During his 10 months
as a student in the United States, Rasul was befriended by some kind believers.
They invited him into their homes for the holidays and shared their faith with
him. Hungry for the truth, Rasul joined a Bible study and attended church every
week.
When Rasul returned
to his Muslim country, God led him to my teammates and me.
The first time I met him, I asked him what he thought about the differences between America and his homeland.
In my mind, the two places feel worlds apart. Rasul’s country is full of chaos and sensory overload. The traffic is untamed, and stop lights are treated like mere decorations instead of aids that direct the flow of cars, buses, and roaming livestock.
Rasul didn’t mention how great America is with its abundant wealth, fenced pastures, and enforced traffic laws.
Through the crush of noise and people and animals, the brokenness of physical and spiritual poverty is blatant. Behind these throbbing streets lie the tombs of Muslim saints, where men and women press against caskets and bow in prayer to the dead who can neither hear nor help them.
But as he described
his time in the United States, Rasul didn’t mention how great America is with
its abundant wealth, fenced pastures, and enforced traffic laws.
He talked about how
blessed Americans are to have unbridled access to the treasure of God’s Word.
“You are so
privileged to have the Bible in the United States,” Rasul said to me. He shared
his gratitude for being able to study the Word during those months in America.
“It helped me see how the world is really supposed to work according to God’s
ways.”
“You are so privileged to have the Bible in the United States,” Rasul said.
Meanwhile, his own people have no knowledge of the Good News. As of yet, there are no local believers, no churches, and precious few people trying to bring them the message of Christ.
But Rasul is
close to the Kingdom. As I study the Bible with him, his love for Jesus and his
hunger for the truth is growing. He cherishes the Word and talks about how his
people desperately need to hear about this treasure.
Pray for Rasul’s journey of faith. Pray that he will accept the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ. And pray he becomes a bold witness for the Gospel among his people group.