Afghanistan (MNN) — Afghanistan is a strictly Islamic country and it’s a hotbed for Islamic terrorism. By law, no other religions – including Christianity – are allowed to exist, according to persecution watchdog Open Doors USA.
Yet, “we got an email from a man [who] asked for 1,000 [Scripture] booklets that he could share,” says Helen Williams of World Missionary Press.
“I don’t know how he found us – whether or not he found a booklet, or whether he looked online – but he did.”
What happened?
World Missionary Press prints and sends Scripture booklets in 345 languages to Gospel workers around the world. Learn more about WMP here. However, Williams says they don’t have any distribution partners in Afghanistan, so this man’s request stood out.
(Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press via Facebook)
She shares a portion of the man’s email below:
“It’s about 5 years that I’m following Jesus and learning Christ¬ianity. I just download some topics from the internet and translate in my own language, then spread [it] between the followers who need God’s words… I’m very careful and hidden doing this holy job for Christ because I know He loves me as I love Him.”
“We were a little skeptical and we checked that (address) again… a couple of months later, we got another email” from the man who requested the booklets, Williams says.
“He wanted us to know that 1,000 booklets were being read and had been distributed in his community.”
Why does this matter?
Afghanistan’s intense oppression of Christians could classify this man’s actions as either insane – or incredibly bold. If officials discover Afghan citizens exploring any faith besides Islam – i.e. visiting website, phone calls, emails – the resulting punishment can be death.
“Afghan Christians (mostly those with a Muslim background) are in hiding as much as possible… Very often, there is only one possible outcome for exposed and caught Christians: they will be killed.”
Despite the risk, Afghans are turning to Christ. As described here by Prayercast, decades of extremist violence have caused many Muslims to question their faith. Though they have to gather in secret, there are thousands of believers and the Afghan Church is growing.
What now?
Praise God for enabling His Word to go forth in Afghanistan! Pray hearts and lives will change as people encounter His truth, and ask the Lord to continue opening doors of opportunity.
(Screengrab courtesy Prayercast.com)
“We were able to get a lot of material in… years ago when the US military moved into that area, but not anymore,” Williams says.
“[Getting] 1,000 booklets into a village or city in Afghanistan is another miracle, and we were just blessed.”
World Missionary Press sends each batch of Scripture booklets – whether large or small – completely free of charge to those who ask. WMP relies on generosity to keep this work going; every donated dollar results in 25 individual Scripture booklets. Learn more and find ways to give here.
Header image courtesy Ekaterina Didkovskaya via Flickr/CC.
