My teammates and I recently met Abdi and his family. In his younger days, Abdi had been an Islamic scholar. But in spite of his religious education, he still felt confused by what he’d read in the Quran. So, a couple of years ago, he started reading it more intently to better understand it.
His youngest daughter, a teenager named Rahel, admired her father’s earnest pursuit of knowledge. Inspired, she began her own search for truth by reading online about Jesus.
One night, as Rahel lay on her bed, she asked God, “Show me Your truth.” Then the room filled with light and she heard, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Recognizing this reference to Jesus from all she’d read about Him, Rahel fell asleep and had the most peaceful rest she’d ever experienced.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” — John 14:6
The next morning, Rahel told her mother, Nafissa, what had happened the night before and said she wanted to follow Jesus. Nafissa hailed her daughter’s experience as a gift from God and began reading the Bible online that day.
Within a few months, Nafissa felt ready to put her faith in Jesus. But she felt afraid to take that step.
Then she had a dream. In this dream, all she saw was black. Suddenly, bright light flooded the room. Nafissa saw Jesus Christ before her and felt filled with peace. He didn’t say a word to her, but all she needed was to see His face to put her faith in Him. When she woke up, Nafissa was no longer afraid, and she committed to following Christ.
Meanwhile, Abdi had continued studying the Quran. But ever since God had spoken to his daughter, he’d been reading the Bible, too. He loved what he was learning about Jesus in the Word. After hearing about his wife’s dream, he began following Jesus.
Other family members saw the transformation in Abdi, Nafissa, and Rahel. Soon, Rahel’s two brothers and older sister embraced Jesus. The sister shared the Gospel with her fiancé, and he also became a believer.
As we encourage, disciple, and pray with this family of Muslim-background believers, they’re growing in the Word and sharing Christ with others.
But they face opposition as they tell others about their faith. When Nafissa shared the Gospel with her siblings, they rejected her message and cut off communication with her.
“I expected them to receive the Good News with joy,” she says. But Nafissa trusts God will open their hearts to the Gospel. “Every day I pray for them to see Jesus—just like I did.”
- Praise God that whole families are coming to Jesus.
- Pray for their Muslim relatives to see the hope of Christ in Abdi and his family.
- Pray they embrace life in Jesus and that the message of the Gospel spreads throughout their community.
A Frontiers team’s social media strategy is reaching Muslims like Khalil and Assad engage with God’s Word.
Click below to read how these two young men are diving deep into new life with Christ.
This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.