Dear
Friends:
Thank you for
joining us in praying for and supportingpersecuted Christians around the world.
Our contacts in Pakistan recently learned of an evangelist and his wife who were forced to flee their village. "Fawzi" and his wife, "Nadira," have been through tremendous struggles, yet their faith and commitment to Christ remain strong. We want to share their story with you.
Before they gave their lives to Jesus in 2006, Fawzi and Nadira were both Muslims living in a majority Muslim village. After they became Christians, Fawzi, a farmer, continued to work for a Muslim landlord. For years he and Nadira actively ministered to others, offering their home for prayer meetings and sharing the gospel. In the daytime Fawzi worked in the field, and in the evening he visited and prayed with local Christian families.
Fawzi often rode his bicycle to neighboring Muslim villages to share the gospel and pray with the few Christian families living there. Many people whom Fawzi prayed for were healed of illnesses.
In 2009, a Muslim man asked Fawzi to come and pray for his sick mother. When local Muslim leaders learned that Fawzi was visiting and praying for Muslims, they were infuriated. Fawzi expected the Muslims leaders to make his life difficult, but, in faith, he committed himself daily to sharing God's Word. The Muslim leaders and other fanatical Muslims began harassing Fawzi, blocking his way when he tried to attend prayer meetings. He was beaten seven times and once was forced to cut wood all night in the forest.
In September 2009, several Muslims showed up at Fawzi's house. Fawzi gave his Bible to his 7-year-old nephew and said, "Today they will kill me; please hold my Bible and keep it with you." At gunpoint, one of the Muslims told Fawzi, "Today I will shoot you if you don’t accept Prophet Muhammad as the true prophet." Fawzi replied, "I cannot do this. If you want to shoot me, do it. I will accept being killed, happily, but remember if this is not from Heaven, you cannot kill me."
Rather than shooting Fawzi, the Muslims filed a false robbery report against him. The police arrested him and held him for 13 days, and the Muslim leader paid the police to beat Fawzi until he returned to Islam. Every day, the police hit the bottom of his feet with sticks, dragged him across the room by his beard and lashed his back and buttocks with a leather strap. He was told the beatings would stop if he would accept Islam, but Fawzi remained firm in his faith.
When the police realized that their efforts were futile, they registered the false robbery report and sent Fawzi to the district jail in another city in October 2009. Fawzi's wife, Nadira, borrowed money from relatives to hire a lawyer, and Fawzi was released on bail in January 2010.
Nadira was joyful to have her husband home, but her joy was short-lived. That evening the village leader came and forced them out of their home, telling Fawzi, "Today if you don't leave this village I will shoot you and your wife. Get out of here."
The couple fled with only the clothes on their backs and $2 in their pocket, leaving behind their home and all their possessions. They spent the night at a friend's home in a nearby village, but the friend asked them to leave the next day because he feared the village leader.
Fawzi and Nadira knew that God would provide their needs, but they didn't know how or where. They walked several miles to another village, and as they sat to rest on a footpath they saw a man with a donkey cart approaching. The man stopped and asked them, "Who are you? Do you need help?" Tearfully, Fawzi thanked the Lord and shared his testimony. The man, "Saleem Masih," was a Christian. He took them into his home and offered to let them stay in a small, sparsely furnished house nearby until they could get their own place.
Saleem Masih and his family prayed faithfully with Fawzi and Nadira and also provided food for them when they had nothing to eat. The couple regularly attends a local church, and Fawzi still has a strong desire to grow in and share God's Word.
The last two years have been a test of faith for this precious couple. Nadira has emotional scars, and Fawzi has difficulty finding steady work because of illness and chronic pain from the beatings. He struggles to keep food on the table and purchase medication for his physical problems. In addition, he attends court hearings every month on his robbery charge, but the case has not been settled.
Christians often face hostility in Pakistan. Muslim extremists consider Christians "kafirs" (infidels) and "churas" (sweepers), treating them as third-class citizens. Muslim hairdressers will not cut the hair of a Christian, and local eateries keep separate utensils for Christians. In schools, Christian students have to wait until Muslim students finishing drinking water before they can drink. Local Christians are fearful and do not dare plan an activity without permission from the Muslims.
Please remember Fawzi and Nadira in your prayers, and thank God for providing for them through his servant Saleem Masih. VOM is also providing assistance to the couple, including physical therapy and medication for Fawzi. In addition, VOM purchased a rickshaw for the couple so they will have a source of income and Fawzi can continue his ministry. Both are receiving trauma counseling to help restore their spiritual and emotional health and further strengthen their relationship with the Lord.
Thank you for your faithful service to the persecuted church. We are only able so assist believers like Fawzi and Nadira because of faithful partners like you. May God pour out His abundant blessings on all your efforts to glorify Him in your life and work.
VOM Staff
A Voice of the Martyrs Volunteer
