A Midnight Escape

Oh my, it seems I forgot to send the last update I created on April 11.

Here it is!

Afghanistan

Eventful times! It has been quite the week. Where to start?

Several days ago, our sister in Christ wrote me a message, saying, that she had to flee from the home she was staying at because she received a message that her father was on his way to come take her and her daughter forcefully. So, she immediately fled to friends of the family she was staying with. These new friends were very afraid of Taliban retribution and told her she couldn’t stay with them.

How do you help someone find safety from so far away? Here is how God made a way:

About two weeks before this turn of events, we received a message through our TikTok channel from a young American involved in ministry in the Middle East. He was very encouraged by our sister’s videos on our channel. Through chat, I shared a bit about our sister’s situation and story. He mentioned that he knows an organization that also helps Christians in persecuted countries and would check with them about any possibilities.

When our sister wrote me the day of her unexpected plight, I wrote to him, telling him that we were in need of a safe house immediately. He contacted the people in the organization on our behalf. They were able to quickly organize a safe house, pick her up, and bring her to the safe house in the middle of the night.

This is the picture I received from the organization when they arrived at the safe house (faces blurred for safety reasons):

This situation reminded me of two things:

1. Take courage. If we were too afraid of the Taliban and persecution to start this online ministry on TikTok, we wouldn't have met the person with his contacts, who saved her life this day.

2. Regardless of how dire the situation is or how hopeless it seems, God is able to make a way when we remain faithful. The best place to be is always where God wants us to be, striving for his Kingdom.

So, what now?

As you know, our goal has been to help our sister in Christ flee from Afghanistan. At the moment, I am talking with the organization that helped her about the next steps, since they are also involved in helping people flee from Afghanistan. Seeing how fast and organized they were with the safe house, I have faith they will be able to help us get our sister to further safety. I am trying to get the funding back from the other organization who has been trying to help, but is having a lot of trouble obtaining passports. Please pray that I will be able to get our funding back in order to pay this new organization.

Another prayer request is for our sister’s daughter. Being 4 years old, this whole situation has been very scary for her. During the escape, she got ill with a high fever. Thankfully, they were able to get medical help for her, so she is getting better physically. Still, she is very scared and doesn’t understand what is happening. I pray she would be comforted and find joy and peace in Jesus in the midst of this situation.

I pray this as well for our sister. She is holding on, but in need of encouragement. Please pray for her as well.

Pakistan

We are gathering information from the brickyard families and are filming their stories, which we will share once they are finished. I’m thinking of organizing a fundraiser event to help out these families, hoping to pay off their debts or at least parts of it, so they can regain their freedom. The stories are heart-wrenching and make me long for Jesus’ return.

Prayer Requests

Thank you so much for your prayers. Please continue to pray for:

- Our sister and her daughter in Afghanistan - for their spiritual, physical and emotional well-being. Pray for continuous protection from God and for a way out of the country to a peaceful place.
- Freedom and justice for the brickyard families

Stay in Touch

If you want to talk more or ask more questions about all this, I’m available to talk in person or over the phone. My phone number is 250 280 6155.

Donations

Please consider helping out with the basic provision for the brickyard families.

Options:

· E-tranfer to “[email protected]”.

· For convenient monthly donations or one-time donation: https://pages.donately.com/yellowhouseministry/donate

· Cheque: Steven Bauwens, PO BOX 1515, Merritt, V1K 1B8

Other Help

If you want to help in any other way or you come across connections that could help in any way, please let me know as well.

In Christ,

Steven

Yellow House Ministry