Prayer & Preaching at Village 181 - October 2021

 

Visit to VIllage #80 , Sardar Colony & Bakhtopura - September 18 & 20, 2021

Umair visited Village #80 on 9/18/21 (see photo and video below). On 9/20/21, Umair had a meeting at Sardar Colony with Pastors Barnabas and Peter John and he did a follow up visit to the ministry sewing center project in Bakhtopura.

Visit to Sewing Center in Bakhtopura (September 2, 2021)

The sewing center has been open since March 2021, with the goal being to help women learn skills to be able to support themsleves and their family in a Christian environment. The center is located in a rented house in the village of Bakhtopura, 12 km from Gojra. The center has 20 students, women ranging in age from 18 to into their 30s. The training takes six months and the students learn to sew everything from men's, women's and children's clothing. The major ongoing expenses for the center include a salary for the sewing center teacher, house rent, fabric and replacement sewing machines. Originally, the machines cost about $50 each, earlier this year, but now the cost has increased to closer to $75 each.

Umair's visit to Village 181 (September 2021)

The people in this village work in a brick factory and are construction laborers. Umair had a prayer and teaching meeting here on 9/3/21, sharing about the love of Jesus Christ for them. Umair shared Proverbs 10:12, "Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins" due to fighting and strife there.

And, on 9/14/21, Umair came back to Village #181 to minister again and distribute food:

Life in a Brick Factory for Christians in the Punjab....

 According to Brother Umair and his experience ministering in many villages with brick factories in the Punjab state of Pakistan, there is a great need for blankets (actually a double blanket) and extra food in the village of Mehnidiabad as the weather gets colder in this part of Pakistan.

Also, according to Umair, the workers at these brick factories are "total Christians" according to Umair. This is consistent with the 2nd class status of Christians in Pakistan where Christians have to take often the worst jobs like being street cleaners or in this case brick factory workers.then buy or rent a house in the village.

They can't leave the brick facotry under threat of arrest since they need to re-pay the loans and 

Christians take loans from brick facotry owners and then are forced into a virtual slave status, trying to work and live at these brick factories and pay back these loans. According to Umair, these brick facgtory Christians are paid 650 rupees a day (about $4 at current exchange rate) if they make 700 bricks. They use this money to buy food and other needs. 

And even if they pay back the loans they would need to buy a house or rent one in the village. Some do this and do free themselves from the deby and go to larger cities or stay in the village. 

A look at housing in a brick factory for the Christians working there.

A video of a service inside a typical 1 room brick factory house.

An older woman making bricks. And according to Umair, often aprents do get a loan and children and grandchildren are still paying on the loan.

According to women, the whole family has to work from young children to older men and women. These people typically can't read and write in Punjabi (the spoken language) but they can do some adding and subtracting with figures.

Umair teaches the people some verses from the Bible.

Baptism Service outside Gojra in Village 84 with ministry partner, Pastor Peter John (August 18, 2021)

Three people were baptized.

Food distribution & ministry at Goga village on Mongi Road (August 15, 2021)