As residents of a slum and surrounded by other Muslim families living in poverty, Mansour and his family have little to call their own.
But Mansour has a priceless inheritance that can’t be stolen or misplaced. As a follower of Jesus Christ, he knows that God has accepted him for eternity.
After discipling Mansour for a while, a Frontiers worker named Jake encouraged him to share his new faith with other family members, who hadn’t yet chosen to follow Christ. Several of them, including his granddaughter Aisha, became believers. Aisha was eager to share the Gospel with her friends and started leading a small Bible study in the slum.
Not long after, Aisha was asked to pray for a friend’s sick relative, and she did so in the name of Jesus. The relative was healed, and those who witnessed the miracle are meeting to study the Bible.
“Not a single person came to faith in the first several years of our work.”
The faith that God first planted in Mansour has continued to multiply. And according to Frontiers workers in the community, fruit like this is becoming more common.
But it wasn’t always like that.
“Not a single person came to faith in the first several years of our work,” says Beth, a long-term Frontiers worker and one of Jake’s teammates.
Their team runs a nonprofit organization in the slum that offers afterschool clubs and training programs for job skills, literacy and education, health, and nutrition.
Each program was started in response to the needs of local Muslim families. And through these programs, Beth and her teammates have had abundant opportunities to share the Gospel.
“In many of our programs we discuss personal character, biblical principles for business, and relationship with God,” says Beth. Students in their afterschool club play games and can participate in small group Bible discussions as well.
“She’s from the poorest family in the slum. She’s also our most promising leader.”
The team’s holistic approach to ministry looks at the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual health of each individual. “We try to find ways to help men, women, and children become the people God created them to be,” says Beth.
Her team has also discovered that leadership development is essential for the Gospel to take root in the community. As they cultivate local leadership, they see more families moving out of extreme poverty.
Furthermore, hundreds of Muslims have embraced Jesus.
“Sharifa is from the poorest family in the slum. She’s also our most promising leader,” Beth shares. “We first met her many years ago when she entered our program for malnourished children.”
As a young girl, Sharifa participated in several programs, and team members stayed in touch with her after she completed these programs, helping her develop her leadership potential.
Sharifa has started following Jesus and boldly sharing the Good News. Because of her witness, several family members are very close to entering the Kingdom.
- Ask God to raise up more men and women to go and serve Muslims living in extreme poverty.
- Pray for family leaders like Mansour to follow Christ and tell their loved ones about the inheritance they’ve received.
- Praise God for the young leaders He is raising up to know and love Him. Ask Him to use them in mighty ways for the Kingdom.
This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.