Kid's Good News
Vol 1-issue 40             Nov/21 /2002

Contents:

Bible Story
Story time
This Week's Riddle #36
Answer of Riddle #35 and Winner
Change of Email Addresses

Bible Story:
Joseph meets his father
So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.  Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am."  So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.  I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."

Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.  So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. 

All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all.  And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.

Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.  So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.  And Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive."  Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and those of my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.  And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.  So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?  that you shall say, 'Your servants' occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."

Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen."  And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.  Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers."  And they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen."

Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you.  The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock."

Story time....

O Jesus, Son of Maryam, heal me - 14

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 later she got a Bible. While reading the Bible she discovered the amazing fact that the Lord's Prayer which was taught by Jesus to her in her vision was found in the Bible word by word. Later she realized that baptism was necessary according to the Bible, so she took baptism and she was given the new name Gulshan Esther. She was rejected by her family members. Then she heard that her sister was dying. She went to see her but by that time she was dead. But God had told her that her sister will not die but will live. The miracle happened exactly. She came back to life after 14 hours. But when Gulshan returned to her school, she found that she had no job any longer. She returned to her sister's home but soon Anis's husband told her to get out of his house. So Gulshan went to Rawalpindi as advised by Anis but she was trapped.... She spent few months in Jail and seven women of her room turned to God and repented from their sins. She went to spend time with her brother Alim Shah but it was devastating as her brother tried to kill her with his handgun but she escaped miraculously...
*******

She was standing alone at Samanabad road and her heart was crying, "Where should I go, Father"? She was trying to fight back tears and shock of the terrible thing, which happened to her just a few moments ago. She looked up and down to find a clue of what steps she has to take next. Suddenly she turned and walked toward the bus stop which was one mile away from where she was standing. By the time she reached the bus stop she made up her mind to go to the house of John and Bimla Emmanuel.

John was a gardener with city authorities and he lived with his four children and wife in a small house. Gulshan had been to their home a few times before, and had enjoyed their fellowship. She took a rickshaw and minivan to reach their home. Bimla opened the door and stared at her with surprise and invited her in the house. Gulshan told her of what had happened to her and requested for temporary shelter. Bimla saw that Gulshan was shivering so she embraced her and said, "you are most welcome in our home." When John returned from his work and heard the story of Gulshan, he said with concern, "Don't worry, I am your brother in Christ." House was small and she wondered where she could sleep but they adjusted in that small accommodation. She slept with children in verandah. First night she could not sleep.

She knew that she needed a job very badly as she did not want to be a burden for her host. She went to a school to find job. The head mistress looked at her and asked politely, "Good morning, Madame, do you have your kids here?" Gulshan said, "No, I came here to ask if there is any vacancy of teacher in your school?" Headmistress' polite attitude changed and she asked, "What do you teach?" Gulshan said, "I can teach Urdu, Islamic religious knowledge, History, Geography and Mathematics up to matriculation level. She looked at her sharply and refused to give her a job. Gulshan was desperate and so she stood there for some more time pleading. But there was no favorable response. For the next three weeks she came to the city and approached went to one school after another looking for job but to no avail. John and Bimla assured her for their support but she knew that it would be hard for a person who was getting meager income to support her for one more month. She walked on the streets in very burning heat with a hole in her shoes. She felt desperate and dejected when she could not find a job. Finally she prayed a lot for a job.

On her fourth visit to the unemployment office she found out that a lady reporter was wanted for a weekly magazine which had office in old Anarkali road. She had seen the magazine which included interviews of famous people. It was twenty four pages magazine with pictures of famous people and with colored cover. Her desperation became her boldness. Next day she was at the first floor's office in old Anarkali.

Editor of the magazine received her with a smile and asked, "Why do you want a job?" She said, "I do not have parents and I am educated, I want to earn my living." His next question was, "Why your brothers and sister do not support you so that you need not to work?" She said, "They have all married and settled in their homes and I do not want to be a burden to them." He again spoke and asked, "What other places you tried for work?" Gulshan explained her unsuccessful attempt to get a job in schools as teacher." He was curiously studying her face then he took a quick decision, "Come for work from tomorrow between 8:30 to 9:00 in the morning and don't worry, I will tell you what to ask and how to take interview with people. You have to go to people's home and sometimes schools etc. to take interview."

She thought, "I have much experience of going to people's home." But she did not say anything. The editor further explained to her that she would get basic salary of Rs.100 per month, and twenty percent of the commission she receives from those ladies with whom she will be taking interview. Finally the Editor asked, "You are not a Muslim, aren't you?" She replied, "I am a Christian" and waited for a long agonizing time for him to reply. Finally he put his pen in pocket, stood from his chair and said, "it does not matter as you are educated and have boldness to speak with people."

In that office there were three male reporters, one photographer and a calligrapher. She was the only woman in that office among seven mail employees. But they all treated her with great respect and called her Baji (Sister). She learned everything in four days including the ten stock questions to take interview. News was written in editorial room, checked by editor before it was handed over to calligrapher who wrote in Urdu scripts in large papers. Editor once again checked the work before it went to press. Her job was to assist the editor in checking the news and sometimes she had to go to post office with peon to receive packages.

Her first interview was with the wife of one ex-foreign minister who had resigned from his post because of personal difficulties with the prime minister of Pakistan Mr. Bhutto. The lady received Gulshan very graciously. Gulshan asked her the ten questions one after another. Altaf, the photographer accompanied her who was of great help in her interviews. During the interview, the lady spoke few words in English which Gulshan could not understand (because of her father's strictness toward Islam she was not allowed to study English). But Altaf interpreted it for her quietly and also suggested more questions when Gulshan's mind went blank. When interview was over the lady asked Gulshan about what her education was? She replied, "Just enough to interview you". And the lady laughed.

The article was re-written by editor and appeared with the name Gulshan. Editor did not add the Christian name Esther. For this interview she got Rs.700 from the lady and Gulshan personally got Rs.140 She gave Rs.100 to John and kept Rs.40 for herself. At first they refused taking any money but after much insistence they received. They told her, "We are happy that God is helping you." Gulshan was also happy with her new job. Next time she had to take interview of a headmistress of girl's school. She was very nervous to face a clever woman. But Altaf helped her and told her that she should ask her to explain in detail so that common people may understand her. The interview went good. Three days later she went to collect money. Headmistress was very curious about Gulshan as she was told by one of her staff members who was a Christian about the conversion story of Gulshan. She asked, "Why did you become a Christian, let me help you to come back to Islam." So Gulshan told her story in brief to the headmistress before her staff. She said, "you have a caring attitude and strong faith."

Gulshan found her job easier in consecutive days. She had a strange feeling to think that her words were read by people all over Pakistan. Many a times she thought, "why am I here instead of working for God?" But she laid her thought aside. Her fellow workers knew that she was something different than them. After two weeks of her work in that office they knew that she was a Christian. Very often they teased her saying, "So you believe in three Gods"? But Gulshan tried to explain to them that there is only one God but have three manifestations of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. She also explained that Jesus was not any ordinary prophet but Son of God and that Holy Spirit was sent to indwell with the believers and teach them and make them holy. But Muslim staff could not understand it. Very often the editor came and stopped their teasing saying, "Don't be rude to her as she is the only woman staff in this office."

One day at 4 PM while she was going down to leave her office, the next-door sweet shop owner came and asked her, if she could teach his three children for two hours after her office hours? So it was decided that she would teach them from 4 - 6 PM for Rs.150 per month and evening meals. She started teaching those kids but it cost her to leave John and Bimla's house because it was far away and it will be dark before she reached home. It was not safe for a woman to walk alone at night So she took shelter at in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Neelam's house who lived near by. She knew Mr. Neelam as he was a music teacher in blind school where she worked previously.

Days and months passed by and she wrote eight or nine stories by December which were published as by Gulshan or by our lady staff. On the second week of December, the editor called her in his office and told her, "You are doing better than I thought and I would like you to keep you but only one thing you have to do, leave your Christian faith and return to Islam." He said further, "Now I know your story that why you are a Christian. If your brother will not support you, I will but only give up Christianity." She sat their as a stone. He went on, "I will let you stay in my home... I will increase your salary up to Rs.1, 000 per month... I will make you supervisor over all the reporters. I will take one more lady reporter ... but you should come back to Islam."

She realized that this man may be in contact with Alim Shan and may probably be going to the same club where he went and may they are friends. She remembered the false love which was shown by her brothers previously. She now could realized why he took her as employee though she had no experience. He might have been working patiently for this moment to bring her back in Islam. She sighed and said, "I appreciate your offer and I would like to work with you, but Jesus is my life and I cannot give up Christianity. What I have found in Jesus would not be provided by any religion." Later that day, editor's wife came to meet her. Gulshan felt it was a last attempt by the editor's wife to turn her away from her faith. She asked, "You are a clever woman, but why did you become a Christian?" Gulshan said, "You may never believe what I was and what I am now, God is so real to me." Editor's wife left without a word. Later that day the editor gave her an envelop with Rs.125 in it and said, "I am sorry but you cannot work here anymore. I and my wife will regret your departure and we will always remember you." Gulshan said, "I am sorry too but God will find another job for me." Editor said further, "If you were destitute I would have helped you but the problem of religion would remain." She said, "Don't worry, I will seek the help of God instead of looking toward man." And she left the office.

Other reporters were not happy seeing her go. They told her, "Why are you going just because of a bit of religion. Its ok if Jesus healed you but why don't you give some money to the poor and leave it at that." But she told them that, "Jesus is more to me than that." She shook hands with them and told them that she will pray for them and she left the office. While coming down from stairs, she felt chilled and her head was spinning. Outside of the building she leaned against a wall and cried out to the heavenly father and He answer her, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be. Have not I commanded thee?"
To be continued......

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