The last couple of years have been incredibly hard for the people of Afghanistan, particularly for the women and children. We have reported multiple times on the desperate situation of widows who are not allowed to work and can only feed their children by begging, which exposes them to danger and abuse.
We have reported on the tragic fate of child brides, sometimes as young as pre-school age, sold to older men because the mother no longer has any way to keep her children alive. And by the grace of God and with your help we were able to reunite one such little girl with her mother after years of hardship. She continues to recover, as we help the family become economically stable.
We have reported on the boys from poor families, who are vulnerable to exploitation by the Taliban, and often take them to be trained as child soldiers and suicide bombers. We have reported on the challenges to get education. Girls and women have no prospects at all, but also for boys education is poor and consists mostly of Islamic religious instruction.
But we have also been amazed by the work God is doing in Afghanistan through faithful believers, with whom we have the privilege of working together. Whereas in the past we were only able to assist with emergency aid after natural disasters, in recent years we have been able to support care for orphans, give life saving support to widows and start multiple schools, often in the houses of believers, where boys and girls can get an education. We were able to help start small businesses, and train local women in various home-based marketable skills, so they can generate income for their families. But most importantly, we have seen a real openness to the gospel and the church in Afghanistan is growing. Much like in China in the 70s, house churches are forming, despite severe repression.
You will not see many pictures in the news of Afghani children smiling, but this winter we have received many pictures Afghani boys and girls not only smiling, but laughing. They were excited because believers gave them new, cozy winter coats, so they don’t have to worry so much about facing the brutal winter cold. Also, for maybe the first time in their lives they received Christmas gifts—pens, colorful stationary, notebooks and schoolbooks, which open up a new world for them of learning and self-expression.
You can’t help but smile yourself, seeing the pictures of these delighted children, bouncing with excitement on the floors of makeshift classrooms, with their arms full of precious gifts. If only it would be safe to share these pictures with you! Yes, they live in one of the most hopeless nations of the world, are trapped in a system with no regard for their safety or dignity, and face a very uncertain future. But through the gifts they have received from believers, which you helped support, they have seen that they are valuable and loved by God. May his love continue to surround them like a warm winter coat and protect them from the cold.
