In light of recent Christian persecution in Pakistan, it is important to recognize and honor those doing the work of Jesus Christ in a mostly Muslim country. Only about 1% of the population openly identifies as Christians. On August 16, 2023, several hundred people were brutally attacked on a Christian settlement in Pakistan in the Punjab district, hitting too close to home for Rimsha Kamran, Sawera Shahbaz, and Faisal Masih.
Together, these three believers in Jesus are running orphanages in Punjab, Pakistan, under the name of “Life Saving Ministries.” They have come together to serve children through Christ, and have combined their efforts to enhance their opportunities and power in the community. They form a trinity, three acting as one, to help needy children in the area with food, school supplies, clothing, and of course, Christian education and hope. With collectively over 150 children, they focus on Bible studies and teaching the basic principles of Jesus’s life. They emphasize how to live like Jesus Christ even through suffering.
Unfortunately, this isn’t easy. Though Punjab has a generally low poverty rate, Christians are regularly targeted and persecuted due to their beliefs and due to strict “blasphemy” laws in the country. On top of that, there have been recent issues with clean water, which can lead to disease and sickness. Further, it is difficult for them to find much support for their orphanages, due to a general lack of Christian resources in the country, but their faith in God has proven that anything is possible with Him.
When asked how they get through the tough days, Sawera said “There is nothing higher than God. Have faith that Jesus has overcome anything and that nothing can separate us from God’s love.”
So, despite the lack of clean water, the intensifying persecution, and the day-to-day struggles of life in a predominantly Muslim country, their message is clear: nothing can separate them from God’s love. The world should not forget about Sawera, Faisal, Rimsha, and the work they and other Christians in Pakistan are doing for God’s children, despite incredible hardship. Let us continue to pray for them, and as Faisal explains, “Never forget Jesus’s sufficient sacrifice for our sins.”
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