The Committee on Relief has provided $12,000 in flood relief to Pakistan. Torrential flooding in Pakistan that began in late July and has continued since then has displaced as many as 17 to 20 million people. As of Aug. 30, the government in Pakistan has confirmed that 1,600 people are dead and 2,366 injured from the floods. Millions are currently at risk from food shortages and disease.

WELS contacts in Pakistan used the grant from the Committee on Relief to deliver food and clothing for some of these flood victims at the end of August. These Christians were also able to distribute copies of The Promise in Urdu and Punjabi. The Promise is a publication of WELS Multi-Language Publications that presents the basic message of the Bible in simple language.

"The immensity of the suffering is beyond comprehension," says the coordinator for WELS' work in Pakistan, who must remain anonymous to maintain his safety. "One-fifth of the country is under water. A helping hand says, 'There is a God who cares for you.' At a medical clinic operated by our contact, one person said, 'I know that your God is the true God because I see his love in you.' "

Before the flood, 23,000 Pakistanis were enrolled in WELS' Bible correspondence program. "There is a great hunger for the gospel in this land where 98 percent of the population is Muslim," says WELS' Pakistan coordinator.