By Rick Sample
During the summer we conducted our annual backpack giveaway for around 1,000 Afghan refugee children in the San Francisco Bay Area. Volunteers came from several churches to stuff the backpacks with school supplies. Care was given to make sure that they were labeled for elementary or secondary students. Many of the backpacks were in vibrant colors. Overthe course of several days we held distribution events, sometimes at a church and sometimes in local parks. As always, our efforts are in partnership with our Afghan church. The giveaways events included fun games for the kids, craft activities, snack
s and even a haircutting ministry with a haircut mission team from a Korean church. We had some of our visiting international students from China serve as volunteers at one of the park giveaways!
One of the heartwarming things about our large Afghan ministry events is that some Afghan people help out by serving as volunteers. Each of the Afghan Christians in our Afghan church are former Muslims, themselves coming out of Islam to receive Jesus into their lives. This small congregation works tirelessly to reach out to its own Afghan community in many ways.
Whenever someone new is baptized, there is great rejoicing. At this point in time, several of the Afghan families are split with both Christians and Muslims. For the most part, the Muslim family members are supportive of their spouses or children or parents who have become Christians. Just like the Bible says, sometimes a wife or husband comes to faith in Christ through the life testimony of their spouse.
One such volunteer, Manaf, has volunteered several times over the last few years. We first met Manaf and his family when he was about nine years old. Now he is a college graduate in his mid twenties working as a public school teacher. He loves serving his Afghan community and many of his students at the school are Afghan themselves.
Even though Manaf is still Muslim, he is open to Christianity and he places great value on our friendship together and he is very supportive of the Afghan church and its ministries within the local Afghan community. So much so, that Manaf asked to be notified about any ministry events at which he could volunteer. Just in the last year he has served at our Afghan Christmas party, Afghan Easter picnic and the backpack giveaway.
Please pray for Manaf to experience the love of Christ as he serves alongside Afghan Christians. Please pray also for the spouses of some of the Afghan Christians to come to faith as well.