LAHORE, PAKISTAN – An evangelist born into a family of believers of three generations in Christ, makes it a priority to educate and liberate the underprivileged, the unreachable, and families born into slavery at the Brick Kilns. His ministry is impacting cities within Pakistan, growing hundreds of children in Christianity, and bringing joy into the homes of their parents through the hope of Jesus. Generations of all ages are getting the opportunity to have a better life. They are being set free and educated with day-to-day learning, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Evangelist Alexander Gill, a third-generation Christian, and founder/chairman of Hope On Jesus Foundation, headquartered in Lahore, Pakistan, is helping those in slavery to obtain their freedom. With a team of ten loyal members, (consisting of friends, family, and classmates), his ministry makes it a point to urgently reach the hopeless in remote places. One particular area is the Brick Kiln located in Kasur, where families lack education and are enslaved with hard labor.

“Our recent outreach efforts have allowed us to connect with families trapped in brick kiln slavery, facing numerous challenges and hardships. Despite their struggles, we were able to provide support and assistance to the best of our abilities, shared Evangelist Alexander. “However, we identified a critical need for access to education among their children, who are also at risk of being bound to this cycle of slavery.”

According to Evangelist Alexander, the Brick Kiln families working there were born into slavery due to debt inherited from their ancestors who also worked there.

The Brick Kiln families then become more in debt because of the necessities of life. They borrow loans from the Brick Kiln owner to pay for their current financial needs such as the cost of living and healthcare. These loans have them bound to working for the Brick Kiln owner, burdened with a never-ending term of working to pay off their unreachable debt.

One particular family shared with him that he had three generations of slaves, which included his father who worked there for the last ten years, him, and then his children. Evangelist Alexander shares the background of one of the Brick Kiln families that had ten family members.

“Two of the family members of the ten, had a heart problem and the other had a lungs problem. So, for their medications…and treatment from the hospital, they get a loan from the Brick Kiln owner to pay the hospital bills…and trying to meet their necessities. Everyone is trying to meet their needs and they get stuck in slavery.

Evangelist Alexander

Slaves within the Brick Kiln also include children. Evangelist Alexander mentioned that the children begin work from a young age. They are forced to work in drastic weather conditions, such as scorching heat in the summer, and unbearable freezing temperatures in the winter. Whether they are healthy or sick, they are forced to work. Since they are forced to work, they are not going to school.

Brick Kiln families start their work at 3 am; they finish their work at 5 pm. All day they make bricks with clay. After one week, they get money from the owner of the brick kiln. With that money, they manage their house expenses, bills, and other expenses.

Another existing conflict are the poor living conditions of the slaves. Some of their homes don’t have running water. Some homes have electric connections, but they are not set up to receive the service. This causes hardship and difficulty with the daily living among the slaves.

Slavery exists particularly among the Christians in Pakistan. According to Nations GEO, Pakistan holds “3% of the world’s population” with a running number of 245.6 million people. Among this population, only 1.59% are Christians, 96.03% follow the Islamic religion, based on statistics obtained from the World Atlas. With this knowledge, it is clear that Christians are outnumbered and listed among the minority.

As the minority, Evangelist Alexander shared that there is a high level of persecution among Christians from other religions. On August 16, 2023, there was an attack on a settlement of Christians in Faisalabad, which included the vandalism of churches and Christian homes.

“Pakistan is an Islamic country, so we face persecution. They burned the church last year. We’re facing many other problems,” said Evangelist Alexander.

In addition to the attacks, he explained that due to their belief in Jesus, they do not get certain rights that other religions receive. This includes little access to education and certain jobs.

“We are not getting our rights,” exclaimed Evangelist Alexander. “If one person is educated, they are not able to get high-end jobs; and not able to meet the expense of their family. The main problem is due to their Christian faith, they are facing persecution. Christians in Pakistan are not educated. They don’t have proper work. They have to meet the expenses of their families. So, they get a loan from the Brick Kiln owner. That’s when they start working at the Brick Kilns…and they become slaves.”

Positively, Hope on Jesus Foundation has made it a mission to help bring relief and liberty to these slaves within the Brick Kilns. Thus far, they have witnessed a major change.

“We’re trying to get them freedom. By the grace of God, at least two families are living their lives abundantly. We are giving them education and they are living lives properly.”

Evangelist Alexander

Evangelist Alexander was happy to report that the head of one of the Brick Kiln families that received liberty with the help of his ministry, has started ministry work with him.

“He is doing pastoral services with us and is now working with me,” said Evangelist Alexander gleefully.

Hope on Jesus Foundation has committed to paying the expense for the education of this family, which also includes their kids.

Even though they have helped these two families, more families are in need.

Weekly, Evangelist Alexander and his team members go to the Brick Kilns to show them the love of Christ. They educate and give to them through a successful Sunday School program that makes a difference in these children’s lives.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to distribute Sunday school books to our precious children at Brick Kiln, Kasur, who deserve love, support, and resources. These young ones face challenges daily, with limited access to education and resources, and parents who are not educated. But we believe in their potential! Our Sunday school is a sacred space where our kids can deepen their understanding of Christ’s teachings and love. We’re committed to shaping their spiritual and worldly future, providing hope and a brighter tomorrow,” shares Evangelist Alexander.

At the Hope on Jesus Foundation Sunday School Children Ministry, 300-400 children are represented within their five branches in Kasur. Of the five locations, three serve as home churches, which include: Ramzan Sandhu Brick Kiln, Nagra Bricks, and Rasool Pur. The remaining two locations are in Basti Chiragh Shah, and Kamal Chishti Chungi.

“We’re trying to grow them up in Christianity,” shares Evangelist Alexander. “If they know about Christ, they can live as a true Christian.”

They train them as a Christian, and give them handouts, paintings, and bibles. The handouts contain short stories, poems, and other content. They give them work and verses to learn. As these children return home, they recite bible verses and sing worship songs. This has caused many parents to listen and learn as well, which has brought joy into their homes as they all grow in Christ.

Hope On Jesus Foundation is making an impact in the lives of these families and showing the love of Christ. This is liberating them into a life of having an education in Christianity and making it possible to be set free from slavery.

The Background of Evangelist Alexander

Evangelist Alexander was born into Christianity. He was inspired to be in ministry by his late-maternal grandfather who was a believer in Christ and pastor. He taught him the importance of serving and giving to others.

“When I was a kid, I would go with him. Some families would give him love offerings. When he would go to another family, he would give that offering to that family. He told me, ‘Alexander, they don’t have food…they don’t have anything to eat, so I have to give to them, you also have to give them.’ Due to my maternal grandfather, I am doing this ministry.”

By the age of 14, he was working in ministry with his grandfather. He graduated high school and placed a high priority on education. His dream was to be an MBBS doctor. He applied to a medical university but was not admitted, which devastated him.

At 18, he isolated himself, sought the Lord to find out why, and asked what God desired for him. That’s when he heard the Voice of the Lord several times say to him, “You are chosen!” This encounter caused him to step into his true purpose to educate people for Jesus.

At 19, he stopped secular education and started ministry work with his grandfather. They helped families and prayed for them. He started a preschool system, and a curriculum, with two teachers working with him. He worked a night shift job to finance this ministry.

“I was doing night shift and paying their salaries. I volunteered my services and gave education to the Brick Kiln kids free of cost. All my salary, I gave books, handouts, and uniforms as I could. As I was able to do, I did,” Evangelist Alexander proudly stated.

Now at 22, he continues to give to the Brick Kiln families and has maintained his high priority of education. He shared that some families in Pakistan, only go to church for main events yearly, like Christmas and Easter. This happens because they don’t have a proper Christian education.

The New Land in Kasur & The Ultimate Mission

One of his members recently purchased land in Kasur, so they can build a church on the new land specifically for Brick Kiln families. They believe God will provide the financial resources to complete this project.

He took some time to share his ultimate goal, which significantly ties in with his high priority of education.

“My greatest goal is to educate my nation spiritually and worldly. I want to educate my nation. When they are educated, they can do everything, they can get a job earning a good place. When they are educated spiritually, they know about their religion, they will go to church regularly.”

He then shared a final and extremely memorable statement that can sink deep within the hearts of many nations.

“I want my nation to be a nation that God wants. We have to prepare the nation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. I also want to set them free from slavery.”

Evangelist Alexander

Hope On Jesus Foundation’s Mission Statement:
“Serve God by Serving His People”

If you believe in the Hope On Jesus Foundation mission in Pakistan, you can connect with them by going to Facebook under the name: Evangelist Alexander. Contact details can also be found in the HOH Global Directory.

This is Sharlene, reporting from Horns of Heaven Global News, letting the power of Jesus be known, by sounding the Trumpet from God’s People to God’s People. It’s all about the Kingdom of God and connecting the believers of Christ through clear communication and real-life stories told around the world! THE LORD IS ONE. WE ARE ONE PEOPLE! ADONAI ECHAD! ANACHNU AM ECHAD!

References:

Evangelist Alexander. “Evangelist Alexander Visits the Brick Kiln.” Facebook. 14, July 2024, https://www.facebook.com/reel/1458014591743653

Religion in Pakistan. World Atlas. Accessed July 30, 2024. Religion in Pakistan – WorldAtlas

Pakistan Population, July 2024, Nations GEO, Accessed July 31, 2024. Pakistan population, July 2024 (nationsgeo.com)