Challenges in Sindh

Pakistan is a country of extreme weather: Drought or flooding, heat or cold. These days our friends in Pakistan have been facing extreme heat with temperatures often well over 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It is so hot that cell phones overheat and don't work, and everyone has trouble sleeping at night.

Shakeel reports that Rustam had been sick due to this hot weather and the problem is made worse by ever-present power outages in the areas of Khairpur and Sanghar where Rustam and Shakeel are ministering.

But the work continues. As the picture above shows, they meet in the early morning before it gets too hot. They meet under trees or wherever they can find a shady spot and always have water on hand to quench thirst.

Speaking of water, tensions are high because water sources have been rerouted, causing water shortages for many. People have been coming out for more than two months to protest these changes and their presence causes huge traffic jams which sometimes hold up travel to ministry locations by hours.

Now there is new village that Rustam and Shakeel are passionate to reach, but it is remote and difficult to get to. Believing God is calling them even to hard-to-reach places, they go. The last part of the journey is on foot.

Shakeel says, "This village is a new place to reach and share how God loves the world in hard times. These Hindu families are seeking peace in their lives."

We can serve God with our whole hearts, but that doesn't mean it will be easy. Please pray for Shakeel and Rustam as they remain faithful to evangelism, preaching, teaching, and helping even when it's hard.

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all"- 2 Corinthians 4:17