News from our field
A team under construction, with a heart for the most vulnerable
Six people, one desire: namely, that Jesus Christ be made known among their fellow countrymen. That is the West Punjabi team in Pakistan. West Punjabi is the language spoken in the Punjab province of Pakistan. At the beginning of this year, the team couldn’t be contacted for a while. As it turned out later, the members of the team had been facing threats from the Muslim community.
Meanwhile, contact has been restored and the six members are busy preparing to launch the online Bible course and Facebook page in West Punjabi within weeks of writing.
The team has a heart for the most marginalized groups within their society. Last Christmas, for example, they organized a Christmas party especially for transgender people, to make the love and redemptive work of Jesus known to them in particular. Transgender people are looked down on in Pakistan.
It’s remarkable that this part of Pakistan is something of a ‘Bible Belt.’ Unfortunately, Christians here tend to focus mainly on their own community and are often wary of outsiders who have come to faith. This hesitation partly stems from a fear that such individuals may not be genuine converts, but rather looking to cause trouble.
Michael is the leader of the team. He knocked on GlobalRize’s door last July to become a translator and mentor. This man fell into a deep slump a few years ago and nearly lost his life. He was miraculously saved.
The West Punjabi team desperately needs your prayers! Please join us in praying for:
- Protecting the team from outside attacks
- Launching the online Bible course and Facebook page in West Punjabi
- Expanding the team
- Vision for churches in Punjabi to reach Muslims
- Open hearts to the Gospel among transgender people