Thanks so much for your partnership in the gospel.  You are helping people like the following worker in the Middle East!

Eighteen years old, sharp, contemporary, a bit shy, just entering university- Ruth. She showed up in the church one Sunday last November. I noticed her new face before the service and sat down to talk with her. Following the service she approached the Pastor and expressed her desire to start the basic lessons of the faith course that is offered for those seeking to learn more about Christianity or for those who are considering baptism.

I was asked to begin the course with her. At our first meeting she poured out her story.  Her grandfather was a Christian, married to a Muslim woman. He quietly but devotedly lived out his faith. When his granddaughter was very young, he would frequently tell her stories of Jesus and explain the things Jesus had taught. One day as he was nearing death, he placed his hands on the heart of nine year old Ruth saying: “I am burying my faith in your heart. I pass it on to you, and it will be yours to discover and continue to live out.”

At the age of 18, on finally achieving her goal of entering university, many of the stories and words her grandfather had shared began to ring in her ears. She did not consider herself to have any religion and felt a need to search out this faith he had so often referred to and had counted so precious.

As I sat with her weekly to read from the New Testament I was amazed and brought to tears many times by the wealth her grandfather had passed on to her. So often as we read a chapter, she was saying: “Oh, I remember my grandfather telling this story.” Each time she read the Bible, she experienced the same response resonating in her heart, “This is the truth. I believe it.” So after weeks of reading, together and on her own, Ruth openly professed her faith in Christ.

We are grateful for you!

Bill Young
Executive Director