The new team has been in Asia for about 7 weeks now. We’ve been excited on the Stateside team to hear the reports rolling in as they, along with our long-term workers, have seen over a dozen students already respond to the Gospel since the beginning of school.
One incredible story came from Goulda, one of our new teammates:
“On a hot and sticky day last week, my ministry partner Merah and I boarded the bus to meet up with a friend, Bella. Never having ridden the bus on our own, it was a huge relief after we get off to see our friend and give her a big hug. As we walked arm and arm down the streets, we came to a KFC, and decided to check out this little piece of home away from home. Two pieces of that good ‘ole Kentucky-fried chicken later, Merah and I began to share the message with Bella.
Bella comes from a Muslim background and upbringing. When we asked if she wanted to start a relationship with God, she leaned back in her seat, crossed her arms, and told us that she cannot believe in Jesus because she is Muslim.
An hour or so later, Bella introduced us to a friend named Joy who really wanted to meet us because we are foreigners, and she is learning English. Her language skills weren’t very developed yet, and we tried to think of what we could possibly talk about with this girl who barely spoke English.
But then our Muslim friend suggested that she translate for Joy the story we had just told her! We began to share the message, as Bella willingly translated for us! It turns out Joy has an aunt who is a Christian! We asked Joy if she wanted to start a relationship with God, and as anticipation bubbled inside of me as I waited for Bella to finish translating, Joy looked at us and with the biggest smile said, ‘YES, I WANT TO!!!’”
This story is remarkable to me in a few ways. First, our new CTers are so fresh — still learning the bus system and such — yet they’re making an impact regardless. Then, a Muslim friend, who was not open to being a Christian, volunteered to translate the Gospel for her classmate! This is both improbable and incredible.
Will you please pray for our teammates in Asia? They’re starting to get over the “honeymoon phase,” and there can be times of loneliness or discouragement as they settle into a rhythm for the year.