Afghanistan (MNN) — Tragedy struck dozens of Afghan families last month when a motorbike, truck, and bus crashed in northwestern Afghanistan. The accident and ensuing fire killed at least 79 people.
Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says that three of the victims were missionaries discipled for gospel ministry.
“Unknown Nations has been training many Afghans who are inside of Iran who have come to know Jesus, recognizing it’s a tremendous opportunity [to launch] these people back into [Afghanistan] equipped [and] trained by seasoned missionaries there,” he says.
A girl looks on among Afghan women lining up to receive relief assistance during the holy month of Ramadan in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
(Photo by IsaaK Alexandre KaRslian/Unsplash)
The bus was on its way back from Iran, which has expelled more than 1 million Afghan refugees in the past year. The chaotic deportations have left many Afghans with little to nothing.
“We’ve sent them some resources just to help them get by, but it’s going to be a very difficult journey ahead for them, especially in a place like Afghanistan,” says Kelley. “Single moms don’t tend to do very well at all. They’re looked down upon.”
Afghan expatriates describe their home country this way: “There’s nothing there for us. We don’t have work. We don’t have jobs. The Taliban make life incredibly difficult.”
Yet God uses suffering to draw people to the true hope of Christ.
“It causes everybody to look at their worldview and to consider what they believe, and that’s where the opportunity is to share the gospel,” says Kelley. “That is why Afghanistan is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world as far as receiving the gospel.”
Unknown Nations has trained more than 200 disciple-makers now living inside Afghanistan. Pray for more Afghans to hear and accept the hope of Christ. Ask God for peace and provision for the families of the three missionaries in this loss.
“We just keep our eyes and focus in the midst of the carnage on disciples who make disciples who make disciples. [We focus on] how do you encourage them and stand alongside of them?” says Kelley.
Header photo of street scene in Kabul, Afghanistan courtesy of Farid Ershad/Unsplash.
