I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb

Our evening of wearing Cricket jerseys when Pakistan won the Asian World Cup, we spoke on our allegiances to our separate countries, but even higher was our allegiance to Christ. Watch just the ending...
I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb

Faces of Pakistan

Here are a few stories in pictures....

Azeem, our translator & Principal of the St. Thomas Christian School.

Sherazher, our worship leader & the other Principal of St. Thomas.

On results day at St. Thomas, these 2 Muslim boys won the top scores. This is their family with them...at a Christian School!

One of the school rooms at St. Thomas

Faces peering through our van window.

This is the back of an 18-wheeler!  They decorate them by hand painting!!

The women's side of one of our churches.  This is the pastor's daughter.  She says hello to Trace!

Muslim women on the street.

This was at a gas station. You have the convenience of getting one of your prayer times in while gassing up!

Sherazher with some of the men church leaders & Pastor Aslam in plaid in the middle.

One more of Sherazher!

A sweet saint in one of the poor churches in Pattoki.

I don't know if you can see this, if you zoom, maybe, but they put one of our crusade posters on top of the nearest mosque!

One of our Palm Sunday Processionals with palm branches.

Beautiful children sitting in their section.

More...

Rooftop guard!

HOME for Easter!

Well, I am actually home as I write this last blog, for now, about the trip. I slept for an amazing 10 hours after making myself stay up all day yesterday. I have learned to try to make myself get back on the sleep schedule immediately if possible...doesn't always happen. I am 10 hours off schedule. And I know the words will begin to flow the more I am able to actually process what I have just seen.  Part of me wishes I had spent Easter with the church in Pakistan; but only if I could have had Tammy with me!

So this video post is our last memorable event on Good Friday. We were scheduled to speak & sing at one of the new church starts, called All Nations Gospel Church, see the name & entrance with David & the pastor. Before we got to the church though, other plans had been made. Seems like that happened a lot! You think you know where you are going & then you end up some place else! Funny to watch these Americans not be in control! But we show up at this little village to visit a family who owns a nursery there. Pattoki means city of flowers, so there is obviously a reason for that. They grow the most beautiful roses you will see. So we stopped & had tea there & then began our walk from that house to the church. This is the walk! A walk of humility that I would wish for every American Christian. Good Friday Processional.

And I am now finally able to upload a couple of worship videos from the crusade in Pattoki. They wouldn't work over there, so enjoy. Notice the guards walking around with rifles....and trying to keep people from getting out of their space! Some of you are freaking about that, but also the passionate singing & jumping around...that wouldn't happen in your church, if you are Baptist like me! You can hear them sing about Jehovah...they sing Yehoba!...not Allah! Worship of Jehovah!  More Pattoki Praise .

Good Friday

We have just landed in Dubai....now out of Pakistan & I must admit it is a very bitter sweet feeling at the moment; even though many of you, including my wife have been waiting to hear that we are out! Can't believe we have been there for 10 days already, it was a blur. We have built new relationships with brothers & sisters that I never thought I would meet in this lifetime. How ashamed I almost feel for the freedom that I have being an American Christian & not having to sacrifice for what I believe.  I have traveled around the world & never  experienced this kind of atmosphere. Azeem, our translator & the christian school owner explained to us that Pakistan is the worst of all Muslim countries; even more so than Iran. The overall living conditions & economy have made the most educated Muslims want to leave. They know that something is not right......they just don't know that it is because of their god. Dirty. The whole country just looks like it needs a bath...cleansing in & out.

The following are some photos from our Good Friday day in Pattoki.

Having tea with locals in one of their simple homes.

Praying for sick children...literally everywhere we went.

The dirt street after the rose petal shower!

One of the floral bouquets presented to us.

Choir singing for us.

Beautiful...

Beautiful ...

Faces! 

Local man with Azeem our translator & head of security

Me with one of the prayer warriors and worship leaders who literally stayed in the church for 3 days straight praying for the campaign.  He never left.

Final Worship Service in Pattoki

Well words will never do justice to this experience. I will post one more video for you before we have our Good Friday services in church tomorrow. The joy & the new freedom they found in worship is indescribable. Watch this. Final Pattoki Service

2nd crusade service in Pattoki

On Tuesday night, the crowd grew to around 10,000 people & as we walked in surrounded by police & security, you could just sense the anticipation & the excitement already in the stadium.  The people begin gathering & singing as early as 6:00 & we do not arrive until around 8:30-9 each night.  It is a very stressful drive from our hotel to the crusade which takes about 2 1/2 hours. The traffic....!&*&)$(!_@)**%! - I can't even begin to tell you.

But they have already been worshipping & sitting, standing for 2-3 hours before we even get there.  I don't know if you have ever walked through a crowd of 10,000 people before as they are clapping & smiling & reaching out to you, but it is indescribable in my English vocabulary. We are in a rural area this week & the fascination these people have with us is so humbling; like a child who is so infatuated with a toy or something new, it is almost uncomfortable. Because these are young & old who stare at you, wanting to touch you, speak to you.  We have the 2 teenage boys with us & they have such influence with these young boys here that it is a little scary.  Anything these American boys do, these young men mimic. For example there is a song, which I will try to load & have a link for you later that is an exciting worship song & one of our boys started to dance a little in his seat...well a whole group of young men stood up & began to dance almost like an explosion happening. It is  like they have been so bound up & freedom is just waiting to burst forth.  I don't know, but maybe you understand a little of what I am saying; again my words will fail me on this. Here is a link to the invitation time which is still an overwhelming sight & sound. Call to Christ in Pattoki

The testimonies of lives being changed are precious each night.  You remember that we rented 80 buses to bring people in.  One of the hired Muslim bus drivers shared last night, that God had touched him & changed his life completely. He called one of the pastors & wanted to share with the christian crowd what had happened to him. The crowd erupted with applause when he finished.

And for you sports fans, meet the new Asian Cricket World Cup team! We wore these jerseys on the last night of the Pattoki campaign. I spoke some about our allegiance we both have for our flags & our countries, but that our highest allegiance was to our God, then I sang I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb. I think you can catch the last of it on David's blog, www.tseainc.blogspot.com .

At the hotel where we stay, some of the lower staff are believers.  They are only allowed those positions, the Muslims are the business people here who hold all of the upper staff positions. As I was uploading these videos today, a young man by the name of Nadeem was cleaning my room. He heard the singing & stopped cleaning & asked me if I was Christian, to which I replied yes. Then he whispered, I am too.  He asked if were to celebrate Easter here in Pakistan & where we were preaching. He then asked me to pray to Jesus for him.  In fact all of the workers here that find out we are Christian as for us to pray for them.  I don't have a clue what their life is like, but they know they need prayer. So do I.

This is the first service of our second campaign in Pattoki which started Monday night.  There are only around 7000 here for the first service. They are singing about Jehovah winning the battle in this video link. click here.
As I am typing this it is around 7:30 in the morning and I am listening to the Muslim call to prayer outside my window. Mosques are literally everywhere & places of prayer are located all over: parks, gas stations, shopping areas, restaurants, stores, etc.... When you have to pray 5 times a day to be a good Muslim they make it very convenient.

And I thought you might want to see who you are actually praying for besides myself! From left to right: me, Kevin Weaver, Joe Brown, Trace Thompson & David Burk.

Today we are getting in to our first school.....pray for God's spirit to be in control.

We are preparing for our second crusade event now in Pattoki. I apologize for you who are not able to view the videos...youtube isn't always reliable here. I also am leaving you a link for David Burk's blog where he will post some of our happenings as well. It is tseainc.blogspot.com

We will travel this evening with police escorts in front & in back. For some reason security is beefed up for this crusade. So, if you would "beef up" your praying as well. It is strangely odd that we all have a peace about everything & everywhere we go, even when it looks a little dangerous. I know that is from prayers, so thank you. Just thought I would share with you a photo of the pastor of the last church we were in on Palm Sunday. Beautiful are the feet of them who preach good news!

The Final service in Phool Negar

Well, tonight's attendance was over 12,000...it was the final service of the campaign in Phool Negar & there were, again, many decisions for Christ made by those God drew. It is still overwhelming & hard to comprehend.
This picture is one of the choir in blue who helped lead the singing each night, along with two of the evangelist pastors you will read about in the next blog.

There was a time for testimonies near the end of the service, those who had been healed from diseases, their children's sight restored, health restored, and many barren women came forward for prayer for children.

This little boy couldn't walk until last night, his mother brought him up on stage and he walked off. They have been praying for weeks for him

The water in the following bottles were brought for those who were too ill to attend the services, with hope that the water would become blessed and then they would take it to that sick brother or sister and they would then drink it. I know that ain't Baptist, but... they have many, many diseases and are always hoping for healing....in any way!

.

You will see some pictures as we are getting ready to leave, with the soldiers & guards who wanted many photos with us. We are thankful for them, so we obliged! David & I are dressed in the men's traditional kameez.

Palm Sunday in Pattoki

Today began by visiting 3 new church starts in Pattoki. These very, very poor churches were birthed from a previous evangelistic campaign and 3 evangelists have taken the pastor roles. In the last 2 churches, we ordained the pastors & also 4 other elders in the church. We started this morning @ 8:30 and just returned back to our hotel now at 8:30 pm...a long day & haven't had our evening meal yet; it will be at 10-12 pm.

The churches today are in Muslim communities, so we were careful not to draw attention to ourselves, but upon entering every church, we proceeded through a welcome line of palm branches & rose petals!
Then we were honored again with the flower leis.2nd Palm Sunday Processional

In the first church this morning was a young man who began reading scripture to begin the service. David later told us this boy had been demon possessed in his last visit & had been delivered. He was now leading in the worship service! Not too many stories like that around Texas.... this was an incredible Palm Sunday! The following 3 video links will give you a glimpse from beginning to end. Pure Worship,
Palm Sunday Processional, Ordination by Night. Thanks to those of you commenting on the blog & remembering us in prayer; it is encouraging to know who is following. Tomorrow begins the second crusade. We are all physically & emotionally spent, but the yearning to see more of what we have already seen takes over daily.