Skiing in Kashmir

Stefan and Jonny have just returned from Kashmir where they have been teachng skiing. This is what they wrote before they left:

Stefan and myself have both been strongly involved with a non-profit organisation called SFC We are aiming to go and teach skiing, to relate to the people we meet and let God work through that.

We are going on January 25^th, to the 10^th of March. We will spend all of February in Gulmarg, near Srinigar, Kashmir. We are going to teach skiing to the students of Tyndale Biscoe & Mallison School, a Christian School founded by CMS in 1880 that has 100% Muslim students. A portion of the students will be from the girls branch of T-B&M School which got burnt down on September 13^th by a mob in response to the threat of Quran burning of a pastor of a small congregation in Florida.

In the last 10 days of our trip we will be spending time in Pune with a CMS called Dr Lalita Edwards. Dr Edwards runs a project that reaches out to victims of human trafficking, sex workers and trans-sexuals of the red light district. We will be making a short documentary film about what she does for the most marginalised people of India.

Jonny and Stefan

Pray for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir

Mardan, Pakistan :

September 14, 2010. (PCP) Islamic militants planted a bomb near wall of Lutheran Church in high security zone of Mardan and detonated it on September 12, 2010, when Muslims were celebrated 2nd Eid Day in Pakistan.The JUI activists were also protesting on same day in city of Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pukhtunkhawa against burning of Quran in USA on September 11, 2010.The building of Lutheran Church was totally destroyed by the bomb blast and injured two security officials on duty at Church.There were no religious services in Church at time of blast when it was Sunday, a day of prayer in Church which saved more causalities but bomb blasted at night.The injured were rushed to hospital and administration ordered to arrests culprits while not any militant group have accepted responsibility.Meanwhile, in a wake of protest against announcement of one Pastor’s burning Holy Quran Muslim protested torched a Christian School in Srinagar, in Indian Kashmir.

Read more Pakistan Christian Post

Afghanistan

Pray for the Afghan elections on Saturday for safety for those voting. Already there have been deaths

Read More BBC World and see more BBC Pics

Indian Kashmir

Continue to pray for Kashmir, following the rioting and the destruction of the Tangmarg School

Read more CMS UK website

Protest fire in Kashmir - reaction to 'Qu'ran burning'

Bishop Pradeep Samantaroy of Amritsar writes:

following the Quaran burning threats in America, the Tangmarg branch of the Tyndale Biscoe and Mallinson Educational Society in Jammu and Kashmir has been put on fire. Curfew has been imposed. Even as this message is being typed, the school building is still burning! Kindly pray that peace will be restored soon and that nobody is hurt.

Tyndale Biscoe school, Srinagar

Read more from the local press in Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Observer

PS It is worth noting that this is a reaction to the 'Qu'ran Burnings' that did not happen. Fighting fire with fire

LATEST UPDATE:

Smaraki Samantaroy The School students are not hurt. The building has totally burnt down. It was entirely made of wood. Though the officials were informed of a possible attack and requested for safety there was no action taken. The mob even stopped the fire brigade from reaching the spot.We are yet to procure a photograph. We will keep you updated.