"Now I can!"

It was an exciting day yesterday as we witnessed via Zoom the graduation ceremonies for the first Reach the Nations literacy class in Islamabad. Here is the graduating class of June 2022:

Twenty women began the class six months ago and 15 finished with all the required proficiency levels in reading and writing Urdu. They also have learned some basic math skills.

One of our team members in Islamabad, Rashid Masih, was present for the ceremonies and distributed the certificates. He also served as a translator for those of us who don't understand Urdu.

Many of the women had stated their reason for wanting to learn to read was so they could read the Bible for themselves. Several said something like this: "Before this class, I couldn't read the Bible. Now I can!" Each graduate was also given her own large-print Urdu Bible.

The women took turns standing in front of the group, reading a passage from the Bible or from one of the books in their class syllabus. It was amazing to watch them follow the words on the page and read them out loud.

And here is their teacher: Zarish (on the right). She is dedicated to the success of her students and has worked diligently to teach them. We are so grateful she is part of the RTN team:

The ceremony ended with a praise song and loud "Hallelujah's" from the women. Then they adjourned to a lovely luncheon provided by Prayer Tower Church where the class meets.