Maybe there's still hope.

Life among the minority religions in Pakistan is difficult all the time. Jobs are scarce and low-paying. Good education is a dream, not often a reality. And families often face troublesome health issues. That is the basic day-to-day living for many people in this often-distressed country. And, for women, these problems are sometimes compounded.

Today we want to tell you about two beautiful Pakistani women who face great challenges:

The first is a widow - not an unusual circumstance in a country with a life expectancy of only about 67 years. Her husband died young, though, leaving her with four children to care for. Without an education, she is classified as a domestic worker, helping out in homes of those better off so she can make enough money to feed her children. With COVID-19 on the scene, householders are hesitant to have others in their homes, so the work has been non-existent. With the help of RTN and Manzoor's Islamabad team, she has food for her family for the next few weeks. Maybe by then, her former employers will be ready to have her come back to work.

The second also is a domestic worker, much as the widow introduced above. She, too, has a family to care for - six children - and her situation is even more stressful because her husband is in prison. Most days it seems hopeless, but after she was given a month's worth of food at the end of May, she visited her husband and said to him, "Maybe there is still hope for us."

A little help translates to a little hope for those who have nowhere to turn in their time of need.

"But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish." - Psalm 9:18

The Battle for Food

This family in Hyderabad has been living in poverty for some time now and were hopeful their children could have a better life by getting an education. But they were not able to pay the school fees, so the children you see here have not been going to school for the past year. Additionally, they got behind in their rent. and they had run up a bill at the grocery store.

The scenario was bad, but got worse when the COVID-19 shutdown came, and their meager earnings were cut off. Shakeel had heard about their problems, and had decided to include them in the Reach the Nations food distribution.

When he arrived, he listened as they told him of the father in this family going to the grocery store the day before to plead for food because his wife and children were hungry. The shop owner refused to extend more credit because they had not been able to pay previous bills. The father came home and shared the sad news with his family.

The next day Shakeel arrived unexpectedly at their door with enough food to feed all four of them for a month. We can only imagine their relief.

As the Pakistani government is now releasing many of the restrictions on work that were in place due to the Coronavirus, we are hopeful this family and others like them can return to their jobs and begin to be able to support themselves once again.

Shakeel asks that we pray for this family that they will be able to pay off their loans and, by God's grace, the children will be able to return to school.

"For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever."

- Psalm 9:18

Sharing Food with Muslims

Reach the Nations ministers in Pakistan specifically to Hindus and Christians. But, as job losses related to COVID-19 continue, both Hindus and Christians are finding that their Muslim neighbors are suffering, too. In our May food deliveries, we were able to reach out to some of those families with food supplies to help them through these hungry times.

One Muslim neighbor works as a gardener, but work is scarce with the recent COVID-19 lockdown. In addition to income problems, this man's son has been suffering with cancer. So the pressures have been mounting for this family, and Manzoor and his team were able to reach out with provisions for the next several weeks. As they gave the gift of food, they also gave this man a message, "We have brothers and sisters in Christ who are praying for you and your family. They are not only praying, but are showing their love practically through this food package."

As we deliver food to many families in Pakistan, we pray that physical hunger will be satisfied and spiritual hunger will begin. Please pray with us to that end.

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." - Psalm 107:8-9