Honour the Lord with the first fruits

You can help David Anwar meet the literature needs of a church under pressure.

In obedience to the word of God my mother offered her first child to the Lord.

My friends said they wanted to be policemen, doctors or teachers. I could say only that I was a servant of God.

My mother instructed and disciplined me daily. I was eight years old when I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour. At thirteen I preached the word of God to 300 children.

Remember what you have been taught

I rebelled and broke my mother’s covenant. I stopped going to church and started staying out late. My mother wept and prayed for me every day. My father refused to talk to me.

I was determined to be admitted to university. I sat exams. I appealed to Muslim saints. I tried every possible way. Nothing worked. My personal failure and the challenges facing my country crushed and depressed me. I felt trapped, helpless and far from God.

My cousin gave me a book. Reading helped me to understand Pakistan’s problems and my position before God. I learned that God is good. He loves us. I repented and surrendered to God.

A reading Christian is a growing Christian

I read all the books my mother owned and began sharing books with my cousins. In 2010 I started collecting books. Soon there was not enough space in my home. I now rent a room in our neighbourhood to house our library. People come to read and be blessed.

By freeing us from habitual thinking, reading helps us to be creative. This is important not just for us personally but also for our nation. Reading makes us aware of other people’s needs. By allowing us to learn from other people’s experience, reading helps us to overcome challenges and solve problems.

Local writers with local understanding

My ambition is to publish books that meet the needs of the 4.5 million Christians in Pakistan. These books will be written by Pakistani Christians and address issues facing our nation, church and church leaders.

At Masihi Isha’at Khana (MIK) I work in art, graphic design and IT. I am the only member of my family with a job. I am grateful to be able to work doing what I love.

The workshop conducted by Brother Michael in Lahore was very useful. By adopting ideas we learned, I am able to work more skilfully. We learned that good design begins with key words and big ideas and is, therefore, the responsibility of writers and editors as well as designers.

Pray that God will provide the resources we need to write and publish good books. Pray that the Holy Spirit will use books to awaken and equip leaders to revive and grow the church.

David Anwar works with Masihi Isha’at Khana (The Christian Publishing House) in Lahore.

$6000 will deliver training to editors, designers and illustrators in Asia.