Pakistani pastor grows ministry despite challenges
On the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, in the heart of a strongly devout Islamic community, Liberty alumnus Anise Irfan (’92) lives out his faith as one of the few Christian leaders in the country. Christians only make up approximately 2 percent of the population in Pakistan, and there are still threats against Christians who attempt to directly preach the Gospel in the public square. But working as a pastor for two churches and as a youth camp director overseeing the spiritual development of more than 200,000 students, Irfan has been able to share the message of Christ and impact hundreds of thousands of lives across Pakistan. He also helps his wife, Farhana, lead a Christian school in the area. “Through everything we do, we hope to accomplish God’s will,” Irfan said. “And
I feel as though we’re really on our way to bringing revival to this country.” Irfan, a native of Pakistan, began his fulltime ministry seven years ago while working as a translator for English-speaking pastors who traveled to the country. He soon realized the need for more comprehensive education and sound doctrinal teaching for church leaders — most Pakistani pastors drop out of school at an early age and are illiterate, which greatly hinders their ability to read and share the Gospel. Through his teaching ministry, Irfan now provides quarterly training seminars for 200 pastors and church leaders. “These pastors didn’t really know what Christianity is all about, they didn’t know what grace is all about, and they were very prone to false teaching,” Irfan said. “The need was there, and God has blessed me enough to fill that need.” His mission to become an educator for pastors has since developed into a mission to share the Gospel through every legal avenue available. He said it was largely because of his time at Liberty and the leadership of the late Jerry Falwell Sr.,
Liberty’s founder, that he has been able to accomplish that. With Falwell’s help, Irfan received a scholarship available to international students. He considered Falwell his spiritual mentor and inspiration, even going as far as to say that many of the people saved through his ministries would not have been introduced to the Gospel if it had not been for Falwell’s impact. “If I could accomplish a half of a percent of what Dr. Jerry Falwell did with Liberty through my own ministries, I would consider that a success,” Irfan said. Although it was challenging to leave his initial career in business and finance — Irfan received his bachelor’s degree in business administration — Irfan said his success in full-time ministry is further confirmation of God’s calling on his life. “When the Lord first called me to fulltime ministry, I had just gotten married, and I didn’t have much money or any resources with me,” Irfan said. “But I kept feeling convicted, and I surrendered, and God did amazing things immediately — the second I listened to His call.”
Alumna overcomes boating accident to return to piloting
Christy Wise’s (’14) life took a drastic turn in April 2015. While on leave from the Air Force, where she served as a pilot, Wise was paddleboarding with friends in Florida when she became the victim of a hit-and-run boating accident. Her leg was severely injured, and as she lay in the back of the ambulance, Wise resolved to get back to flying — somehow. “I knew of a guy who was an amputee and had returned to flying after his accident,” Wise said. “I thought to myself,
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‘OK, worst-case scenario, if I lose my leg, I know that he did it, so I can too.’” Her leg had to be amputated. Fourteen months later, she became not only the sixth amputee (and the first female amputee) in Air Force history to return to piloting but went on to compete in the Department of Defense Wounded Warrior Games, where she won more than 11 medals. She competed in the 2016 and 2017 Invictus Games — a Paralympicstyle event for wounded warriors founded by Britain’s Prince Harry. In September, she won five individual bronze medals in cycling and track events — and had the chance to meet the prince. “I shouldn’t be alive after what happened,” said Wise, who earned her master’s degree in theology through Liberty’s online program and is now an Air Force captain based in Tucson, Ariz. “The only way I can explain it is that it was a God thing.” During recovery, she kept up-to-date
on her piloting skills by using simulators. Wise moved to a rehabilitation clinic and began strength training. She was recruited to participate in the Warrior Games before she was released. Now Wise and her twin sister, Jessica, run a nonprofit called One Leg Up On Life, which is dedicated to fitting young amputees in need with prosthetic limbs. Wise is also passionate about caring for foster children — she has taken in close to 30 of them. Despite her triumphs, Wise said she doesn’t want people to put her on a pedestal but to know that she still has moments when she has to rely on God. “There are times that I’ll run a race or compete in some event, but on the way back to the car, I’ll trip and fall on my prosthetic leg,” she said. “And I’ll just sit there and cry. But it’s my faith, friends, and family that keep me grounded through the whole situation.”