It has been almost a week since I left Pakistan after 11 days in a country that is reeling under the multiple crises of floods, political instability, price increases and cricketing controversy.
It is impossible to sum up any experience of a complex country like Pakistan in a single thought. I have reflected on two major themes. First, and perhaps most obvious, is the floods. The scale of devastation and not in just in terms of people displaced or land submerged is immense. How will people prove their academic record if their school certificates have disappeared in the water and mud that swept through houses and villages? How can families and communities prove their title to land when records have been lost and boundary markers swept away? How will people be fed when crops have been flattened and fields covered in mud and debris? With roads, bridges, power stations, railway networks all damaged in the floods, how will this infrastructure be rebuilt and how long will it take? How will the government, aid agencies and churches continue to meet the needs of millions of people who need food, medicine and shelter if the international community does not continue to donate aid? All these and many more questions, but no sure answers.
But I was also present when the newly-built St Joseph’s Church was dedicated by Bishop Samuel Azariah. I saw the almost-completed Central Church in Warris Road, Lahore. I was swept along with the enthusiasm and exuberance of the girls acting and dancing the parables in Sialkot. I was impressed by the commitment and sense of responsibility exhibited by people in Jalapur Jattan and Gujrat who see church land and property not only as their inheritance, but as a resources for mission and service. And the way that relief workers from our partners distributed goods to people affected by the floods with respect and dignity was noteworthy.
Pakistan remains in the grip of multiple challenges but the professionalism and resilience of many people made a lasting impression. They demand and deserve our respect, our support and our prayers.
