Afghanistan (MNN) — “When will the next earthquake strike?” That’s the question on everyone’s minds in western Afghanistan after the fourth 6.3-magnitude earthquake in just over a week.
The latest earthquake on Sunday left four people dead and over 150 injured. In addition to the previous three tremors, a total of over 2,000 people have been killed.
Mike* with Global Catalytic Ministries (GCM) says they are in touch with local ministry partners in Afghanistan. “I recently talked with one of our disciple-makers, and I was like, ‘What are you seeing in the ground? Are there any God stories that you can share?’
“The person was shaken and was like, ‘All I see is death and devastation.’ They sent me pictures of just rows of children dead because of the earthquakes.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Global Catalytic Ministries)
“So it’s heavy. This is a traumatizing situation. You have the Taliban, and you have earthquakes, you have famine, you have child trafficking, you have all these different things. It’s been a brutal season since the fall of Kabul and even before that, but it seems like it’s definitely ramped up.”
Afghan Christians in the region are being Jesus’s hands and feet, mourning with those who mourn.
Mike explains, “We make disciples in the darkest places and beyond, sharing the Gospel in a specific way and in a way that we can operate in these persecuted areas without being captured or identities revealed. We walk with people through their struggles.
“We really start with conversation, and once we go through a simple conversation into a serious and spiritual conversation, then their struggle is revealed. Their ‘God need’ is revealed. That’s really where we start.”
Pray for Gospel comfort in western Afghanistan’s quake-affected villages. Ask the Lord to use GCM to open Gospel doors in the midst of crisis and offer the eternal hope of Jesus Christ.
*First name only for security.
Header photo courtesy of Prayercast.
