Smoke Signals - Pakistan 5 of 6 - Mrs. Bhutto Our Elite Squad
Richard Twiss
Dec 29, 2007Hau kola,
You have by now read the news of the assassination of Mrs. Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan. Her death is a great loss to the nation of Pakistan and the world community. President Musharraf has survived three suicide attempts on his life and this will only incite terrorists to continue their efforts. There is a whole lotta blame going around concerning her death which will escalate and severely undermine President Musharraf’s leadership.
Anwar wrote yesterday, sharing his grave concern saying,
The report of Bhutto's death was on our news along with the response from her party. Life is no more secure in Pakistan. Everywhere there are terrorist attacks; shelling, setting fire to buildings, blocking the highways, and breaking private's people’s vehicles, government and private buildings, and protesting on the streets. We ask for your honest prayers for peace in Pakistan. We need your prayers.
Our brothers and sisters in Pakistan are trusting in Jesus and the protection of the Holy Spirit today that few of us experience. Pray for Anwar and Hujji ministries, as well as the church of Pakistan.
Politics in any country is a dangerous business. In the history of the United States there have been eighteen attempts to kill sitting and former Presidents and Presidents-Elect. Four attempts on sitting Presidents have succeeded; the 16th (1865), 20th (1881), 25th (1901) and 35th (1963) US Presidents were all assassinated in office, and two others were injured. Our past six presidents have either survived assination attempts or had plots foiled while in office.
Presidents Bush and Mushareff and their co-leaders need wisdom from Heaven for the days ahead. We are called to pray for wisdom, protection and guidance for all elected men and women in office and those in positions of authority. The future is in the hands of God, so we trust in him for the things we cannot know and His purposes for what lies ahead for us, our children and our children’s children.
Here is installment 5 of 6 of my trip. Despite the death of Mrs. Bhutto, I believe it is still relavent as part of a story that may give us hope for the days ahead.
Our “Elite Team” of Commandos who had been assigned to provide our security, as a result, had to accompany us and sit in on all our meetings, sitting, observing and listening to everything Dave and I spoke/preached about. Another cool and unexpected consequence is that we departed as friends.
As we left Sialkot, driving to the airport in Lahore, they accompanied us in their vehicle to the end of their jurisdiction. Before crossing the bridge and river, we pulled off the road to say goodbye. As we all piled out of our vehicles, laughing, smiling and shaking hands these tough macho Muslim men (all in their twenties and early thirties) in turn hugged me and Dave. One mostly stern tough guy said he wanted to give me a kiss as a sign of friendship and gave me a big kiss on the cheek. Three others gave us a big kiss on each cheek and said as their friends they would be praying for God’s blessing and peace for our lives. It was a very cool experience.
After hearing us speak for two days, they had many questions. They had never met First Nations people before, which coupled with us being followers of Jesus, had thoroughly aroused their curiosity. In addition to listening to our testimonies of our faith in Jesus, they heard of the struggles of Native people in dealing with American imperialism, colonization and genocide among the tribes of the United States. We were dismantling their negative stereotypes of America and Christianity by simply loving them and telling our stories.
One Sunday morning we arrived early in this small rural village. The temperature was cool and rather than wait in the cold church building we walking up a few flights of stairs to the roof where chairs, a small table and coffee and tea were brought for us to wait. Our commando’s joined us on the rooftop. For two days there were two women who were part of the Elite Team. As we sat, a lively discussion began about Islam and Christianity. I asked the women how difficult it is as females in an Islamic Republic to serve in law enforcement as part of a well-trained elite unit. They talked of how challenging it is.
After the church service on Sunday evening we toured Anwar’s new ministry office compound. We eventually migrated into Anwar’s office for tea and munchies along with the Elite Team. I had brought along several protocol gifts, including some bone bracelets that my secretary Jodi, had made and felt to gift them. In the old days hair-pipe bone from the buffalo was used to make a kind of protective armor. It was worn around the neck and as a breastplate. When I gave bracelets to the two ladies I said that we were honoring them as the first wave of women who had courageously endured the rigors of training as well as challenges of being a woman in Pakistan.
Earlier, during the church service, Dave had honored the team; the two ladies were sitting on the platform with us. The young girls sitting on ground in the front of the congregation stared wide-eyed at these Elite Commando women. So, I told them that God had given them strength to be role models for future generations of Pakistani women. They were very touched. We then gifted the men.
We talked for over an hour about serving Jesus and what if was like for them to follow Allah. I asked them about the promise of 70 virgins for men in heaven, about an Islamic booklet given to us at a Mosque stating that more women would be in hell than men, what about a Muslim person marrying a person outside Islam, about enforcing the civil law when fellow Muslims were breaking it in the name of Islam, etc. They in turn asked us some very good questions about Christianity and America.
Perhaps in some small way, we helped bridge the void of ignorance that often leads to unfounded stereotypes, fear, suspicion and eventual hatred that people have towards those who are different from themselves. Jesus is the Prince of Peace who holds the key to genuine reconciliation and hope for mutual understandings between Americans and Pakistanis, Jesus followers and Muslims.
All the political stuff fries my pea brain. I have heard many stories about the role of the CIA, American covert military operatives and “partnership” between America and Pakistan regarding fighting terrorism that leaves my head swimming. Yet, Jesus is the same yesterday and forever, the hope for the nations.
Peace and blessings in Jesus’ name!
Richard
Wiconi International
360-546-1867
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