We were privileged to have Adib Ahmad from the Afghan Church GTA join us as our speaker yesterday. If you missed his message, I encourage you to see the recording here.
Adib shared his testimony with us as a refugee who had to flee his home, Afghanistan, because of persecution as a Christian. In a nutshell, Adib became Christian through the work of missionaries in Afghanistan and began attending an underground church. Government authorities caught wind of this church and began seeking out its members to bring them in. For this reason, Adib had to leave Afghanistan and go to New Delhi, India. While in India and still practicing his faith, he was once again confronted by the authorities who accused him of converting Muslim people to Christian faith. He was imprisoned in India for six months. After 14 years in India, a door finally opened for him to come to Canada, and he arrived here in Toronto just under a year ago.
During his message, Adib shared ways with us that we could support Afghan Church GTA. One key way is through prayer. Below are three prayer items, and if you have a moment please lift these people up in prayer.
The first group to pray for are friends of the Afghan Church GTA who are still in Afghanistan, but need to flee the country and get to places that are safer for them. As you may know, with the Taliban still in power, the situation in Afghanistan is dire, especially for Christians as they look to keep gathering and worshipping together. Pray for safe passage for these brothers and sisters in Christ as they look for ways to get to countries where they can be safe and register as refugees.
Second are Christian refugees who are already in countries outside of Afghanistan, but are looking for homes to permanently settle in. When many of these Christians flee to other countries, they are given refugee status in that country, meaning that they are not expected to stay permanently. Refugee status is generally a low status while they live there, with no chance for a good future for family and children. Pray that these refugees would be able to find a safe and welcoming home and transition to countries that will offer them permanent residence. Also, thank God that Canada is a country that is welcoming to such refugees.
Third, pray for Afghan Church GTA as they reach out to Afghan and Iranian people here in the GTA and abroad. They are the only Afghan Church in Toronto, and possibly Ontario or even Canada. Adib shared that through their livestreams, they are able to have Afghan people join them for Sunday worship from all around the globe including Greece, Turkey and Iran. Pray for God’s presence and voice to be with them Sunday after Sunday as he leads them.
Yesterday, I also announced the dinner that Lifespring will be hosting for refugees from Africa who are now temporarily living at a church in Etobicoke. We will be hosting a Christmas dinner for these refugees on the evening of December 9 at WPC. Please pitch in if you are able to help by providing some food for the event, or even attending on the evening of December 9 to help with hosting the group. As we put our ear to the Lord, we look forward to the ways that God is bringing us to be a life spring to others.