Brian

She considered herself to be pretty self suffiecient, the independent type, and comfortable in her role as a business executive. Fed up with the hurried, hectic lifestlyle of the city she decided to take a day trip to enjoy the peace and quiet of the country life. She hit the pike, got off at Cranberry, dropped down the roof on her Audi, and just enjoyed the thrill of no work, no calls and the cool country air rushing through her hair. Cruising north toward the big falls at Niagara she was going to enjoy her day out of the rat race. 

After enjoying the sites she turned her machine around and was bent on enjoying the often-spoken-of sunset outside the little town of Northeast, which sits on Lake Erie.  That sunset is famous and she was going to take it in.  Cruising down the freeway she realized she had a major headache. The flopping of a flat tire would force her to pull over. 

Head in hands wondering what to do and evening dead on, she looked up to see a late model truck pull over. In a second a young man with heavily-worked, dirty jeans got out of the truck and was heading to her car. In a cheery voice he asked, "Could you use some help?'

After he had changed her tire, the lady asked him what his name was? "Brian", he said, "folks around here just call me Brian." Well Brian, she said,"How much do I owe you?"  "Nothing, Ma'am, just do something nice for someone else when you get a chance." 

It was getting dark, so the gal thanked him and drove off. With a few miles of asphalt behind her, she pulled into a little restaurant to get something to eat.  After being seated a waitress approached her table. It was evident that she was going to be a mother before to long. "When are you due?' she asked. "In about a month," she replied."Is this your first child?'

 "Yes.  I'm working to help my husband pay the doctor bills. He's had a hard time finding good work but we are still so excited." The women paid her check with a hundred dollar bill. When the waitress returned with the change, the lady was gone.  On top of that when she cleaned off her table she found four one-hundred dollar bills under her plate as a tip.

At closing time the waitress headed home, and slowly climbed the stairs to bed.  She saw that her husband was asleep, so she kissed him good night and said, "Somebody did something nice for me today. I'll tell you all about in the morning, Brian"

Eccl 11:1   Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later.  (NLT)

persecution

She and her family were Christians in a place where Christ followers are considered profane.  Islamic law says these traitors to the Muslim faith can be killed. Shafia and her family were known for their Christian faith.  Her brother, Rafi, stood up for some Christian girls in their village. For doing this he was murdered in the night by Muslim's. The men who did this crime were never brought to justice.
With Rafi's death, the family lost their spiritual leader.  Life only got worse for them from his death on.  A Muslim man in Shafia's village tried to trick her into marrying him.  When she refused, he kidnapped her at gunpoint.
For four months, Shafia was locked in a small, upstairs room.  Each night the man raped her.  He tried to force her to accept Islam.  She refused, and he then started to beat her as well.  Every night for four months the cycle repeated.  Shafia's only solace was the memorized psalms she repeated as she was beaten. Shafia's kidnapping nightmare ended when she found the door to her crude prison unlocked.  She immediately ran home to her family.  She thought she was finally safe.  But just as the nightmare ended another one began.  Shafia's family had borrowed money from a local businessman to file charges against the kidnapper.  To pay back their debt, they were forced to work as slave labor in a brick kiln.
Shafia and 11 family members shared a tiny mud room at the brick kiln with no kitchen and no bathroom.  Every day the family made mud bricks for 12 hours a day.  They earned just $3 for every 1,000 bricks.  Only faith in God sustained Shafia.  Each evening she prayed with her family and read scripture.  Each Thursday night, they attended a nearby prayer meeting.
The Voice of the Martyrs heard about the family and paid their debt to the brick kiln owner. "Surely this is an answer to our prayers," she thought.
Since the horrible incidents the family now operates a taxi business and Shafia's family now hosts a prayer meeting for friends and neighbors in their home.  They continue to let their faith in Jesus Christ shine in Pakistan.  The risks have not changed. But neither has God.
This month Suburban Community Church is raising money and praying for the persecuted Church.  These are our unnamed brothers and sisters in Christ, in area's of the world were Christ is not welcome but yet his light is shining.  Please join us in praying for those under intense persecution and compassionately remember those whose faith can't be diminished by torture, abuse and suffering.