warm water from a bottle he brings with him. But he stands firm for Jesus. All these men have one thing in common. Something that might sound familiar to you. So whenever you hear a reference to this, I ask that you would think of these men and pray for them and the people they encounter. That in every meeting and opportunity Jesus may shine through. All these men are called Shahzad- not terrorists, but men of God who love Jesus.

Seas of tents in the North and an Apology Posted on 05/05/2010 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (4)

I found myself back on the rooftop, watching streams of little boys in white shalwar kameez on their way to the Mosque a few streets away. It was hot and sticky, the sun had come up much earlier and even so early in the morning it was already very hot. It was way before I had heard the news of Faisal Shahzad the young US citizen of Pakistani origin. I was already thinking of these precious little lives on their way to the mosque. Last night I was watching images of Swat where the Taliban were fought and pushed out in the Northern parts of Pakistan. Where the war tore every thing and changed the lives of simple God fearing people, there is a sea of white tents. There are people in those tents who need to be cared for and loved. Who will care for them? Who will take the love of Jesus to them? It is so hard for Pakistani Christians to get there. My heart's desire is that I may be able to go there and hold the little ones who are terrorised with memories of what the Taliban did to them and then what happened when the Pakistani and western Armies rolled in and fought the taliban. I want to tell them what happened was good and saved them from a future of enslavement to a false ideology. I want to tell them I love them, I want to tell them Jesus loves them. I want to make them smile. I want them to be safe from what is inevitable. What is inevitable, is that the Taliban will come back. They will infiltrate and point out to the people of Swat how poor they have become and how their land has been detroyed and how the Government is doing nothing for them. They will plant doubt and anger in these camps and a whole new generation of angry men and women will rise up. We may be losing this stage. We need to be there to share Jesus with them and show them about the hope and dignity he promises. Then later I saw the news of Faisal Shahzad. On behalf of my people, I am sorry for these incidents. We do not all hate the west, we do not all have these tendencies so please give us all a chance and dont write us off after this. People like Faisal Shahzad are all over those tented areas in Swat and other war torn arears in the Muslim world. Please pray for his family that they would know Jesus so they can be at peace or imagine the pain and sadness in their hearts. Because it does not mean he was angry and destruction, his family were the same. Please pray for a Jesus intervention. I want to Jesus lifted hight over the horizon of Swat that all Pakistanis may see the truth and know that He is the way to heaven (I am adapting a popular song here :D). Those tented cities are perfect breeding grounds for more trouble. please pray for those tented areas and more men and women of God would rise up in those areas. Please love them. Jesus will give it to you.

Marriage and family 2 Posted on 05/01/2010 12:00 AM   |  EMail to Friend   |  View Comments (3)

Finally that storm has passed! Baba, like few father's in Pakistan, has refused to take part in this craziness of forcing young people to get married and is holding firmly to His faith that God will provide the right marriage partners for his children. Very few Pakistani father;s are brave enough to truly does trust God unless they are truly transformed Pakistani men. For Baba, his daughter is not the maker or breaker of his honour. God is his honour and all he desires is to please God. This decision costs people like baba a lot in terms of the family. This is not unusual. When a marriage proposal is turned down or a younger brother stands up to an older brother or an older member of the family there is always opposition. Dadi is torn in every way, but I see her weeping over her Bible asking Jesus to restore relationships. Angel, like many Pakistani Christian girls is still under pressure and is caving in. Baba called us and told us he does not want to know we have ignored our uncles and aunts in anyway or been rude to them. He says the issue is before the Lord will work it out but we must be peacemakers in our praying and our attitude and he and amma do not want any gossip going on between us cousins. This is a very natural passtime in such situations. They encouraged us to be open channels of God's love to flow unrestricted. Angel, like many Pakistani Christian girls who love their parents has given in and will be marrying an old family friend's son who she was never too fond off! She seems to smile but so do so many Pakistani Christian girls. She, like so many, does not want to be the cause of her father's ill health and her mother's trauma. Every one, assumes when their daughters turn 21, that the rest of the community is wondering if there was something wrong with her for not having married as yet- I personally think we imagine these rumours. But this is the crisis of our brothers and sisters in my country. We allow the honour and shame culture come between us and bring a rift between us. I am glad baba did not put pressure on Abraham to marry to clear the way for his younger cousin to marry. But thousands of young people in Pakistan's Christian community end up in unhappy marriages because their parents are terrified of them falling in love with Muslims or because they are just strictly traditional and conservative in their thinking. Please pray for Pakistan's young people. It will be happy marriages that will make for a strong Church tomorrow. The Light of Christ will shine out of happy marriages. My Uncles and Aunts and my parents have been those happy masterpieces of God's marriage plans. They have shone for Christ and emitted His light in the darkest of situation. But they have been in so many dark situations they want to protect us from Islam. But we must not become like the darkness. Please I urge you to pray for marriages and young people in my land that we will all be seeking God and that in our marriages there will be joy and happiness so that Christ will be seen by all who we interact with. Especially in a land and in an Islamic culture where marriage can be taken so lightly. Not every arranged marriage is bad but it must be sought from Jesus Pray for Christians in pakistan to find good marriage partners and to shine for Jesus and be men and women who emit His love and radiance.