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- Beverly Van Kampen
- 5 days ago
Parents along with their children are listening to what Shahzaib is sharing from the Word of God. Shakeel says, "His message is encouraging their faith and helping to bring peace in their lives."
One woman, of a different faith tradition, recently understood who Jesus is and what he has done for her and she accepted his free gift of salvation and was baptized soon thereafter.
Shahzaib and his wife Anita are now meeting with her weekly to help her to grow stronger in her faith. Your prayers will be appreciated for her and her family. We are not sharing pictures in order to protect her privacy and that of her family.
Anita, shown below, is giving a Bible to another woman who desires to know more about living the Christian life.
Shahzaib says, "Building relationships with other nations and having fellowship and making disciples in outreach areas is a large part of our ministry as we fulfill the Great Commission from our Lord Jesus Christ." (edited slightly)
Shahzaib is discipling these two men: Sajan and Wasand. He asks that we pray for the, so they can grow in their faith and then be witnesses to others they know in their own culture.
As we look to the future, Anita is expressing an interest in starting a literacy program, and Shahzaib is planning to start a class teaching through the Heidelberg Catechism. Pray for them as they seek God's direction in these matters.
Shahzaib requested that we pray for his family when they are doing ministry as they travel together on a motor bike to various areas around Sanghar.
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." - Psalm 28:7
- Beverly Van Kampen
- Jan 11
It was a busy year for Mehboob, Irfan, and Abraham as they ministered together in areas around Sialkot in the province of Punjab.
Here's a quick overview of some of the work of their ministry in 2025:
Outreach
These men try to find ways to reach into the lives and hearts of people around them. Sometimes it is a visit for conversation; at other times it is giving a small gift. Always the goal is to share the Gospel and to explore the possibility of expanding into new areas.
Baptisms
We reported in more detail during the year of the baptisms of new believers in these churches. We rejoice with those who made bold and public testimonies of their commitment to trusting and following Jesus.
Sunday School
While some of the churches have strong Sunday School programs, others do not. One of the goals Mehboob expresses for 2026 is to expand and strengthen the ministries to children.
Preaching and Teaching
Preaching and teaching from the Word of God is always the foundation for evangelism and discipleship.
Literacy Training
The literacy class in Daska continues under the teaching of Sister Rehana. She is hopeful that some of these students will soon be able to pass the requirements and receive their certificates. Then she will begin a class to help them reach through the New Testament together.
Giving Aid
When spring flooding rose to all-time highs this spring, the Reach the Nations team was on the front lines in giving aid to those who had lost the most.
And Celebrations
The family of God met together several times this year for church dinners and for joyful celebrations.
As this team looks ahead to 2026, they are asking for our prayers. Mehboob says, "May God bless us all in this year and protect us and gave us wisdom in the mighty name of Lord Jesus Christ. Amen"
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." - Romans 8:26
- Beverly Van Kampen
- Jan 1
As we enter a new year, it is good to reflect on all that God is doing through Reach the Nations' leaders in Pakistan.
We have three ministry leaders working in the province of Sindh. They are Rustam, Shahzaib, and Shakeel. This post will share news from Rustam and we will follow, over the next weeks, with updates from Shahzaib and Shakeel.
Rustam, a pastor in Khairpur, joined RTN a few years ago. He has established church there and engages his congregation as he preaches and teaches the Word of God.
This is a picture of Rustam and his children, their spouses, and some of his grandchildren.
Several years ago, RTN was able to enter into a long-term lease on a partially-finished church building in Khairpur. We added a roof, floor, doors, and windows and, since then, this congregation has had a secure and comfortable place to meet. It continues to grow in numbers and in commitment to God. In the picture above you see Rustam on the left and Shakeel next to him reading from the Bible.
Here Rustam and Shakeel are shown praying on the Sunday just before Christmas. When they called for those who wanted to learn more about accepting Jesus’s gift of forgiveness of sin and life eternal, several rose to their feet. This church is following up with all of them to encourage their new life in Christ.
The church in Khairpur celebrated Christmas with a special dinner following the service.
Rustam uses Khairpur as a central location, but he also reaches out to surrounding villages to share the Gospel message and to teach those who are already believers. Here he is shown teaching in the nearby village of Pir Bhudro.
The unique thing about Rustam among all the pastors RTN sponsors is that he does not know English. Shakeel meets with him regularly and has been extremely helpful in passing along to Rustam the teaching from RTN and in getting back to us with reports from Rustam and the thriving church at Khairpur. The picture of the two of them above was taken a few months ago.
Please pray for Rustam and his family and for the ministry of this unique church in Khairpur.
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” – Romans 12:4-5
