February 2024 Persecution Magazine

While Pakistan received refugees previously, the number of
families that arrived following the collapse of Afghanistan was
unprecedented. Thousands of Afghans flooded into Pakistan, so
Sardar’s family was insignificant and their struggles commonplace.
As with all the Christian refugee families, these struggles would
undoubtedly have been worse had they been discovered as
Christians.
More than two years later, ICC has been caring for more 30
Christian families that fled Afghanistan for Pakistan. We’ve also
been sharing the gospel to those we call seekers, those who do
not know Christ but are open to hearing the gospel.
Through evangelism and discipleship initiatives, we saw a
remarkable transformation within the Afghan refugee community.
A local pastor shared his journey of connecting with these
individuals and families. His discussions about God’s generosity
and sacrificial love resonated deeply, leading to profound curiosity
about Christianity for these seekers. This year, we witnessed the
baptism of 22 Afghan Christians.
“In the beginning, when I met with the Afghan refugee families in
Pakistan, they were spiritually and mentally isolated from home. I
made them feel comfortable as my family members.
Later, during my visits, I started talking about the community
in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Slowly, I started talking about the
generosity of God and His sacrifice for all of humanity. These
families were surprised that even God sacrificed His son for us.
Then, with prayer and His grace, I started sharing the good news.
I taught them about the unconditional love of Lord Jesus. They
were all fascinated by this idea and His story. I preached to them,
and more than that, I prayed very hard for these people.
They felt it in their bones and started asking questions, even
texting me questions when I wasn’t visiting with them. I started
a Bible study with them, and they were all keen to hear. I taught
them the real meaning of baptism and their life after that. Then,
they all decided that they were ready to fulfill the richness of
baptism. Praise the Lord!”
ICC met with believers and seekers at their doorstep. Through
your generous support, we provided them help spiritually,
morally, physiologically, and physically.
“We aimed at providing them the Lord’s peace,” said our Pakistan
staff member. “We helped Afghan believers with support to live
in Pakistan and bear the expenses of their families as they lived
as refugees.”
“Through you, we managed to recognize Him and embrace Him
as our personal savior,” said one believer we recently baptized.
“Thank you for your vital support; it kept us alive for many months.
We are so grateful for the generous donors.”
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