Pakistan Emerging Leaders Summit 2009

PELS Summit 2009: Building a community of courageous emerging servant leaders

The Summit was held from 30^th Nov to 4^th Dec 2009. PELS was the first event of its kind in Pakistan as it was aimed to initiate a movement and sow a seed for a better Christian leadership in future for Pakistan.

Praise the Lord, The Lord blessed this summit openheartedly and touched the lives of each and everyone present.

After making invitation pack we shared about PELS with more than 300 organizations through email and around 25 through surface mail. We received about 90 applications in which 62 applications were selected for PELS-09, 21 were young women leaders. On day five when it was finally time to go back, participants wanted to stay on.

The other positive out of the summit was that the group from Quetta, Baluchistan was very active and they want to replicate the summit for young leaders from Baluchistan.

a thousand young people

Vinod wrotes on Facebook

The National Ecumenical Youth Assembly of NCC India is happening from the 6th to 10th January 2010. in Kolkota India. SAEPP is facilitating the participation of 25 youngsters each from Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Bangladesh and 10 from Srilanka. Please pray for this event where a thousand young people are expected

word of God in tense situation

Kingdom of God: Word of God in tense situation

We live in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan, which borders with Afghanistan, and this area is victim of terrorism and war against terrorism. The war like situation, suicidal bomb blasts, drone attacks and violence happens as a routine. And in the city of Peshawar, due to the suicidal bomb attacks, hundreds of people have lost their lives and belongings. When we go out from our houses, when our children are sent to their schools, we just put ourselves under the protection of Lord Jesus. Previously our area was hit by a horrible earthquake and many people lost their lives.

We were studying this passage a few days ago, from the Gospel of Luke:
“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them----do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish’.” (Luke 13:1-5)

This passage from the Bible provokes thinking to evaluate our lives. Are the people around us who are dying through terrorism and earthquake are more sinners than us? And have we repented properly from our sins yet? Jesus said, “I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” is a warning for us that if we are still living a sinful life and haven’t repent so far, then this teaching is a wake up call for us.

The real meaning of repent is to take a U-Turn and to give up our sinful life, and to take a fresh start to live with Lord Jesus. The meaning of Repent is also in this way ‘to think in a different way, to feel sorry on our sin, and to change our sinful behaviour and lifestyle.’
God’s great sacrifice and grace is before us, ‘that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’. When we repent and accept Jesus Christ, then we become God’s sons and daughters, and He takes care and protects us in all kinds of situations and crisis. As Psalmist says, “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust’...He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart...A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you...If you make Most High your dwelling--even the Lord, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near to your tent.”(Psalm 91:2-9) This is a great console and encouraging words for all of us.

Although the situation around us is very tense, but by having faith in God we may have great encouragement, console and hope. According to His promise, our Lord Jesus is with us all the time and we shouldn’t be afraid and worried in any situation, just trust in Him.

Youth Desk
Diocese of Peshawar-Church of Pakistan.

a useable instrument

Chuli writes

Here is a prayer from South Africa that God is using to challenge me at present. It is taken from John Carden's book Procession of Prayers:

You asked for my hands, that you might use them for your purpose.
I gave them for a moment, then withdrew them for the work was hard.
You asked for my mouth to speak out against injustice. I gave you a whisper that I might not be accused.
You asked for my eyes to see the pain of poverty, I closed them for I did not want to see.
You asked for my life that you might work through me. I gave a small part that I might not get 'too involved'.
Lord, forgive me for my calculated efforts to serve you
only when it is convenient for me to do so,
only in those places where it is safe to do so, and
only with those who make it easy to do so.
Father, forgive me
Renew me
Send me out as a useable instrument that I might take seriously the meaning of your cross. Amen.

BOMB BLASTS

AAMIR: Pray for Pakistan as there is a row of bomb blasts taking place at major cities of Pakstan on a daily basis. Peshawar is the most affected, we had one blast in Peshawar and two in Lahore yesterday. Today at least 12 people were killed and several others injured in the twin blasts in Qasim Bela area of Multan Cantt near a building of a sensitive agency

December 8 at 9:05am · Facebook

The Will of God

This was sent in by Vinod from S India

THE WILL OF GOD……

The will of God will never take you,
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.

Everything happens for a purpose.

We may not see the wisdom of it all now,

but trust and believe in the Lord

that everything is for the best.

~Author unknown~

No more discomfort

Lalita writes (via Facebook):

No more pain, no more discomfort my husband of 44 years 7 months is safe in the arms of the Lord he loved. we as a family have great peace, but i do need a comforting hug. Love you all dearly. Thanks for standing by us and praying. My God WILL richly bless you

.

Please pray for Lalita that the God of comfort would comfort her with the same comfort as she has comforted so many others 2 Cor 1:3-7

Please contine to pray for CMS co mission partner Dr Lalita Edward's huband. He is still in hospital. Please aslo pray for the family and friends.