January to March 2019

‘I am convinced that the Lord Jesus is my God and that he was crucified for me. I first believed in 2018. I announced my faith to my friends and to people around me, but everyone insulted me and I was beaten twice. My father sent me out of the house for 63 days. Despite all of this, I still believed. I testify that Christ is Lord.’

Mafi* is in his mid twenties and lives at home with his family. He wants to know how he can share his faith with those around him, despite opposition from his family and fear of what may happen. He told our responder that our website is ‘wonderful’ and that he visits it each morning and evening. He said it was the reason for his faith in Christ.

You are not alone

Our theme for the year is twofold. It is God’s promise to those who have put their trust in Jesus, but it is also a message from us to those we support and encourage.

The accounts shared within this brief report demonstrate the difference it makes for a Muslim seeker to have someone come alongside them as they encounter the love and goodness of their Father God, who says:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.(Isaiah 41:10)

The statistics: January to March 2019

Four times a year, we review the results of our online efforts to reach Arab world Muslims. We’re a little late with our first quarter results, which you can see below along with a selection of stories from our response ministry…

As you can see, an impressive number of Facebook users saw our posts and clicked on them. We’re not seeking to increase the number of visits or page views on our website, but we do continue to attract a large number of visitors.

We’re always more interested in the high engagement stats, which tend to be lower. Remember, though, that these represent real people, with whom our team are regularly interacting, often daily.

We continue to see a healthy number of professions of faith. How wonderful that five individuals made the step of getting baptised.

The people behind the stats

Fearful

Hani* was fearful. He didn’t know that there are many Christians living in Algeria. Our responder, Mounir, is from a Muslim background and completely understood Hani’s fears. He encouraged Hani to put his trust in Christ and said that he would be there to support him. He also assured Hani that he would find some Algerian believers to follow up with him. Hani is now following Christ.

Couldn’t talk to God

Reya* felt she wasn’t talking to God when she prayed the Islamic prayers. She had a dream in which she went to a church and felt happy. Later, however, when she visited a church, she became upset because she couldn’t talk to God. She made contact with our team via WhatsApp. She wanted God to reveal himself to her and to know Christ. Four days later, Reya professed faith in Jesus.

Meha’s dream

Meha*, aged 22, had several dreams about Jesus. She first contacted our team in December 2018 because she wanted to understand these dreams.

One of our responders encouraged Meha to read the Bible. As Meha read God’s Word and interacted with us, she learned that Jesus is the Saviour of mankind and Lord of all creation. Meha gave her life to Christ in February, but this is not the end of the story…

Meha’s friend, Keira*, comes from a Christian background. One day, when they were together, Keira was feeling sad. Meha asked Keira how she could be sad when she has the Saviour. Meha then shared that she had become a Christian and loved the Lord Jesus.

After this, Keira began avoiding Meha for a while. She then admitted to Meha her lack of understanding. Keira didn’t know what the Trinity was and couldn’t explain the events on the cross.

Meha explained these things to Keira and then put her in touch with our team. When Keira understood what Jesus had done for her, she also committed her life to Christ.

Some ways to pray

There are so many people in contact with our response team. Some are not really that interested in the truth, while others need a lot of support. Please pray that we would have wisdom in knowing how much time and effort to put into each of these relationships.

* Names changed for security.