A Single Bible Lights a Spark for Hundreds of People
The single Bible given to Usman lit a spark that has kindled faith in hundreds of people.
Usman was a teenager when he received the Bible from a stranger in a Pakistani street. Usman, a Muslim, was brokenhearted following the death of a father and two brothers in a suicide bomb attack. “This book is a gift from my Father, to you,” the stranger told him. The simple words, spoken b FMI-supported Pastor Adam, captivated Usman, who longed for the connection with a father.
As Usman read about the love of the heavenly Father that would call him, “My child,” (1 John 3:1), the words warmed his heart. Usman left Islam and began following Jesus Christ. Returning home, Usman excitedly shared the news with his mother. “I have found a father!” he exclaimed. Agitated, his mother replied, “I don’t need a husband anymore.” Usman recited the same verse, explaining Christ’s love for her too. Peace overwhelmed her and she started reading the Bible with Usman and his five sisters regularly. When relatives discovered the family’s new faith, they set their house on fire. With the help of FMI partners, Usman and his family fled for safety and relocated to Afghanistan where other members of his tribe lived.
Pastor Adam heard nothing from Usman for the next 15 years. Then, just a few weeks ago, Usman returned to Pakistan and joyfully reconnected with Pastor Adam and other FMI partners there. Usman reported how, using the Bible that Pastor Adam gave him, the Lord granted him the privilege to lead the entire tribe of 70 families in Afghanistan – more than 500 people total – to faith in Jesus Christ. After training another young man to take care of this flock, Usman is now ready to move to another tribe to be the Lord’s witness among them. The 2022 World Watch List designated Afghanistan as the worst nation in the world for Christian persecution. Despite the challenges and the underground nature of the Church under the brutal Taliban regime there, the Lord is at work in mighty ways.
Thanks to generosity of supporters, FMI’s recent Twice As Far campaign raised more than $130,000 to provide 16,250 Bibles to partners like Pastor Adam in the months ahead. As Usman’s testimony shows, how blessed we are to know the seed of God’s Word does not produce an empty harvest! There is a faithful remnant in Afghanistan, blazing like a star in the dark for Christ’s glory. Contributions make these spiritual harvests possible amid the chaos of life.
