I’m very excited about getting to the individual countries as I pray around the world. I’ve looked at each region of the world and gained an appreciation for their culture, progress and issues. Now I begin to look more individually, to appreciate each person and their culture for who they are and who God made them to be.
Starting in alphabetical order in my Operation World book, the first country is Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, in Asia. The majority of the people are Iranian. There is an overall literacy rate of 28%, and only 15% for women. The people have been shattered by decades of war and ongoing conflicts. Yet they are a rich country in natural resources of gas and minerals. Surprisingly though, one-third of their GDP is from opium production. There is virtually no freedom of religion, even for other interpretations of Islam outside of the strict Wahhabist Islam. In a population of over 29 million, there are less than 15,000 Christians, and most of them are foreign residents.
Afghanistan is one of the least reached countries in the world. There is not a single church building. Drugs are their biggest crisis. In Biblical times, the area of Afghanistan was part of Persia, and we know that they will also play a part in the End Times. God is moving in this part of the world. We now have the internet, Christian radio and satellite TV, and mobile phones in which to present the Bible and the Jesus film in their own language. I happened to look at the country stats on my blog, and I have had one visitor from Afghanistan. It all starts with one, and we can all be that one. My goal is to flood the internet with as much good news as I can, in hopes that it will reach those who are seeking the truth and want to hear. Please pray for these dear people that they will be freed from their bondage and will be able to enjoy many of the freedoms the rest of us are lucky enough to have, only because of where we were born.
