Twenty Years in the Making

Near East | Kaitlynn Kopeski

by Kaitlynn Kopeski

One day Hisham* overheard a young man talking about Jesus in a University in the Middle East. He was sparked with curiosity. He had heard about this Jesus, and he wanted to know more. So he approached the man and asked for a Bible.

The young man's name is Daniel*, an OM missionary, whose heart is for Muslims to know and love the one true God.

“It was quite brave,” Daniel recalls about Hisham publicly asking for a Bible. Reading the Bible could mean trouble for Hisham.

After the initial meeting Daniel visited Hisham a couple times. During one visit, Hisham explained his interest in Jesus by telling this story:

Twenty years ago a little girl in Hisham's family had a hurt arm. The only solution was to amputate. The night before the operation, the little girl told her family that Jesus had come to her and healed her. The next morning the family visited the doctor. The doctor could not explain how, but her arm was healed and the operation was canceled.

Hishman's entire household knew this story, yet they still believed in Islam. Ever since Hisham was little, he has wanted to know about Jesus, but was too afraid to ask. So when he heard Daniel speaking he seized the opportunity.

“I've never spoken in an open place before,” Daniel said, because speaking publicly about Jesus can be very dangerous in this region. “God really led us together.”

But despite Hisham's interest in the Gospel, he is scared. He is scared of the police, and scared that his family will disown him.

“In a society like this, if a family disowns you, then you don't have anything,” Daniel explains. “Right now I don't know what will happen to him.” However, Daniel still has hope for Hisham and his entire family. “God started something 20 years ago. It shows that we need to trust God that He knows what he is doing,” Daniel said. “Maybe God will reach the whole family through him.”

Please continue to pray for the ministry among Muslims in the Middle East. Pray for Hishman and others like him who desire to know Jesus, but are afraid of their government and families. Pray for courage among the ministry workers to boldly share the Gospel in this region.

*Names changed

Credit: Kaitlynn Kopeski
© 2010 OM International
It is a condition of use that you (i) always credit Kaitlynn Kopeski as the creator of this work, and (ii) e-mail the copyright holder detailing what you are doing with this Article, before any display or public distribution.