An update from our Local director;

In February, a brother from Dallas, Texas, contacted us wanting to give a special offering from the bounty the Lord had given him in 2021. Fortunately, what he had to give was a near match to a project we had just decided to help with, so we all agreed to give his funding to that cause. What a blessing!
 
I had just returned from Pakistan to see the work of Pastor Shaukat Siddique and was incredibly impressed by his zeal for the Lord. In thirty-seven years in missions, I have met some giants of the faith, to be sure, but seldom have I met a preacher who had accomplished so much. And then, upon realizing that he was doing it all as a part-time minister, we asked him to quit his secular job and oversee his exploding ministry work full-time. In doing so, we not only replaced his salary but also gave him a raise. As a result, he receives about $300 monthly from the Great Commission Fund.
 
Since February, he has started at least one new church each month and conducted multiple youth conferences and two youth camps – with “youth” defined as older teens and young adults. You have given for both, and it has produced nearly 500 young adults following Christ (in a Muslim country) and over 150 dedicating their lives voluntarily in service to our Lord. (I gave you a brief update on that last Friday.)
 
We have also built seven wells for seven village churches powered by solar pumps and provided free water to every home in these villages by running PVC to each house. We also gave them community bathrooms, a baptistry, and several cisterns to hold thousands of gallons of water for bathing, drinking, and irrigation. Their lives have been changed by having running water for the first time in their history.
 
Your giving did all this. Thank you.
 
One reason Shaukat has such success is that he has duplicated Paul’s methods by producing scores of “Timothys” to help him in ministry. These young men and women were recently saved from Islam or Hinduism and now following Christ. He starts by training them “as newborn babies.” During that training, they get hands-on experience in evangelism, preaching, teaching, and church planting. And while I have given updates and pictures to the gentleman who financed this project, I have said little to the rest of you.
 
The cause this Texas brother gave to was to construct a Bible Institute and church facility in Lahore. But …
 
“Houston, we have a problem.”
Shaukat has informed me that the funds estimated for the construction are not enough to complete it due to rising costs, which are common now globally. (Keep in mind that what they call a lot, we call pocket change.) And while this new, three-story building is nearly complete, it lacks a few minor elements that maybe you can help with. For example:
 
13 windows and 5 doors: 
 

• One door costs $150 with fitting and locks, so they need $750 for five doors. These are not typical, hollow house doors. Instead, they are solid and secure to protect the students and supplies.
• They need 13 windows of different sizes, some big and some small. They have estimated all windows to cost $2,000 with glass and silicone fittings.

 
Flooring:

• They need 2,500 square feet of marble for the remaining unfinished floors. Marble is quarried in India and Pakistan, and though highly expensive for us, there it is cheaper than tile, which must be imported. The first floor is finished, but for the second and third floors and classrooms to be completed, they need $1,900. (That’s just 76ٖ¢ per square foot – don’t get jealous!) The third floor will be open, so there will be only half walls and a roof. This is a typical building style worldwide and allows you to add more floors later if needed. (You may recall that Elijah lived in a prophet’s chamber on the roof of a family home.)

 
Electrical: 

• They also need funds for electrical installation for the second floor and third. So, for wires and electrical supplies, they estimate $750. 

 
Final Touches:

• As you know, here are always little and unexpected things that must be provided for, such as hundreds of plastic chairs and fans for each room. And so, since prices continue to rise, we ask for $12,000, which should cover those needs and provide a small buffer.

 
To acquire the property and build a three-story brick and cement building including bathrooms, classrooms for the institute, a church auditorium, offices, and a prophet’s chamber, they originally asked for about $45,000. (Yes, you read it correctly, not $4,500,000 or even $450,000.) This Texan brother gave all they expected to need. But as you know, inflation is worldwide. And whereas our building costs have risen by 10-30% worldwide, theirs have risen by 100-400%.
 
As a ministry wanting to reach the people of Pakistan, we need to finish this project which will help produce preachers for the next generation and beyond. A few years ago, we gave them desks, tables, computers, curriculum, a PowerPack, and tech equipment, and they have made good use of it all. Several times I have even taught classes for them in person and using Skype and Zoom. Every month Pastor Shaukat is starting at least one new church in Pakistan. He does this with the help of his students, who then “pastor” these churches, teaching the new converts what they learned the previous week in their institute classes. Several of them have already started “branch institutes” to expedite the training of those who want to serve in ministry but live twelve hours away from the main institute.
 
Never have I seen a group so eager to learn -- and to serve; and so effective in doing so. To put it bluntly, we have hit a spiritual gold mine in Pakistan. The country is ripe for harvest, and thankfully, the laborers are not few. They are legion. Thus, we need to train these laborers and send them out – as many as the Great Commission Fund can afford. I feel it is a blessing and honor to be a part of their success. I know many of you will also. So, please pray and help me quickly raise the additional and unexpected $12,000 needed to complete this project. You can donate below on this page, or mail a check and designate it to "Pakistan Bible Institute".
 
In closing.
 
I plan to revisit Pakistan in January/February and will provide you with a thorough report. Let me know if you want to come along.
 
Also, remember that we already produced two videos chronicling our visit there. One was me giving a report but the other was a beautiful production that takes you where we went. Follow the links to watch them (Jon Nelms' Debrief and Highlights from Pakistan). You can also see some of the construction update photos and video over on our website updates page.

An update from our Local director on the construction progress;

​To all of you who prayed and gave for the camping ministry in Pakistan, you should know that your prayers were answered. (Just so you know, we raised the amount needed, plus an extra $21 which was sent on over with the needed funds).
 
I'm back in America now, but during my last days in Honduras, I received continual reports from Pastor Shaukat telling all about the experience. Each day I received 60-100 photos and videos. Yesterday he wrote saying:
 
By the grace of God, our youth camp is completed, and my vision is completed through this camp. Two hundred campers were able to join us in this camp, and it was a very blessed time to share the gospel. We divided all the campers into four groups, and every group was led by 12 councilors. During these four days, all the campers and youngsters were given our individual attention. We preached about the lives of four characters, John, Joseph, Jacob, and Samson. The insight into these four characters was very effective for the youth. As a result, eighty youngsters accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, and seventy-five decided to dedicate their lives to spreading the gospel of Christ in the future. I have sent photos and videos.
 
Young people (actually young adults) came from the nearly two dozen churches Shaukat and his team have started and brought with them a desire to study God's Word, breathe the fresh mountain air, and influence the unsaved friends they brought with them. And they could do all this because of your generous giving.
 
The camp was delayed because of heavy rains and mudslides, but when the skies cleared, they jumped in the rented busses and escaped the city's crowds, noise, and pollution to roam the wonders of God's creation. Each day they enjoyed great food, games, and study time, and there was time for preaching throughout the day.
 
At the end of the fourth day, after they gathered for a group photo, most young adults headed for home with Christ in their hearts and a desire to learn more about Him and teach others cemented into their minds. Shaukat, however, did not go home. Instead, he gathered some of these followers of Christ and headed out to the deserts to evangelize more unreached villages. Before arriving home, the new disciples learned how to witness and plant a new church. Now they will enroll in his multiple Bible institutes and be trained as church leaders, church planters, and pastors. And yes, there were female converts, too, but this is a male-dominated society, and the tribal women are a bit shy to be photographed. So here you see the men and boys that accepted Christ.
 
So, I ask you, was your spiritual and financial investment in winning and training Pakistani young adults in a four-day camp profitable? You bet it was! Thank you for making this possible, and be watching next week when I will pass on to you a need we have for this group in Pakistan.

Some photos and video of the construction progress.

Some photos of the current construction progress of the Bible College in Pakistan.