From September 6 through September 16, we spent an amazing 9 days in 20 different locations in Pakistan, thriving churches in the fiercely Islamic country of Pakistan. We traveled over 1,300 miles by van to 18 different locations. Two pastors pulled us closely into their respective worlds, and we preached to extraordinary numbers of peoples who were truly thirsty for the Word of God.
Great efforts were made with these evangelistic meetings; the groundwork was started many weeks prior to our arrival. Bro. S___, Bro. W___, and I preached in 2 churches, 16 outdoor meetings, and a large orphanage. The orphanage was filled with many wonderful children, a large number of whom had been Muslims converting to Christianity! The pastor we served during the bulk of our stay had cultivated an excellent reputation with the local government. They respected him for his care for the people in these communities, and as a result, God has given him favor with the authorities. Regardless, as a precaution, an armed guard was hired to follow us wherever we went, giving us a great sense of security.
I am careful to share conservative numbers summarizing our visit. We had experienced workers photographing and tallying numbers in attendance and professions of faith. Averaging numbers gathered from three monitoring sources, we saw over 4,000 people in attendance. From these, just over 1,500 people made professions of faith during these 18 meetings. Follow-up efforts are underway to review the Gospel with those who made professions; this is literally a house-by-house effort. We are gathering some excellent discipleship materials to add to the materials they already have. Our goal is to establish a Bible institute to help these people, so that the workers can continue their training and establish house churches as they grow.
This church in Pakistan has been given a second property for another building; its purpose is to supply for the poorest country people they serve. I preached a Missions Conference in West Virginia this past week; the generous people at this small church were so impressed with my testimonies and video, they donated $5,000 for the building to be started! Anyone who would like access to the Pakistan video can text me (with your name and church) for a link: 207-331-6156. Please pray fervently that this work will grow under the protective eye of our Saviour!
Missionary #6505