‘We are so amazed at what God did last year'

Pakistan is a tough place to be a Christian, but Hanoch and Christina Munir are working to spread the gospel through social transformation projects and church planting

“We are seeing God do great things in Paki-stan. There are lots of challenges, but his church is growing and people are coming to know him,” says Hanoch Munir.

Together with his wife Christina, Hanoch leads Elim-supported New Zoi and is thrilled to have seen God richly bless their social, education, employment and church planting projects in the past 12 months, despite the challenges of Covid-19.

“We’re so amazed at what God did last year. We’ve reached communities we wouldn’t have been able to reach if there hadn’t been a lockdown. We’ve initiated six projects we were hoping to start pre-Covid, and while the world has been locked down the Lord has unlocked many doors,” he says.

Social transformation is key to the couple’s work, with education and employment projects helping to build bridges between them and the communities they serve.

Among their new initiatives are a school and a Sunday school ministry reaching hundreds of children in the fellowships they have planted, as well as children who labour in brick factories and agricultural industry.

“It’s a great opportunity for children who are forced to work barefoot in miserable conditions and are abused, beaten or harassed if they don’t work,” says Hanoch.

“The Lord has given us an opportunity to serve these children and treat them as the children they’re supposed to be.”

A new children’s home has also been opened.

“We have three homes in Pakistan, in the north-west and south-east and a new one in southern Punjab.

“In them, we are caring for 44 children who have come out of forced labour and slavery and been rescued from exploitation, trafficking and forced conversion.