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BANAWALA
Brother Abraham is sharing the Word of God in the Banawala area where he is leading the ministry. He is visiting the area often getting to know the people, having one-to-one meetings to encourage believers in their faith, and praying with and counseling those who need help.
All of this groundwork builds interest in the Sunday services where the Gospel is preached and the people gather for worship and prayer.
DASKA
Brother Irfan is now leading the work in Daska and is shown above preaching the Word of God to those who have come together. Irfan and Abraham have often visited Daska and the surrounding areas to get to know people and their need and to pray with and counsel them. Many of those they visit then decide to attend Sunday services to learn more about the Bible and Jesus.
SABOSARAN
This is an area near Dhamokay. Mebhoob, shown above, is reaching out to the people of Sabosaran. There are only a few families in this area and they have no church, so they are being invited to attend the Dhamokay church.
Mehboob's wife, Maria, joined him in this visit and together they are giving thanks to God for the opportunity to expand the work of Reach the Nations to this village and to surrounding areas where there is much need.
Mehboob says, "I am thankful to God to be able reach new people and share the Word with them. This is done keeping in mind Jesus' Great Commission to go into all the world and preach the Gospel."
As with Irfan and Abraham, Mehboob is reaching out into these villages to get to know the people, to hold prayer meetings, and to share the message of salvation with individuals and families.
EDUCATION
The teaching of reading, writing, and basic math skills continues in Daska under the leadership of Sister Rehana. Of this program, Mehboob says, "We give thanks to God as we see the changes in the students of this class. I see some who are starting to read verses of the Urdu Bible, and we believe that in coming months we will see many people grow in their ability to read the Bible for themselves."
Please pray for the many people in these areas who do not know Jesus and gift of forgiveness and life that is available if they will hear, understand, believe, and follow.
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." - Mark 16:15
The literacy students at Prayer Tower Church range from young girls to elderly women. They all have one thing in common: A burning desire to learn to read and, for most, to learn to read the Bible.
Most of us reading this post can't read the words on the board above and six months ago she couldn't either. Now she can!
We'd like to introduce to the most recent graduates of Reach the Nations' literacy program in Pakistan. These students gave testimonies of what this opportunity means to them. One said, "I would sit at home thinking about reading the Bible, but I didn’t know anything about reading. I didn’t even know the Urdu alphabet. I had such a passion to study the Bible, but I couldn’t read it. Then a friend invited me to join this class even though I am an adult. In this class, age doesn’t matter. I am so thankful I can learn here."
Another said, "I am a housewife. I have children. And I have a job, so it was hard to find time to attend this class. By God’s grace, he has given me this opportunity and I am thankful. I am not a member of this church, though I do go to another one. But the opportunity to study here was for anyone who wanted to learn. My job is cleaning houses, and many of my clients are not Christian. In this class, I have learned Bible verses. I now share them with my clients, and I tell them that Jesus is alive."
Here's one more testimony, "I thought many times about how I could learn to read. Then God opened this opportunity to learn, and I am thankful to Jesus. It has not been easy, though, as it is a 1 ½ hour drive from my home to this class. I have to take buses each day to get to class, but that is how much I wanted to learn to read."
We remain grateful to Zarish who not only teaches this class, but also is teaching a class of graduates who are learning to read the Bible together. She also oversees two other RTN literacy locations and teachers in Islamabad. She and her husband, Pastor Babar, graciously host these graduations at their church. And we are thankful for Manzoor and Pastor Rashid (not pictured) who faithfully support this program with their presence and encouragement.
Pray that these graduates will continue to improve their reading and writing skills and will find new opportunities for jobs, for teaching their own families, and for serving God.
"For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen." - Romans 11:36
The church in Dhamokay is strong and growing. The community allows them to use this building for worship services and various ministries related to the church. Here you see Mehboob preaching on a recent Sunday.
In the photo above, you see Irfan praying with this small congregation in Daska where he also shared a message from the Word of God. Abraham and Irfan are working together at the Daska church and also the Barokay church where Abraham is shown below.
In all of these areas, the brothers presented teaching from the Gospel of Mark, a book they are studying online together every week with Gary Finkbeiner, Peter Negron, Timothy Peng, and Warren Van Kampen.
And, as you know from previous reports, the literacy class in Daska is ongoing and is taught by Rehana, shown above.
Mehboob says this about this class, "We thank God as we see the changes in the students in this class. I see some are starting to read the Urdu Bible. And we see many other changes like a better life, positive attitudes, and love for God." We are grateful for Rehana's good work with these students.
Please pray for the team of Mehboob, Irfan, and Abraham as they minister in key areas in the Punjab Province faithfully preaching and teaching the Word of God and serving the people of these congregations. And pray for Rehana and the students who desire to grow in their literacy skills so they can understand the Bible better and serve God in new ways.
"So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;" - Colossians 1:10
