June 2004

Praise Items

• Praise for answered prayer concerning Fred’s visa. The visa office was closed May 1-3 for an official holiday. When Fred arrived early on the 4th he was told that the head officer would not return until the 7th. His heart sank! The second in command also had not arrived. Coming in at 10 o’clock he leafed through his mail, found the police clearance papers for Fred, and issued the visa before attending to any others. Thanks for the many who were praying!
• Praise for a new encouraging outreach by the Korean Church to the Dhati-speaking Bhils who live in the Thar Desert between our old location, Kunri, and the Indian border. We were able to visit their new center in Umerkot (30 miles north of Kunri) on the edge of the desert. They have opened two small hostels—one for 30 tribal boys and one for 14 girls. A Korean pastor whose church is determined to expand the hostels to serve 100 children as soon as possible was coming the next week. The Koreans have great vision and passion for outreach. The Korean Church gives generously and wants to see results. They have sent medical teams to run short-term camps, and they envision setting up a hospital in the near future. Pray the Church of Pakistan will not view them as competition but rejoice in this increasesd outreach to many desert people who were not being reached before.
• Praise for the effective ministry of Paul and Pat Stock whom we visited before leaving. Their team has worked out new effective death and funeral customs to replace Hindu idolatrous ones. Burial takes place the same day, but family and friends gather for 15 days of mourning. Singing teams lead worship each night for hours. Several key Christians have died recently, so these new ceremonies have been used a lot, and their singing team has been kept busy. It is a wonderful opportunity to reach many whose hearts are softened and prepared. The Christian teaching expressed in these songs creates faith and hope in many hearts.
• They have also started a new village outreach program. Fifteen laymen (most have been trained in their hostel) have been given responsibility to work in three villages each, to teach and train 45 people. Each month they gather together for three days to prepare lessons, have fellowship, and pray for one another. They are given a minimal stipend for this part-time ministry to supplement what they are earning at their jobs. Pray that this will develop more mature lay leadership and result in many better-taught villagers.
• Kyle Scott also joined us from Albania as he took a two-week intensive course at the Fuller School of Intercultural Studies. They are missionaries in Central Asia.

Prayer items

Our cataract operations were rescheduled for June 1 and 8. (Each of us will have one eye done on each date.) Due to glaucoma damage, Margie’s sight cannot be fully restored, but pray for good results.

Continue to pray for a suitable house for McBanes. They are living in our house at present.

Pray for the Stoschers and Scotts as they host a number of short-term teams from various churches who are coming to help prepare and run summer youth camps this summer in Erseka, Albania. This is the only Christian youth camp in Albania and has proved a great blessing in recent years.

Pray for the following programs planned for the McBanes and the Meghwal work during June.

June 4-11 - McBanes will lead a three-day prayer seminar in Karachi and give a new group some cultural orientation to tribal work to help their ministry to be more effective. Pray for wisdom and strength.

June 15-17 - Literacy centers will be visited by the McBanes and exams given to check their progress.

June 15-17 - Timothy Groups. Village young people will be studying courses led by Pakistani teachers. Some will be new students and some came before.

June 24-26 - Jesus Celebration for inquirers and new believers. Pray for responsive hearts. About 60 came to the May celebration and were blessed.

June 29-July 2 - Workers’ Meeting to plan July programs. On June 30, Jamna, the widow of the first Meghwal believer, will be honored and retired as an evangelist. A stroke a year ago affected her speech and her two sons want her to retire. Pray this will bring meaningful closure to years of service.

Pray for us on June 30 as we have an opportunity to share about our ministry in Pakistan for 10 minutes at a breakfast meeting put on by the Presbyterians for Renewal during the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Richmond.

Thanks again for your faithful prayer support. It means much to us!

In Christ,

Fred and Margie Stock

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 198