“Aisha” with her little gift from God

Dear Friends,

I wish we didn’t have to veil the radiance of this beautiful Pakistani mother’s expression in the photo above as she lies next to her first-born child, but as the daughter of a family converted from Islam, her life has been filled with adversity and danger, requiring that we conceal her identity.

“Aisha’s” parents converted from Islam to Christ through the ministry of some missionaries in the war-torn area of northern Pakistan. Their faith proved to be the only legacy they were able to leave to Aisha, however, when a missile strike took both their lives and that of her brother, rendering her an orphan. A caring missionary brought Aisha to a safer city in southern Pakistan, where she eventually found a Christian husband named “Moheeb,” and they started a new life together.

It is customary in Pakistan for the bride’s family to pay for all wedding expenses, as well as for everything that new couples need to begin their lives together. (This burden prevents many Pakistani women from ever marrying.) Aisha’s lack of a family to provide such a dowry soon created serious tensions for the young couple as they struggled to live under Moheeb’s parents’ roof. Adding to those troubles, Moheeb experienced much discrimination as a Christian trying to find employment in a Muslim society, and he could provide very little income. These combined tensions eventually led to them being cast out by Moheeb’s parents without “so much as a blanket” for protection against the winter cold.

Aisha and her husband found shelter by sharing cramped quarters with another struggling family member and his wife, but they all suffered from malnourishment while trying to survive on their host’s meager earnings. Then came the surprising news that there would be yet another mouth to feed: Aisha became pregnant.

When a Heaven’s Family ministry partner in Pakistan learned of Aisha’s weakened condition and the threat upon the baby’s life from malnutrition and lack of medical supervision, he made a plea for our assistance. Using gifts to the Persecuted Christians Fund, we joyfully helped with food, prenatal care, and the delivery of Aisha’s baby, and also with rent for a small home for a few months until the young family could get on their feet. Things are looking much more promising now.

Aisha may be an orphan, but she now knows she has a loving spiritual family from the other side of the world. Thank you for being part of this family!

Carole J. Collins
Director, Persecuted Christians Fund