World Compassion Terry Law Ministries: April 2007 Newsletter

Writing, editing and working with the designers on newsletters was one of my monthly duties at World Compassion Terry Law Ministries. This is a sample of one such newsletter.

Spring in Afghanistan holds a mysterious beauty for me. Across the Afghan landscape, the cold steel hardness of winter begins to slip away into a whole new moment of life. Even the jagged cliffs of the Hindu Kush seem to soften in the gentle spring rains. It’s a time when Afghans become alive again.

But, it can also be a time of burgeoning violence and unrest. This ancient land has seen its share of war and bloodshed, and tragically, this year is no different. In fact, both NATO forces and the Afghan government have long been gearing up for a brutal spring offensive from Taliban forces desperate to regain control over the heart of this nation.

The Taliban has already struck hard. In fact, you may have heard about the attempted assassination of Vice-President Cheney last month. Media reports stated that a suicide bomber attacked the main gate of a US military base in Kabul, where he was visiting, killing 23 people, including two Americans. It also reported a boasting Taliban calling the mission a success and a real propaganda blow to US forces and the fledgling Afghan government. It has vowed to inflict even more casualties in the coming months.

Standing in their way are freedom-loving nations around the world making tremendous sacrifices to bring peace to Afghanistan. We need to thank God for these troops who willingly sacrifice so much for the hope and peace of many. My travels occasionally put me in contact with these devoted men and women, so I’m well aware of the commitment they make. There can be no doubt that if foreign troops leave Afghanistan, the country will fall into bloody chaos and become a “forgotten war” to many in the West.

Not only are Taliban forces attempting to attack troops, they continue to spread terror among ordinary Afghans. In 2006, Taliban rebels killed at least 41 teachers and students, while security concerns forced 208 schools across Afghanistan to close. In the first week of 2007, insurgents torched a newly built school provided by the UN children’s fund for refugee children in eastern Afghanistan.

Such attacks on innocent Afghans are meant to impede the reconstruction process and perpetuate a mindset of mistrust among Afghans toward their government. Most Afghans (and much of the world for that matter) are unaware that since the Taliban was driven from power, almost 5 million children—a third of them girls—have gone back to school. Twelve thousand villages now have clean drinking water, and almost 4 million refugees have returned home.

Despite the success, strategists believe that more must be done toward the reconstruction and development of Afghan society. It could be the only way to shift an attitude of despair to hope. Merely fighting the Taliban through military force is not enough. There must be true change in the nation’s conscience for peace to thrive.

That’s why World Compassion is there.

Last month, my colleague and friend, Joel Vesanen made a trip to the region to meet our new Afghanistan directors, Ville and Johanna Mannisto. Ville is a gifted musician with strong leadership skills. He has a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Vaasa University in Finland. Johanna has a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Turku University—the oldest university in Finland.

Word of Life in Uppsala, Sweden has commissioned them together to “build the Church in Afghanistan.” Both take this directive to heart. They have a contagious excitement for the job ahead, setting their shoulders to it with all their energy, faith, and strength.

The Body of Christ in Afghanistan has been driven underground because of harsh religious persecution. Officially, the government does not recognize any Christians in Afghanistan. There are 48,000 mosques but not one single church building! In fact, the recent arrest and expulsion of the Afghan man, Abdul Rahman, who confessed publicly that he had converted to Christianity from Islam frightened many new believers, and church attendance has suffered because of it.

Evangelism in any form is strictly prohibited in Afghanistan, so we have had to do our work there differently than in other nations. Over the past five years we have built homes for widows and their children, and are now using them for training centers. These homes are built on a piece of land deeded to us by the elders of a village near Kabul called Qilay Badr Khan. Literacy, English and computer courses are now in full session in the village.

We’re seeing tremendous success with these courses. They’re even beginning to receive significant recognition in Kabul as each year more women and young people receive training. In 2006 we trained 63 students in a nine-month literacy program and 150 students in English and computer courses. Our total number of students for the year was 213 with ages ranging from 9 to 41.

Further away from the capital in a place called Bamiyan, God has given us the opportunity to participate in a project completely led by church planters. We currently teach literacy courses in 20 different villages among the Hazara people throughout the province. Seven of these courses are in forest villages that can only be reached by foot.

The 600 women and young people who benefit from our courses in Bamiyan are overjoyed with the opportunity they have to learn to read. To many, it’s almost like learning to see for the first time. They are now able to read street signs, shop signs, menus, newspapers, and other things we often take for granted. One graduate of the program now works as a health professional, giving injections to patients. Without the training, she never would have had this opportunity. What freedom women are gaining through these wonderful programs!

Most importantly, the church planters working in Bamiyan believe the Hazara people are very open to the Gospel and will soon respond to an invitation to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. They have already shown The Jesus Film and have shared the Gospel with many of those who attend our training sessions. We’ve even heard stories of baptisms happening high in the mountains.

In 2007, World Compassion is firmly committed to continue our support of church planters working in Qilay Bahr Khan and in Bamiyan Province. We believe their ongoing efforts are certain to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God in coming months and years.

Currently, we fund courses for 800 women and young people in three locations—Kabul, Qilay Badr Khan and Bamiyan. Our monthly budget for these courses is $8000 or $10 per student. This year we believe God has given us the opportunity to expand our programs to reach an additional 200 students living in the poorest districts of Kabul.

We know we have the potential to reach more than 1,000 women and young people, but we need your help to do it.

To accomplish our goal of reaching 200 additional women and young people, we are looking for sponsors. $10 per month will sponsor one Afghan woman or young person and give her the opportunity to learn to read and to use a computer. $100 per month will sponsor the education of 10 women or young people. What a tremendous impact this will have—World Compassion can train 200 Afghans for an entire year for $24,000.

For a mere $10 per month, we have the opportunity to make a radical difference in the lives of many Afghan women and young people. Not only are we opening eyes by teaching people to read, but we are also opening the eyes of their hearts to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This month and in months to come, will you consider partnering with us in this wonderful opportunity we have in Afghanistan? Will you please join us in bringing Afghans this new message of hope and salvation?

Thank you for your partnership.

Together, we are transforming Afghanistan and the world with the loving touch of Jesus Christ.