First trip to Pakistan – April 2021

Pakistan wasn’t the first country I (Arnout) thought of visiting. I didn’t know it well and only knew it from media reports. After 1.5 years of contact with Nadeem and participating in several relief efforts, I received the invitation to come.

But relying solely on our online contact and booking a ticket felt a bit too risky. Through Dutch connections, I got in touch with Leif Hetland, an American speaker who has been coming to Pakistan for 25 years. After some email exchanges, he agreed to provide me with a “safe landing” in Pakistan. We stayed at the same hotel, so in case things didn’t click with my Pakistani friends, I would still have a safe haven and a contact person.

Fortunately, the connection with Nadeem, his brother-in-law Labin, and me was excellent. It was a remarkable trip where I met the various widows and families. I was also introduced—after some preparation—to life in debt slavery on the brick factories. During this trip, we freed our first family.

After this journey, I started raising funds to contribute monthly to the lives of all these families. I also began supporting Nadeem and Labin in their work. This was the beginning of stOne International!