To Live in Fear

Zahra*, a teenage Hazara girl, should be in high school. Her older brother, a follower of Jesus, lives in America and is currently unable to travel abroad. Older sisters and other relatives reside in many countries, such as: Australia, Canada, and Europe. Zahra and her younger sisters and brothers lived with their parents in a Gulf Arab country, where for a time they experienced more freedom and security then before; however, inflation happened. The cost of everything soared and they could not send the kids to school. Zahra knows some English and tried to teach her younger siblings what she knew. Eventually, though, the family had to move to Pakistan because they could no longer afford to live abroad.

The younger brothers could now go to school, but not Zahra. She spends her days cleaning house, cooking meals, and taking care of her parents and siblings. She writes, “Here, we always live in fear.” Anytime her brothers go out from the house, she and her sisters and mother and father worry until they make it safely home. Her younger sisters study at home. The stress and daily pressures of life prevent Zahra from being able to study. Now life just passes.

Pray for Zahra and her family to find the freedom from fear even in the midst of the chaos where they live. Pray they, too, follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Pray that the bombings and killings would cease.

Pray for families like theirs who live in Pakistan or abroad, that they would hear, understand, and receive the good news.

Pray for good health and education.

And, pray for Zahra and others like her to find Christian friends who care, who share, and who live out their lives being the hands and feet of Jesus.

*not her real name

—Lady of Prayer

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View this video regarding Afghans Abroad: From Ruins to Redemption