Dear friend, 

During one of my recent trips, I met the owner of a brick kiln in Pakistan. On the surface, he appeared to be a well respected, successful business leader in his community. Behind the scenes, he exhibited many of the cruelest expressions of humanity.

This kiln owner would beat and sexually abuse the enslaved women for not meeting their daily 1,500 quota for making bricks. He chained men to trees for taking a drink of water at the wrong time of day. And perhaps the most heinous of all, taking children from their parents when they didn’t meet his demands and selling them into the horrors of sex trafficking for a few extra bucks! Can you imagine trying to survive in a scarier environment?

Unfortunately, this experience does not represent the exception, it is the norm for more than 5,000 brick kiln owners across Pakistan.

Yet, in a moment, everything changed for this man and his 2,000 slaves. 

Our team shared the gospel with this man and he fell under conviction of the Holy Spirit and surrendered all to Christ! The change was immediate and dramatic.

The first sign of transformation came when a middle-aged woman hysterically lunged at my feet. I quickly realized that her tears were of complete jubilation. Through her tears, she explained that the 2-year-old daughter she lovingly held in her arms would no longer be sold! Since the child was born, the brick kiln owner had been threatening the mother. He planned to sell the child into trafficking when she turned five, ensuring she would never be seen again.

This mother was the first person the newly-reformed kiln owner saw after receiving Jesus. He promptly told her that the child was safe and that he would never separate the two. Over and over again, the sobbing mother thanked our team. 

Another woman in her mid sixties embraced a member of our team. She was older with health issues and could not make the brick quota. Upon his transformation, the slave owner released her and her family instantly from a bondage they had endured for two generations. She was exuberant!

 

Before we left an hour later word had spread that another four families had been set free. This man was going on a rampage for Jesus! And his first targets of this newfound compassion and love, were those he had oppressed the most. 

When we met with this kiln owner a second time, he told our team how he had seen Jesus. He was committed to becoming a new man transformed in the power of Jesus. Repeatedly he asked us why we hadn’t come earlier and why he hadn’t been informed sooner. He said he would not have done those heinous things if he had only known Jesus! 

This is just the beginning of this incredible testimony. Our team of indigenous missionaries on the ground will continue to walk alongside this man and disciple him. Work must also be done to help the slaves he’s released and those who will become free. We have the ability to assist him in freeing slaves across more than ten kilns under his ownership. 

Would you help us pray for this man and his slaves? Pray that his fire for Jesus continues to grow and govern his actions and that his testimony will spread like wildfire from one kiln owner to the next. 

 

 

This is how the horrific brick kiln culture will be transformed in Pakistan. Owners who control these businesses must come into contact with the gospel and slaves must be set free. That is our mission at Unknown Nations, bringing light into the darkest corners of the Earth - places where Jesus is not yet known. We invite you to join us! 

In the bonds of Calvary, 

Greg Kelley, CEO