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Health update and news from Pakistan

I went into rehab last Friday and had my first physical therapy session on Saturday. They are also giving me occupational therapy, which is similar in some ways but different. The two make a good combination. I do this morning and afternoon, and I just got back to my room after the afternoon sessions.

My case is unusual for them, so the entire department, along with the doctors, are interested when they meet to discuss my case. I was told that they want me to stay in rehab all next week. I have no objection, because I want to gain as much strength as I can before going home. Our house has too many stairs, making it difficult to get from one floor to the other.

I am gaining strength overall, but there are certain leg muscles that are weak and need attention. Today it seemed like the PT found all of them and worked them hard. The OT today wanted me to stand and do things with my hands, leaning forward or sideways, because this is what I will be doing at home. So she had us play a card came, with me standing up and leaning over the table without losing my balance. She tries to make the work fun. But it was still a lot of work.

Darla spends the day with me and is able to watch the therapy sessions and assist occasionally. Ryan drops her off about 8:45 in the morning and picks her up about 7:30 pm. I often sleep for an hour or more after the therapy sessions. I also have my laptop with me and can watch videos to keep up on the world news and try to write a daily blog. So my days are quite full.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan The Laws of the Second Coming is ready to be sent to the print shop to print up an edition of 3,000 copies. This book will be about 275 pages as translated into Urdu. I cannot stress enough the impact that this will have on the churches in Pakistan. It will not take long for Pastor Fiaz to distribute 3,000 copies, as the demand for this book has already been building.

Meanwhile, three study centers have completed their study of How to be an Overcomer and will be given certificates of completion this coming Sunday. All of the translated books are being used as textbooks for seminars on each specific topic.

A little background… Pastor Fiaz has translated about 30 Christian books written by other authors. However, when it came time to print them, the authors did not offer to fund the printing costs. So their teachings did not make much impact on the Pakistani churches.

My goal was not to translate books but to spread the word in Pakistan. It occurred to me years ago that whoever is willing to invest in a country (like Pakistan) will have the most influence insofar as teaching is concerned. We have sown much in Pakistan, and we are now seeing this bear fruit. The grade school is now adequately funded. We dug a well at the school so that they and the neighbors can have clean water. We built a new study center where people can come from out of town and study the word for days at a time. We have set two families free from slavery and have set them up with their own businesses.

In addition to that, we have printed a few editions of the Bible itself for those who cannot afford to buy one. These have been gifted to many poor people in many churches. These Bibles are imprinted with our name: God’s Kingdom Ministries, so that they are reminded of our ministry whenever they read the word.

So far, Pakistan has received the bulk of our international outreach ministry, mostly because Pastor Fiaz has earned our trust and is putting the funds to good use. The key is to find people who have a Kingdom vision and have the right heart. My hope is that we will soon be able to establish similar ministries in many other countries as well.

The work in Nepal is going more slowly, because we have not been able to fund it as much as in Pakistan. Yet it is growing, and it is even expanding to Sri Lanka. Pastor Sanjeev has proven himself as well. He has translated about 6 tracts into Nepali, and he has a fellowship of another half dozen pastors who have accepted and are learning about the Restoration of All Things. Right now he needs a new motorbike to travel the country.

Also, Lynley (from New Zealand) is going to be visiting Sanjeev in March, and they will be flying to Sri Lanka to teach the word to an interested pastor. I suspect that our teachings will be spread from place to place through word of mouth. If these places prove to be good ground, we will plant the seed as we are able. In the end, we watch for faithful people that God has raised up and trained who are genuinely called. The last thing I want to do is to turn ministries into mere occupations.

Of course, the same holds true in America as well. We have built friendships and links with many who are being called to a greater ministry. These have been tried and tested even as we ourselves have been over the years. We have been anxious to cross over the Jordan for a long time, but as with the Israelites, we have had to wait until the time ran out for the Canaanites to repent. In our time, we have had to wait for Esau’s time to end, and also for Babylon’s rule to end.

Meanwhile, we live as if we were in the Kingdom. The purpose of the wilderness is to be trained in Kingdom thinking and Kingdom life. It is not a time where we wait until later. There is indeed a later time, but on an individual level we are not restricted from Kingdom living.

A good example of this is in the fact that the New Covenant was established through Abraham, and men of faith who believed in the promise of God lived throughout the Old Covenant era. They had to wait for a future ratification of the New Covenant through Jesus Christ, but this did not hinder them from personally living a New Covenant life of faith.