Pakistan is home to 5.4 million Christians, according to Open Doors, a ministry dedicated to supporting the persecuted church. This is just 1.8% of its entire population. Most Christians in Pakistan reside together in small communities. These small communities are vulnerable to attack and discrimination. The price they pay for following Christ. Year after year Open Doors has ranked Pakistan in the top 10 most persecuted countries in the world.
Persecution takes many forms in Pakistan. The well-known blasphemy laws are used against Christians and other minorities. Muslim extremists often target Christians and have bombed places of worship. Economic persecution is experienced by all Christians in Pakistan where the low and degrading jobs are reserved for Christians. A devastating form of persecution is kidnap and forced conversions. Many girls have been abducted and forced to convert to Islam by marrying a Muslim man.
This brings our attention to All The Earth’s ministry partner, a pastor in Pakistan who has experienced much of the list above. This includes his own sister being abducted in 2014, whom he has not heard from since. Despite many hardships this pastor has carried on in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, exhibiting a great example of what it means to believe and walk out John 16:33b “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.”
This pastor (who will not be named to protect his identity) first formed a relationship with Gary Fallesen of Climbing for Christ (C4C) in 2011. C4C has been their sole supporter, until now. A.T.E is joining ranks with C4C to care for this pastor and his ministry; particularly among the brick factories that enslave Christians.
In Pakistan, brick factory owners will provide loans to people who in turn will work in their brick factory to pay off the loan. But the interest is too high to pay off, so working in these factories is often passed down to their children. It’s slavery, and because Christians live in poverty they are primary targets for these brick factories.
“They treat the slaves like animals.” This pastor told us in a recent report. He went on in this report to explain “lots of owners and their friends, when they see the beautiful slave girls, they rape them. Some of these beasts have raped little children.”
They are living in the worst conditions; drinking dirty water and forced to use the bathroom outside on the outskirts of the factory.
Our Pastor ministers to 30 of these factories. Shining the light of Christ in these dark places. He has worked out agreements with many of these factory owners to allow him to put in private bathrooms and water pumps for clean water. With many of these owners he has worked out an agreement that if he can pay the debt of a slave in full the owner will release the slave. He focuses primarily on rescuing children, the most vulnerable. Right now, only children with families to go home to can be released from bondage. But with an orphanage this pastor and his church can provide for the children who have no one.
Here at All The Earth It is on our hearts to provide this pastor and his church 2 HUGE Christmas gifts.
#1: We want to provide this pastor a salary so he can continue ministering full time among the poorest of the poor. We need $600 a month to make this a reality.
#2: We want to help them open an orphanage. To cover the cost of shelter, food, water and caregivers we will need $980 a month to make this a reality.
That’s a $1,580 goal in monthly committed donors! That’s a lot! But we know all things are possible through Jesus Christ (Matthew 19:26).
Please consider becoming a regular financial supporter of this ministry.
As always, prayer is needed above all else. Please consider signing up for our newsletter to become a committed prayer warrior for these brothers and sisters who are serving among the poorest of the poor. (https://allthearth.org/subscribe)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27