By Joe Proulx
Every week since 2009, Square One has broadcasted live on televisions across Afghanistan and Iran with our Dari-language program, Raze Zindagi (Secret of Life).
The show is hosted by Square One's President and Executive Director, Shoaib Ebadi. Produced in partnership with Pamir Ministries (a division of Operation Mobilization Canada), Secret of Life brings the Gospel to homes in countries where the message of Jesus is often barred from entry.
Of Afghanistan’s population of 40 million people, an estimated 12,000 (or 0.03%) are Christian.
As a live show, Shoaib and the Secret of Life team get to invite viewers to respond and call into the broadcast and be heard live on air. Many times, viewers have called in to ask for prayer or give feedback on the show.
However, a woman recently called into the live broadcast
for a very different reason. The woman, who is an Afghan Christian refugee living in Tajikistan, shared a story:
“A young child from a Muslim family was playing in an area near our house when the child was badly injured, bleeding from the head and around the eyes. Unable to get aid elsewhere, we welcomed the child and her mother into our house for the night.
Throughout the night, the child was suffering and the bleeding could not be stopped.
That is when I heard a voice saying, ‘Get up and pray for the child.’
I thought, ‘I cannot do that, this is a Muslim family.’
I heard the voice again: ‘Get up and pray for the child out loud.’
I asked the mother if I could pray for the child and she agreed. I prayed aloud for the child in the name of Jesus. At that moment, the blood stopped flowing and the child was able to sleep.
In the morning, the child had no signs of injury, got up, and kept right on playing!”
A video clip of this woman telling her story live on air was posted on the Secret of Life Facebook page. Within 48 hours, it was viewed more than 12,000 times and had nearly 500 comments, the majority from people who were upset by the story.
"In a country where Christians are afraid of persecution, and the message of Jesus is often barred from entry, this program continues to reach people," says Grant Hoeppner, the show's producer. "For nearly 15 years, I have had the great joy of producing Secret of Life alongside Shoaib. After all these years, we continue to listen to God and His will for this program. We believe He not only wants us to keep the program going, but to expand on our creativity; increasing the production value of the show by inviting more special guests on to the show, and by introducing a co-host."
Pray that God will continue to reach the Afghan people through Secret of Life, and that Square One would be able to support these new changes to the show along with ongoing production.
To support the program, click here.