The Next Generation

When children come to church, they are exposed to teaching, of course, but also to good habits. This little boy is fascinated by the book he sees other people reading and teaching from. He is young, but eager to learn, so his Sunday School teacher is willing to help him learn to read so he can, at some future time, read the Bible for himself. He's going to have a great start in life!

The photo above shows the youth Bible study class in Daska. Many of these young people have been forced to drop out of school at early ages, often to help support their families by working. In this class, they not only study the Bible for its message, but also use it as a tool to learn how to read or how to improve their reading skills so they will be able to read the Bible easily on their own.

Though Irfan and Mehboob are focused on planting a church in Daska, they still reach out on occasion to surrounding villages to share the Gospel and encourage people in their spiritual growth. Here Irfan taught about creation, using Genesis 1 as his text. Brother Adnan, pastor of the church at DhamoKay, is seated on the couch behind him.

Temperatures are cooling in the area of Daska where Mehboob and Irfan are meeting regularly with a faithful group of people. Because of the changing seasons, the rooftop prayer meetings have moved indoors where there is protection from the weather at least in some of the areas.

Because of space limitations, the indoor prayer meetings are held in several rooms. Here Mehboob leads in prayer and then teaches about topics related to the Christian life including, faith, prayer, discipleship, and following Jesus. Irfan leads a similar group in another room.

Prayer meetings, Bible studies, youth activities, and Sunday School are all happening in this beginning-to-be-formed church. Continue to pray that Mehboob and Irfan will find more suitable space in which to hold the meetings so the church can continue to grow. Pray, too, for the people who come as they face many problems in their world including frequent and long electricity outages, extreme inflation making it difficult to afford food for their families, and political unrest.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)