 Prayer Requests
Pray for supplies of shelter, food, and clean water to be available quickly to those that are ministering to the victims of the cyclone.
Pray that the love of Christ would flow through the local believers as they work alongside their neighbors.
Pray for wisdom and clear direction so that critical decisions can be made swiftly.
Pray that this opportunity would lay a strong foundation for the work in
Balochistan.
That the Lord would call people who are willing to go to Pakistan and share the gospel with the Baluch.
That He would soften the hearts of the Baluch of Pakistan towards Christians and the Gospel.
That God would galvanize a concerted prayer effort worldwide for the Baluch of Pakistan. |
The Baluch of Pakistan
28 Jun 2006
On Tuesday June 26th, Cyclone Yemyin made landfall on the Makran coast of Balochistan in southwestern Pakistan. The damage from both the storm and the subsequent floods it produced is extensive. At this time, reports suggest that 800,000 people have been affected by the storm. It is estimated that 250,000 people of the affected population are now homeless, and have lost everything. While only 21 people are reported to have died from the storm, the numbers are sure to rise in the coming days. The most seriously affected areas are located on the Arabian Coast near Gwadar and Pasni, and around both the Kech and Hingol river systems.
Parts of the city of Turbat in the Kech district, and the surrounding area have been hit particularly hard. Thousands in the Turbat area of the Kech district have been left homeless by the floods and are now without shelter and an adequate supply of food and water. Sadly, the storm has also devastated the livestock upon which these people depend for their livelihood; furthermore the decomposing bodies of these animals are now posing a serious health risk to the local population.
The 3 million Baluch of Pakistan are part of a greater Baluch community of around 8 million people, all of whom reside along the borders of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. Baluchi society is organized into chief-led clans or tribes.
The Baluch live a semi-nomadic lifestyle in an extremely harsh, arid climate. During the summer, they tend to live in the mountain and valley settlements where it is less hot, but during the winter they populate the plains and coastal areas, seeking green grass for their livestock, living in tents and moving freely across the landscape. Traditionally land is not privately owned but is owned by the whole tribe.
The Baluch are basically self-sufficient, relying on farming and nomadic shepherding for daily life. Prior to Islam, the Baluch were most likely followers of Zoroaster from Persia. Today they are Sunni Muslims. At this point very little progress has been seen from previous attempts at targeting the Baluch. Portions of the Bible and the Jesus Film have been translated into Baluchi, however there are few if any believers. |
