A Day in the Life
My name is Dost and I am eleven years old. I live in Balochistan, the largest province in Pakistan but one of the emptiest. Out here, the mountains are bare and brown and enormous, and the sky is so wide it makes you feel like you are standing on the edge of the world. I would not trade it for anywhere.
In the morning my mother lights a fire and bakes kaak, a thick round bread cooked on the side of a clay oven. She presses the dough flat with her hands and it sticks to the hot wall of the oven until it puffs up and turns golden with dark spots. We eat it with dates and a glass of warm milk from our goats. The dates are fat and sticky, the kind that grow in clusters on the palm trees near the oasis south of our village.
My father keeps a herd of goats and a few camels. The camels are tall and quiet. They walk with slow, rocking steps like boats on water. I help my father lead them to graze in the early morning before the heat rolls in. By midday the rocks are so hot you cannot touch them with your bare hand. Have you ever felt ground that hot under your feet?
The women in my family are famous for their embroidery. My mother and my aunt spend hours stitching tiny mirrors and colored thread into cloth to make designs that shimmer in the light. This mirror-work is called sheesha dozi and it decorates dresses, pillows, and the pouches we carry things in. Every pattern means something, some are for protection, some are for celebration. My mother says each stitch is a word in a language older than writing.
On special occasions, our whole tribe gathers. The men sit in a large circle on woven rugs spread on the ground. Someone plays the suroz, a bowed instrument made from carved wood with strings that sound like a voice singing from far away. The music echoes against the mountain walls. My uncle plays it the best. When he draws the bow across the strings slowly, my grandmother closes her eyes and sways, and I know she is remembering something from a long time ago.
We pray five times each day. When the call to prayer comes, my father unrolls his mat wherever we are, sometimes on the rocky ground beside the herd, sometimes under the shade of an acacia tree. After evening prayers, we drink green tea boiled with cardamom and sit together while the stars come out. In Balochistan, there are no city lights for hundreds of miles, so the stars are thick and bright, more stars than you can imagine.
What does the sky look like at night where you live? Can you see many stars?
I am Baloch. My people are strong, generous, and loyal to our families and our land. We have lived in these mountains for thousands of years, and we know every trail and every spring. This is our home.
Fun Facts
- Balochistan covers nearly half of Pakistan’s total land area, but only about five percent of the country’s population lives there, it is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Asia.
- The Baloch people have an ancient code of honor called Balochiyat that requires every family to show hospitality to guests, protect those who ask for shelter, and keep their word no matter what.
- Sheesha dozi (mirror embroidery) made by Baloch women is considered one of the finest textile arts in South Asia, tiny pieces of mirror are stitched into fabric so the cloth sparkles in the sunlight.
- The Makran coast of Balochistan sits along the Arabian Sea, and some historians believe Alexander the Great’s army nearly perished crossing the Makran Desert on their return from India in 325 BC.
- Camels are so important to the Baloch that families sometimes name their camels and know each animal’s personality, some are stubborn, some are gentle, and some will only walk for certain people.
How to Pray for the Baloch
- Pray that Baloch families who gather each evening for tea and stories would someday hear about Jesus, the God who knows every star by name and every family by heart.
- Pray for Baloch children in remote mountain villages who have little access to schools or books, that God would open doors for them to learn and grow.
- Pray that the Bible would be fully translated into Southern Balochi so that people can read God’s Word in the language they speak and dream in.
How Kids Can Help
- Pray: Choose one night this week to go outside, look at the stars, and pray for Baloch children like Dost who see those same stars from the mountains of Pakistan.
- Learn: Find Balochistan on a map, it stretches across Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Learn why this region matters and how few people have ever heard about Jesus there.
- Share: Tell someone at church about the Baloch people and their mirror embroidery, most people have never heard of them.
- Give: Ask your parents about supporting Bible translation work in the Balochi language so that families can read Scripture for the first time.
Scripture to Remember
“He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.” (Psalm 147:4-5, ESV)