Stories from the Field

September 2007

One thing everyone should decide for himself
From Beyond the Wall e-newsletter

Once K* claimed there were two things a Balti could never decide for himself: who he would marry and what religion he would follow. K works as a porter on mountaineering expeditions in northern Pakistan. On one climb, a team was nearing the summit when one of their Balti-speaking porters fell into a crevasse. After pulling him out, the team – determined to reach the summit – left him unattended at camp, knowing he might die. Another team that included a Christian doctor came upon the abandoned porter. They carried him down the mountain instead of continuing their climb. This impressed K. On another climb, K experienced altitude sickness and told the team to continue without him. The team, made up of Christians, refused. They descended the mountain telling him he was more important than the summit. During the descent they shared the Gospel with K. Today K says, “There are two things everyone should have the right to decide for themselves: who they will marry and what religion they will follow.” Pray for K as he shares his faith, and lets others know that they, too, have the right to decide who they will worship. Pray that more Balti will decide to follow Jesus.

*Name changed for security reasons.
More about the spiritual needs in South Asia at http://www.go2southasia.org/