Gateway City Focus: San Francisco Bay Area
| Dear Ministry Partner, I want to direct your attention to what God is doing on the West Coast. To be specific, the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m ecstatic to have one of your Global Gates missionaries provide an update on how God is moving in this global gateway city and the surrounding region: In August 2021 with heartbreak and disbelief we watched the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and droves of Afghans make a mad dash to the airport in Kabul in hopes of escaping this evil. California has received more Afghan refugees than any other state. A Global Gates missionary was ministering to new Afghan arrivals at a hotel in the Bay Area, where he met *Farhad, a 15-year-old Afghan boy. Farhad fled to Kabul’s airport with his parents and six brothers and sisters. However, in the crowded rush he was the only one in his family to get through and is now here alone without them. Farhad cries every night as the likelihood of reuniting with his family diminishes each day. What’s even more tragic is that his story is not uncommon among Afghans. There are many with accounts similar to his, and they are arriving here with just the clothes on their backs. But the response of Bay Area churches is one of compassion. Many donate clothes, furniture, kitchen supplies, and other items. A Global Gates missionary collaborated with ministry partners and churches to run an Easter event in a local park for the Afghan community. 17 churches and more than 70 volunteers put together a carnival for about 500 Afghan families. 250 children participated in Easter egg hunts, face-painting, and games. Many of the adults requested prayer, and dozens asked for a Bible in their language. Several of our Afghan neighbors are questioning Islam after the Taliban accused them of “not being a good Muslim.” The Holy Spirit is using this to open the hearts of many to explore Jesus. However, the harvest fields here extend far beyond Afghans. The Bay Area is home to more than 130,000 Hindi-speaking Hindus, 80,000 Gujarati Hindus, and 40,000 Punjabi Sikhs. In August, Global Gates’ Pathways Internship, a nine-month missionary training, will expand to the Bay Area to educate, equip, and empower local believers to reach the nations for Christ. Thank you, dear friend, for helping us share the love of Jesus with our Afghan neighbors, other unreached diaspora populations in the Bay Area, and their communities around the world. This would not be possible without your prayers and generosity. Grateful for you, David Garrison Executive Director, Global Gates *Names changed for security reasons |
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