What is happening in Iraqi Kurdistan today?

I had the chance to spend 9 days in Northern Iraq—Kurdistan—this April. I took my wife back to the Kurdish town where we raised our family in the 1990s. Back then there were no known Kurdish believers, no churches among the Kurds, and no Bible. But that was then. Now there is a Wikipedia site called “Kurdish Christians” and hundreds of believers are reading the Bible in their own language. We got to meet with some of the believers of the emerging Kurdish church. One of them was jailed 8 times in the 1990s; but today the Kurdish Government is protecting the safety of the church leaders and the church property, a remarkable favor.

One day we met with three young American men who are living there for a year. They have been teaching English, even though they are barely older than the students they teach. A couple of students invited the Americans to their homes in another city. It was the first time ever that Americans had spent the night in that city. There are lots of “first time ever” events happening in Northern Iraq. One worker called Kurdistan “the other Iraq” because it is a special place where Americans are welcomed.

But a lot of Kurds want to escape to America. They are disappointed that nothing really changed after Saddam was overthrown; the new leaders seem just as corrupt, and the poor people have no one to protect them. Secret police round up the critics and jail them. It’s too simplistic to say that the answer for Kurdistan is “Jesus”. The human heart is a jungle, and who can understand it? Like Greg Livingstone says, you have to drink 200 cups of tea over a number of months before two people meet and connect at a heart level, at a trust level. That kind of connection is what I saw happening in northern Iraq, and it was pretty exciting.

Bob Blincoe

An Eyewitness Update

Pakistan has come through its controversial elections, and now the questions remain about the stability of its political and spiritual future. Now hear from an eyewitness to the events and how we can continue to pray for more eyes to focus on Pakistan in the months to come.

The recent elections in Pakistan went GREAT. The incredible tension leading up to the elections pacified into a relative peace as the results came in basically as expected without room for accusations of rigging or foul play.

Election Day was tense and quiet. Later on in the evening as things seemed to be turning out well, our team decided to venture out from where we had been shut-in. Two English-speaking guys came up to us and struck up a conversation with their unhampered Pakistani kindness, hospitality and excitement and they offered to give us a ride. You could feel the tension as the route happened to take us through a hostile party’s area. They hushed us and whispered about the safest direction to go and proceeded slowly and cautiously, breathing a sigh of relief once we passed through.

But the tension of that day subsided into a scattered assortment of parades, celebrations and lots of noise and commotion as Benazir Bhutto’s party had won as expected…and then the whole country breathed a sigh of relief at having passed through.

And yet it still gives perspective and thankfulness for our imperfect, but peaceful political systems as this better-than-expected result meant that “only” 19 people die on election day and “only” four bombs gone off throughout the day.

The remaining question is now, “What happens with Musharraf?” Will the PPP / PML-N alliance try to remove him? If they do will they succeed? What will that mean for the future of Pakistan?

And THE ultimate question is, “What about Pakistan’s spiritual future?” As one of the most unengaged countries on earth (if not THE most), the real issue facing Pakistan is that there are so incredibly few workers for the massive number of Muslims living there. Are we going to wait until Pakistan is “safe” and “stable” before we go and tell them that Jesus died so they could have eternal life? If we do, it will never happen.

The Price of Independence for Kosovo

(Photo by REUTERS/Oleg Popov)

The road to independence started 17 years ago for the small Balkan nation of Kosovo, and on February 17th, it became a reality… but not without much protest and conflict. In the past month, we have seen much resistance from the Serbian peoples of Kosovo who believe that “Kosovo is Serbia.” With the backing of the UN, Kosovo is now recognized as an independent nation from Serbia, which brings more conflict and uncertainty to the once united Yogoslavian peoples.

Frontiers has friends living in and among these regions who share some insight into the spiritual climate of this conflict and how God might be using this for His purposes. A team leader in this region writes, “The enemy is trying to use this ‘transition’ time to stir up chaos, strife, violence, and even death. God intends to use it to draw men unto Himself. But what is the role of Jesus followers in these days? Where is the Church of Kosovo? What stand will they take or are they to take? Would you say that Kosovo is a land that is in need of healing? Would you say that they are in need of a Savior? Who will pray for them and who will show them Jesus?"

Please join us in praying for this newly formed nation and for the Serbian peoples who are torn by this conflict. We ask that the will of God may be known to all who suffer and find confusion in this transition, rather than peace.

We are also looking for those who will answer these questions and this call, “Who will pray for them and who will show them the love of Jesus?” Is this you? Contact us today by filling out The Journey, as we reach out to the people of Kosovo in this time of need.

Pakistan Elections

Please join us in continued prayer for the people and country of Pakistan. The recent elections brought the Opposition Party (Pakistan People's Party - the party of recently assassinated leader, Benazir Bhutto) a victory and much feared hostility to the current leader, President Musharraf. Talks of a coalition with the PML-N party (Pakistan Muslim League, party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif) are in the works, which would give shared representation in the parliament.

We ask you to pray for a peaceful resolution to these elections, as God's sovereignty prevails. In a country seeking hope and light at this end of this dark tunnel, we pray for the true Light of the World to be the answer in their future.

For more news information on the election results and the future of Pakistan, check out these articles:

BBC News

CNN News

Associated Press photo by David Guttenfelder.

Continued Prayer for Pakistan

After a very intense time in Pakistan since the New Year, things have calmed down and are getting back to "normal". However, the evidences of rioting are still quite visible. Four buses were burned on the main road near our house with several more in other areas. There was also audible gunfire and the smell of smoke each night during those days. We, however, were tucked away in our new house with ample time to pray for Pakistan, Karachi, and our friends who were facing much worse conditions. In our dear area of town, hundreds of cars were burned, our friends were trapped in their houses for three days without food or water, gas stations were burned and razed, and 6 banks in the area around our office were looted and burned to the ground.

We sense a distinct heaviness in our friends' attitudes as they watch their nation go through what seems like a deepening crisis. All of our local friends are not entirely sure what will happen next, but there is no question that Karachi's frustration could easily erupt again sometime soon. We went to an engagement party yesterday, and ALL of the conversations at my table were regarding the tender situation that we find ourselves in and the sad state of everything in Pakistan.

The above writings are an excerpt from one of our members (Team Leader) who is serving to love the people of South Asia. Please continue to pray for Pakistan and for the leaders of this country to make wise decisions about upcoming elections next month. We ask our Father to bring His resounding Peace to this nation, and that the Prince of Peace will be known to the people seek for hope in their discouragement.

We are currently seeking new members to form new teams to Pakistan. Please check out the "Get Engaged" section of this site for more information on the people, and fill out the Journey to start talking with us about the opportunities available.