Six months ago, seven young Pakistani women were enrolled in the Crossroads Women’s Empowerment Program called the Beautification Project.
The Beautification Project, in partnership with a professional Cosmetology Institute, sponsored young women caught in the grip of generational poverty with six months of professional Cosmetology training. For many young Christian Pakistani women, Crossroads Women’s Empowerment Projects—like this Beautification Project—are the difference between abject poverty and making a living helping to provide for their families.
On September 30, 2023, each of these young women successfully graduated and received their Professional Certification as Cosmetologists and Stylists.
What this means in real-life terms is that seven women previously destitute and without hope of upliftment financially now have a real possibility of raising themselves and their families from the dungeons of generational poverty. The granting of a professional certification in Cosmetology not only opens the door to economic prosperity, puts food on their tables, but also makes possible the education of their children. Your gift has irrevocably produced a lasting change in the lives of seven marginalized and forgotten individuals.
An integral part of all Crossroads Women’s Empowerment Programming is an intentional discipleship aspect woven into its daily programming. Working with the President of the Cosmetology Institute, our Crossroads, Pakistan staff members carried out daily bible studies between and after training classes. Whereas the Cosmetology Institute prepared these young women for a career as Stylists and Cosmetologists, the discipleship training they received prepares each graduate with the skills, confidence, and knowledge to become genuine Christ-centered disciple-makers.
Emerging from this Empowerment Program has been the emboldened sharing of the faith with each participant’s Muslim and Hindu friends and neighbors—risky business in a country where Muslims have a “license to kill” non-Muslims, especially anyone trying to convert Muslims to another faith. A few of these women have also started small seeker-sensitive bible studies in their homes for Muslims and Hindus curious to know more about Jesus.
Looking toward the future, each of these graduating women has indicated a deep desire to be instrumental in planting churches, using their trade as Cosmetologists to open gospel conversations about Jesus Christ. Using their profession and client base to open doors for spiritual conversations, these women are truly serving as indigenous missionaries in a spiritually dark place. Collectively, these once-impoverished individuals have set a target of planting 20 to 30 house churches over the next number of years, potentially resulting in 140 to 210 new house. churches (working under the guidance and auspices of Crossroads, Pakistan).
To facilitate the economic upliftment of these women and their extended families, to break the cycle of generational poverty, and to facilitate the church-planting aspirations of these women, Crossroads is asking you to prayerfully consider making a one-time “designated” gift to be used for the establishment of start-up Entrepreneurial Business Micro-loans. These micro-loans will be used to finance the opening of small salon businesses that seek to advance the gospel, plant churches (house churches), and lift fellow believers out of the drudges of poverty. Micro-loans have previously been used very successfully by Crossroads in Pakistan to address poverty among believers.
Finally, we would ask for your continuing prayers for these women— praying for unique open doors to employment or the resources for business start-ups to open their own salons; praying for divine appointments to share the gospel courageously with individuals and clients whom they service and amongst their neighbors.
Thank you again for playing a key role in this Project. Seven lives have been irrevocably changed because of your gift and generosity.
To Him be honor and glory,
Kent Kelley
Executive Director of Global Strategies
Crossroads International
www.crossroadsinternational.org
417.234.5495