December 7, 2005

Praise items

Praise that the November workers' meeting was held in the New Life Center for the first time since the center was closed in January 2003. The New Life Center was beautiful with all the tree trunks whitewashed and the paths lined with lime. We had a joyous re-dedication of the center that day, and a service of worship and praise was attended by about 70 people, many of whom were Punjabis and Bhils from the local city congregation. This congregation opened their facilities for our use each month. One good result of not having our own center is that the Meghwals have come to know and appreciate the Punjabis and Bhils, and vice versa.

Praise for a new approach to church growth called “train and multiply,” which has proved effective in several Asian countries. It is basically a training for laypeople who have at least a fifth-grade education and are willing to voluntarily (without a salary) teach others what they learn. They even pay a nominal sum to take this course. This will help weed out those who are not committed to sharing their faith with others.

George McBane and his team have been working hard to get booklets and materials translated into Urdu in preparation for a training course to be held January 22-28, 2006. An experienced man is coming from the United States to teach it.

Pray that the materials will be ready on time and that the right people will be led to take part in this new approach. Pray that people from several different tribal and ethnic backgrounds will feel led to participate so that this will have widespread effect.

Praise that Sara and David Treece, with Joshua (23 months) have arrived safely from Central Asia to be with us until the birth of their second child, due in early January. Praise that an American couple who are in the United States until January 5 have offered us the use of their home in Karachi while we are waiting for Sara's baby. It is a large house with lots of space for beds and sleeping bags to accommodate as many of the Stock clan as come to join us. Nicky is coming from Murree Christian School along with four of our grandchildren for their Christmas holidays. She is an excellent nurse-midwife, so we have an expert on hand. Sara has met the well-trained, competent Pakistani lady doctor who will do the delivery in a small well-equipped hospital. Pray for a safe delivery. Paul, Pat and family will also join us for part of the time. We have reserved a beach house on the ocean for two weeks of that time. Praise for this special family reunion.

Praise that Rattan has a second son and that he has been doing a good job of putting the train and multiply materials on to computer. Keep praying for his wife, Momal, to come to know and love Jesus.

Praise that Rachel McBane is coming to Pakistan for her Christmas holidays before starting her last semester at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. She arrives on December 18. Praise that David McBane has a new job as an accountant. He continues to help with relief in Afghanistan when possible.

Prayer items

• For some time Paul and Pat have been urging us to move back to Sindh and settle in Mirpurkhas near them so we can be more with the family and also help them with their village outreach program. They now have 17 evangelists in this program and have been given funds to increase this by 15 more. He feels we can be of help in training and encouraging these village workers. It seems like the Lord has been gradually weaning us away from the Meghwal work here. This fall we have been involved in several activities outside of Rahim Yar Khan, including a month at Bach Hospital working with earthquake victims. By the time we returned to Rahim we felt strongly that the Lord wanted us to move to Mirpurkhas to work with Paul and Pat. We shared this with George and Gail McBane and all of us sensed that this was God’s will.
• We will be in Karachi for much of December waiting for Sara’s baby. We plan to return to Rahim in January to pack up and leave by January 20. Everyone has been very loving toward us in expressing their sorrow at our leaving. We have come to know and love one another a lot during these years. They do understand and approve of parents living with their children, so we are doing the culturally appropriate thing. It will be a wrench to leave, as we have been very happy in this ministry for nearly seven years. But we also love Sindh and are looking forward to more time with our grandchildren and being part of Paul and Pat’s ministry. Pray that this transition will go smoothly for all concerned.
• The annual Christmas party for the Meghwal workers and their families will be held December 12-13.
• Pray for a good time of worship, fun, and feasting as we meet together. This will also be a farewell for us, as it will be our last time with the workers as a group. Pray for them as they make Christmas meaningful to their people.
• Pray for the Stoschers, who have a busy Christmas season in Erseke, Albania. They had 64 at their Thanksgiving dinner held at the Bible school for students, staff, and other friends. Mark enjoys working with young believers in the church and Bible school. Ruthie is producing and directing a Christmas drama along with caring for their own four children. Pray that the regular power cuts they have been experiencing from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. will stop so they can keep warm.
• Pray for Kyle and Lois Scott, Jesse, and Isaiah as they enjoy having Kristen home from boarding school in Thailand. Kyle is director of Habitat for Humanity in Bangladesh, and Lois is teaching Bangla in Grace School.

May you too have a blessed Christmas season and enter 2006 with joy and anticipation of new things Jesus will do in and through your life. Thanks for your Christmas cards and letters that catch us up on what many of you are doing.

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

In Christ,

Fred and Margie Stock