URGENT PRAYER REQUEST
Please pray for Pastor M___, his family, and the church in Turkey. M___’s refugee visa has been denied, and barring a miracle, he and his family could be sent back into Iran and the church dissolved. Iran is in flames. M___ is in great stress. He is one of the most solid, faithful men I know.
One of my favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” As most Christians know, God’s classroom can put us in places where our hope can dry out like crusty bread. The wait for God’s answer seems endless, until the answer suddenly breaks through and memories of doubt evaporate. During December, God provided for us in a sudden and amazing way when the need was great. He touched the heart of a friend who was able and willing to help our family and did it in such a way that only God could have timed it this way.
I frequently get notes from new believers in the Muslim world who have been conditioned to beg for handouts. Their prayers to Allah were never answered, so begging—in their minds—was the only recourse. I share modest amounts of support in special circumstances and pay translators whom I have hired for the work, but I have tried to cultivate faith in these growing Christians that God is their Provider. He knows their needs, and He knows their home addresses. However, money is not their only need; daily protection is their need as well. This brings me again to P___.
As you know, P___ is an Afghani convert to Christ I have been discipling. He and his daughter are illegal refugees in Pakistan. They and people like them are being hunted down by police every day. Last week, he sent me this miraculous testimony (word for word), and I thought you would enjoy it.
“Something interesting happened to me tonight. I took a rickshaw for a small shopping trip, and when we got off and were walking in the market, a rickshaw driver said something to me several times, but I didn’t understand what he meant and kept walking. He even followed me on foot once, but I still didn’t get it. I thought maybe he realized I’m Afghan and was trying to get money from me somehow (because the police in Pakistan have said that anyone who reports Afghan migrants gets paid). When I didn’t pay attention and got a little scared, I took another rickshaw to go back home. On the way, I realized my phone was missing. That’s when I understood that the driver who had been trying to talk to me was the same rickshaw driver I came with, and my phone had been left on his seat. He had found it and wanted to return it, but I hadn’t understood him. What’s even more surprising is that when I went back and found him, I apologized, and he gave me my phone back. He even showed his ID—he was a police officer! Apparently, he works as a rickshaw driver after his police duties.”
The police in Pakistan are trained to spot Afghanis. P___ LOOKS like an Afghani native! P___ realized that God concealed his identity (or made the police officer disinterested at just the right time). This officer would have received a bounty for arresting P___. But God intervened—and P___ knows it. When converts trust God more than the teachers who teach them, this is a huge victory; it means these men are learning Psalm 118:8 is true.
Missionary #6505
