Kid's Good News
Vol 1-issue 37             Oct/31 /2002

Contents:

From Sherly's Desk
Bible Story
Story time
This Week's Riddle #35
Answer of Riddle #34 and Winner
Change of Email Addresses

From Sherly's Desk:
October 31st is observed as Halloween or all saints day. History tells us that it originally came from the Roman harvest festival - Pomona and druidism. It is commonly believed that before winter the spirits of dead people visit their loved ones. It is also the time when people believed that evil spirits come and destroy crops, steal away their infants and create trouble in their lives. This is also known as "festival of dead". This festival is celebrated both to drive away spirits and as harvest festival. In these celebrations symbols of ghosts, witches, skulls, black cats, spiders etc. are used to terrorize evil spirits and ghosts to protect their crop and their loved ones.

But the most amazing thing is that Christians have adopted this festival in their Churches and homes. They display symbols of witchcraft and demonic things in their homes and Churches. How tragic it is that people think, if they display these symbols, they will drive away evil powers but reality is somewhat different. Without their knowledge they are inviting devil and evil spirits to come and live in their homes. If you really want to drive away devil from your lives there is only one method i.e. Jesus. The name of Jesus is so powerful that demons tremble before Him. Bible says in Mat 8:16, "When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick"

Yes, Jesus' word has power to cast out all demons, sickness, curse and the problems of your lives. You need not to observe Halloween, you need not to put evil symbols in your homes. You need not to fear those evil powers that want to destroy your life, your crop, your business or your family. But you need Jesus in your life. When Jesus comes in, He gives protection that no one else can give it to you. He will bless your lives. If you are celebrating Halloween/harvest festival, get out of it, it is evil, it is demonic. Repent from your sins and turn to Jesus. Give your life to Jesus and you will never be the same again.

Bible Story:

Second trip of Joseph's brothers to Egypt 
Now the famine was severe in the land.  And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to Joseph's brothers, "Go back, buy us a little food."  But Judah spoke to him, saying, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.  If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.  But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"  And Israel said, "Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?"  But they said, "The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"

Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.  I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time."

And their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man; a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.  Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.  Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man.  And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!"

So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph.  When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon."  Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.  Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, "It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and fall upon us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys."  When they drew near to the steward of Joseph's house, they talked with him at the door of the house,  and said, "O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food;  but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand.  And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks."

But he said, "Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.  So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.  Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. 

And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.  Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?"  And they answered, "Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.  Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son."  Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.  Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, "Serve the bread." 

So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.  And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.  Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

Story time....

O Jesus, Son of Maryam, heal me - 11

Till this time you have read that, Gulshan Fatima was paralyzed at her left side when she was only 6 months old. Her mother died when she was an infant. Her father loved her so much that he took her to England for treatment but when they heard the disappointing words of doctor, "it has no cure", their hearts broke down. Her father encouraged her and said, "We will go to Mecca and knock the door of Allah, and he will heal you." So they went to Mecca and visited Ka'aba - the house of Allah. Even she kissed the cubical shape of ka'aba but to their utter despair nothing happened. To avoid her father's troubled look, she kept her face down. Then they visited Safa and Marva from where they bought Zamzam water. She bathed with that water but nothing happened. She and her father returned home heart broken. Next blow for her was, her beloved father's death!! But while she was so disturbed, she heard a low, gentle voice telling her to read about Jesus in Quran Sura Maryam. She started reading Urdu Quran and started praying, "O Jesus, Son of Maryam, heal me!! Three years later her prayers were answered with a marvelous vision of Jesus. Jesus personally came and healed her. From the very first day, she realized the growing opposition from her relatives and acquaintance. Three weeks after she got a Bible. While reading the Bible she discovered the amazing fact about the Lord's Prayer that was taught by Jesus to her in her vision which was found in the Bible word by word. Later she realized that baptism is necessary according to the Bible, so she took baptism.
********

After taking baptism she asked Rev. Aslam Khan about witnessing but he refused saying, "You can witness by your actions, it is not necessary to witness by your mouth." But she precisely remembered the words of Jesus saying, "You are my witness, go to my people..." She insisted saying, "it seems to me that Jesus wants me to witness before others, can I speak in Church?" When Rev. Aslam refused her proposal, she said, "Let me go back to my home and witness to my family." She said, "I want to do that at any cost." No they will not like your baptism and they can harm you", said Rev. Aslam. Though she did not believe that there may be any danger from her own family members but she asked, "could I go to a Bible college so that I may learn more to witness them." Rev. Aslam looked at her as she was insisting very hard.

Rev. Aslam told her firmly that she couldn't do it because she is very young in her faith. But he said that any job in a Christian institute would be better for her. So he arranged for her to work as housemother in Sunrise School for the Blind where she took care of small group of blind children. She experienced a new beginning with new destination and total cutoff of her old life. In her section there were 40 students. Half of them were Muslims and others were Christians. She got a meager income of Rs. 40/- but it did not bother her. She had to look after younger boys, make their beds, help them to wash their clothes, to be their eyes when they go around, be with them at meal times etc. She also had the work of cleaning windows and tables. There were two more housemothers who were cousins. They did not speak to her at first but later on they became friends and helped her in her difficult tasks. They also interpreted her message to principal who knew only English not Urdu. As soon as she joined, she called her younger brother Alim Shah and told that she became a Christian and working in a school for Blind Children.

It was unpleasant news for him. He said, "What have you done, come back home and forget everything." But she said, "I have found the way, the truth and the life, how can I forget and leave all these things?" He said, "you are gone mad, if you talk like this, my doors are closed for you forever, you are dead for me... I do not want to see your face anymore." She smiled and said, "Its ok if your door is closed but my heavenly father's door is open and if I am dead for you, it is as you said, I am dead in Christ." He did not reply to her words but banged the receiver and hanged off the phone. The same day she wrote to her uncle and elder brother Safdar Shah saying that she became a Christian and took baptism. She waited for their reply with anxious expectations that they may allow her to live among them but from the bottom of her heart she knew that it would never happen.

Days passed by working among blind children and telling the stories from Bible to them. Every time when she opened the Bible to read, she felt as if someone is interpreting for her. One day she got letter from her brother Safdar Shah saying, he never expected this type of news from her. He continued, "You are my beloved sister who used to love God very much and father loved you so much and taught you about Islam. Daughter of a Sayed cannot go the way you are going, turn back. You believe in Jesus as God's son that is not good for our family or religion. You know that father left so much property in your name and all the deeds are with me which cannot be given to a Christian." He further wrote, "Because the whole Pakistan knows about your conversion, the properties no longer belong to you or cannot be given to you." He also wrote, "if you will not leave Christianity, I will leave no stone unturned to bring you back. Islam gives me the right to kill a sister who turned from Islam to Christianity and can still go to heaven."

As she read the mail, her heart was filled with grief that her brother was treating her in this way though she had legal rights on those properties. She was comforted by the verses from the Bible while reading John 14th chapter where Jesus promised home for believers, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." (John 14:1)

Three days later she got a ten page letter from her uncle saying, "Have you become an atheist, come back to your religion and your home." She stood there with the letter afraid and filled with doubt praying, "O Lord Jesus, I did not do anything wrong for them but why are they behaving with me like this? Will you tell me what answers should be given to them?"

After much prayers she wrote back to him giving the Bible verses saying:
1. I have found the Way: She referred John 10:9, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." She also wrote that, when a person wants to enter into a home, he/she has to go through door of that home and Jesus is the door to God or heaven.
2. I have found the Truth: She quoted Jesus' words found in John 8:45-46,"But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?"
3. I have found the Life: John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
4. I have found forgiveness of sin.
5. I have found eternal life: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

She challenged him saying, "Prove by all these five points whether I am an atheist, if not, take my warning not to call me an atheist." She never got any reply of that mail but later she heard about her uncle and aunty that they packed their belongings and left Pakistan and went to Iran. Because they feared Safdar Shah who was accusing them for not preventing the conversion of Gulshan.

December came, it was the time of Christmas and this was the first Christmas for her. Some children went home and some stayed there, so they decorated the school's dining room with a small manger and tree with lights on it. It was a time of excitement and joy for everyone. But soon after Christmas, one unexpected guest came to meet her and gave her the tragic news about her sister Anis. At the visitor's room she saw her brother-in-law Blund Shah standing with completely exhausted and crushed looks. He told her that Anis was seriously ill as she was seven months pregnant and the child was dead and doctors could not stop the bleeding. She is about to die and she is repeating your name. I have a car outside, would you come with me right away, he asked?

Oh yes, but I have to take permission first. She left that room to take permission but a tiny whisper told her, "She will be dead by the time you will reach, it may be a waste of time and it is possible that they may never allow you to return." So before taking permission from the principal she went to her room and prayed and got clear answer from God, "You go down to her, I will keep her alive, she will not die." She took two days leave, packed her bag within a little time and went with him at 5PM. After three hours journey they reached Gujerat where her sister was living in a rented bungalow from the last three months. As soon as they reached there, they were greeted with the dreadful news, "She is dead". Gulshan went to the room where Anis was lying. Her sister's face was turned to yellowish gray color and lips were blue. Room was filled with mourners; many relatives and neighbors came to pay their last respects.

Gulshan knelt down beside the bed and cried out to God, "O, Jesus you told me that she will not die, you will keep her alive. What would I do now? She is dead." Gulshan continued her prayer saying, "O, Jesus you are the way, the truth the life, so please resurrect her “ She continued praying until the thought came to her strongly, "She will not die, I will keep her alive." So she prayed, "Please put some life in her for few moments so that I may talk about you." She heard a voice saying to her, "She is not dead but she is alive. I have added to her life."

Gulshan stood up and said to everybody, "Why are you crying? She is not dead - she is alive." People said, "She is mad, lock her up in other room." So they locked her up in a bedroom. Her prayers did not stop there. She continually prayed, "Lord please wake her up so that they may believe." People outside were preparing the coffin for her sister. Her sister's clothes were changed and they washed her body once. But they would wash her body second time and as it was night they postponed it for next day morning. At 8AM the next day her room's door opened and she was released to pay her last respect to her sister. She stood at Anis' bedside with few other ladies. Imam's wife said the Kalmas over her body and her body was handed over to three other ladies for final bath. She saw red henna on her sister's hands which was the sign of happiness and blood. After that they will wrap her with a sheet and put her in her coffin.

Suddenly Anis moved her hand, opened her eyes and sat upright. Looking toward others in wonder she asked, "What happened?" There was commotion and tremendous panic in the room. People screamed, fell backward and some ran away from that room. Gulshan looked at Anis and embraced her. Many looked at Gulshan and asked, "What have you done, how could a dead person sit?" She smiled and said, "Ask her what happened." Anis said, "Don't be afraid of me, I am alive."

Her husband and Imam and other people came running on hearing the news. Maulvi touched the head of Anis and asked, "daughter, tell me, what really happened to you? 14 hours ago you were dead and we were preparing for your funeral. Anis said, "I was not dead but I was sleeping. Lady doctor said with emphasis, "You were dead, there was no life in you." "No I was not dead but I was sleeping, Anis said. She said further, "While sleeping I saw a dream that there was a ladder and I was about to put my foot on ladder. At the top of that ladder there was a man standing in white robs. He was wearing a gold crown and light was coming from his forehead". She also saw that he put his hand on her and light was coming from his hand. He said, "I am Jesus Christ. I am the King of kings. I will send you back and at the appointed time I will bring you back again." She said, "At that moment I opened my eyes." Her face was beaming with joy. Whole house was filled with joy that cannot be described. Gulshan took opportunity to talk about Jesus.

Anis’ husband who showed the most opposition when Gulshan became a Christian now said that, "her prayers have brought his wife's life back." Three days later when all the guests left her home Anis’ husband asked, "Who is this great prophet you have seen?" Gulshan took out her Quran and showed about Jesus from Sura Maryam and also from the Bible where Jesus raised dead Lazarus and gave new life in John 11:43-44.

He slowly said, "I believe that it is Jesus, Son of Mary who gave second life to my wife." He seemed very happy and accepted what Gulshan told. Anis told her vision of Jesus to everyone even to Imams who listened very carefully but after listening they disfavored Gulshan.

To be continued....

Change of Email Addresses

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