Ruby. Tania. Asif. Anwar. Fulshan. These are fans of Jesus. They are children who live in Pakistan and recently came across some really great news.
All of these children—and many more like them—learned about Jesus through the Story of Jesus evangelistic booklet in Urdu, produced by David C Cook and shared one on one throughout Pakistan.
The Story of Jesus is an evangelistic booklet hand-drawn by renowned Marvel and DC Comics artist, Sergio Cariello. Since 2011, 38,812,000 have been distributed in 71 nations and 49 languages.
This includes 8 of the top 10 countries where Christians face the most persecution for their faith. More than half million copies of the Story of Jesus circulate in Pakistan (#8 on the World Watch List). Many booklets help the local Church engage in outreach and develop children’s ministries. Here are two recent testimonies:
I am Tania and I am 9 years old. I live in a small village. I am the oldest of five siblings. I want to go to school, but my parents can’t afford to send me, so I work the field with my father who’s a farmer. I got to attend a day camp in the city with my auntie. I was so glad to learn a lot of things, but when I received a colorful storybook I jumped for joy. It was the first book I ever received. I couldn’t read it, but the pictures told me the story. My auntie helped me understand the stories and I studied them again and again – and then I shared them with my brothers and sisters. I am thankful that I came to know Jesus through this book and came to follow him.
My name is Asif and I am 10 years old. I attended a camp where I received the Story of Jesus. I come from a poor family and my mother struggled so hard to feed us after my father died. I hate reading books and that’s how I stopped going to school. The Story of Jesus was so attractive I couldn’t stop reading it. I read it again and again. I wish it had more stories. I learnt that Jesus loves everyone and he cares for us. Even many times we had to sleep without food, but then I read how Jesus fed the 5,000. I now always pray for Jesus to provide for us. We might have less or more, but since I have accepted Christ after reading this book, we have never slept without food.
Pray for Tania, Asif, and their peers. There’s danger in being a “fan” of Jesus. Blasphemy laws in Pakistan pose a great danger to Christians. In 2012 an 11 year-old Christian girl was accused of burning a page of the Qur’an and faced the death penalty. A simple allegation can land you in prison, tortured or executed. Also lift up the men and women engaged in evangelism and discipleship in Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries. They are heroes of the faith and are frequently in harms way.
