Dear Friends,

One of the amazing things about FB is that we can become friends with people all over the world. Having had a roommate from Pakistan in graduate school, a few years ago I befriended Zeeshan Gill who lives in Pakistan, working with orphan children. Recently he has shared with me the story of a man whose father died from cancer, but incurred debt for medical care, which he and his children are now forced to "repay" through daily work making bricks. I really hope that together we can make a difference for this family. He sent me the following information:

Shalom and greetings to all! My name is Zeeshan Patras Gill from Punjab, Pakistan. Pakistan is an Islamic Republic and there are about 97% Muslims and 2% Christians, with another 1% of other religions. The Christian community is really in an hour of need because most are not well-educated. The work of most Christian people is either cleaning roads or picking up garbage. The Muslim people persecute Christians with physical torture. I believe that the Lord has given me a vision to dedicate myself to feeding orphans, poor widows, and to help other deserving people as best I can. My inspiration is Jesus Christ! In his life he blessed everyone although many sought to hurt him. He is my LORD and the example that I live by.

In America human trafficking is a crime and the government is concerned to stop it, but in other parts of the world such as Pakistan, although there are rules, many people do not follow them. Many police are also involved in this corruption.

We are trying to pay the debt for a poor family with three children who are forced to labor in a brick kiln factory. The children are ages 5, 7 and 12. This debt was for the cancer treatment of the grandfather who has died. Now the children are forced to do hard physical manual labor, along with their father, making bricks. Most of what they earn pays for their living expenses, so without additional help, it will be a very long time until this debt is paid. In addition to the debt, we are also asking for some help to buy them food. May our LORD reward you for your generosity!