For over 26 years, I’ve been praying, giving and taking trips to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. We have entered an abundant harvest season, with open doors to closed nations and unprecedented favor to represent a God who looks like Jesus.
I have been able to influence high-level leaders, scholars, government officials and ambassadors as an ambassador of love. This is just the beginning, as this influence continues to increase. I am invited to share the message of love, peace and harmony and build bridges with top leaders in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kurdistan, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey and Lebanon.
At the Interfaith Peace and Harmony Conference in Pakistan this fall, I was seated beside the president of Pakistan, Arif Alvi, as a guest of honor and was given the International Peace Award. I was able to share for four minutes about the power of peace, love and unity with over 450 leaders in attendance, and it was broadcast internationally and reached around 80 million people. At one point, a guest at the Interfaith Peace and Harmony Conference asked me, “I see that everyone is calling you an ambassador, but what country do you represent?” Before I could respond, the Grand Imam of the Badshahi Mosque, Maulana interjected and said, “These ambassadors represent countries, but Leif Hetland is the ambassador of love for the entire world.”
Similar to Nicodemus, the Pharisee who secretly visited Jesus at night in John 3, Imams and leaders from different faiths began visiting my hotel room at night, asking for prayer, and every person was healed in the name of Jesus. At one meeting in a hotel lobby, I received a download of words of knowledge and as I stepped into the gift of faith, every Muslim who I laid hands on and prayed for in Jesus’ name was miraculously healed.
For over 22 years, I have dreamed of meeting the Pashtun people. On this trip, I was able to travel through a dangerous tribal region to Peshawar to honor the Pashtun leaders and share a meal with the clergy. It was an overwhelming experience to break bread with these precious Pashtun leaders, especially one highly respected elderly man who worked alongside Mahatma Gandhi.
We visited the border of Afghanistan and a sea of malnourished refugees faced armed soldiers, desperately trying to enter Pakistan. In the next six months, millions of these children, women and elderly people will likely starve if something isn’t done. This year, with the help of our partners, we were able to provide 4,500 kilograms of food and medicine to these displaced people and share the love of Jesus as a part of The Global Mission Awareness’ Loving Afghans on Purpose initiative.
I still find it difficult to verbalize what happened in my heart in Peshawar, but I know for certain that I will never be the same and want to find ways to help these precious people. This year, we also fed over 1,000 struggling Muslim families during the month of Ramadan to show the love and kindness of Jesus. We also hosted a persecuted church leadership conference and fed 400 Christian families facing adversity and economic challenges. In Pakistan’s social caste system, Christians are typically the poorest of the poor. Our team washed the feet of these Christian Pakistani people and blessed each person with $100 USD, which is equivalent to an 8-month salary.
There are 4.5 million bonded laborers in Pakistan who are forced to work making bricks in kilns. The majority of laborers are children who are deprived of basic human rights, like adequate food and education. Most families are trapped in systemic poverty for generations because a family member needed a small loan or cash advance at an exorbitant interest rate. Not even death relieves a family of the burden, as the debt transfers to another family member until it is paid in full. When laborers try to break free from this system, they are commonly accused of crimes and imprisoned or met with violence. The agreed-upon wage is rarely paid to the worker and the worker is essentially powerless. This year, Global Mission Awareness purchased two families, which included fourteen people, out of modern-day brick kiln slavery.
Global Mission Awareness sponsored an Islamic girls’ school in partnership with Sufi leaders to educate around 100 girls as a pilot program to empower women and give them access to opportunities to dream and live dignified lives. After a successful first year with these girls, we will be expanding this school model around the region.
This year, GMA-Pakistan graduated 198 pastors from the Pakistan Theological Seminary. The president of GMA-Pakistan, Dr. Marqus Fida, is investing into raising up and sending out missionaries to the darkest places on earth to share the good news of Jesus Christ. It is a dangerous and challenging assignment to visit the least-reached people groups who often live in remote villages, so we equipped our ministers with upgraded methods of transportation so they can focus on bringing the light to the darkest places and raise up missionaries that carry the Father’s heart. We gave GMA-Pakistan a new Honda Civic and provided nine motorcycles to pastors and evangelists, in partnership with Missionary Ventures International.
We partnered with 7-Star TV to throw the 25th annual birthday party for Jesus and invited top interfaith leaders, members from the persecuted church, the poor and Bollywood celebrities. As we glorified Jesus and lifted Him up, He continues to faithfully draw all people to Himself (John 12:32).
Love is the language that blind eyes can see and deaf ears can hear. If you want to partner with us to raise Lighthouses of Love in the darkest places, click here to learn more. Please join us in prayer for the kingdom of heaven to advance and for millions of new names to be added to the Lamb’s Book of Life. {eoa}
Leif Hetland is the founder and president of Global Mission Awareness. He ministers globally, bringing an impartation of God’s love, healing and apostolic authority through a paradigm of kingdom family. A forerunner in modern-day missions, Leif has brought the gospel into some of the most spiritually dark areas of the world. Over one million names have been added to the Lamb’s Book of Life through his ministry. Visit Leif on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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