Day 7 - Jalalabad and Eastern Afghanistan 

Jalalabad, or ‘City of Glory’, a bustling city of possibly 300,000, is the largest trade and market center of eastern Afghanistan.  The most densely populated areas in Afghanistan are the eastern Pashtun provinces.  Nangrahar, Laghman, Kunar, Khost, Paktika, and Paktia are nearly 100% Pashtun; Ghazni, Logar, and Wardak, along with Kabul Province (not city) are majority Pashtun. 

Pashtuns have paid a heavy price for centuries of bloodshed, in deep cultural and spiritual bondage.  History says that of the 17,000 or so British subjects retreating from Kabul to Jalalabad in the mid-1800's, only one person made it alive to the fort in Jalalabad.  This is said to be the largest single massacre of a retreating force in history. 

Culturally, this area is very conservative, with a tradition very similar to Pakistan’s Tribal Territories.  Support

for Al Qaeda and the Taliban is prevalent, especially in remote areas. Throughout all of these Pashtun areas,

believers are virtually non-existent. The few Afghan believers there are alone, unable to share their faith, and

never have the opportunity to worship with fellow believers. Very few Christian workers have ever worked in

Eastern Afghanistan and as a result, very little ground has been softened and few seeds have been sown.

Pray that:

• God will lead mature, committed followers to these areas, many of which have never had any resident Christian workers to extend God's offer of reconciliation and peace.

• The “City of Glory” will be filled with the glory of the Lord and become a launching point for the gospel to spread to areas that have never heard anything about Christ.

• Khost, which is the gateway to some very remote Pashtun places, will open up for workers to enter. 

Hebrews 8:12 I will treat them with kindness even though they are wicked.  I will forget their sins. CEV