Two inspirational stories of People of the Book Lutheran Outreach (POBLO) touching the lives of Muslims with Christ’s Love.
He Waited 50 Years
In his home country, at the young age of 10, “Mike” had become a non-practicing Muslim. His decision to no longer internalize the beliefs of Islam was the result of not liking Islam and also not believing the religion in his heart. Outwardly, he was Muslim, but in his heart, he was not. At the time, however, there was no one who could explain to him the truth of Jesus.
Through the years, Mike had been prepared to hear the message of Christ’s salvation. He had been around some Christians, and because of those experiences he had been moved by the character of the believers. However, because of the laws against conversion and proselytizing, no one clearly shared the Gospel with him.
Taking a Risk
As an adult, Mike immigrated to the Unites States. One of the things he carried on the plane during his 14-hour journey from the Middle East was a picture of Jesus. Even as a Muslim refugee, he was taking a risk of hiding the picture of Christ in his luggage. Had Muslim authorities found it, this story might have a very different ending.
After only being in this country for one month, Mike was befriended by Karim Musa, a People of the Book Lutheran Outreach (POBLO) missionary. Musa explains, “He was ready to believe in Jesus. I gave him a Bible and explained Christ clearly. He is now 60 years old, but he had been waiting for this moment since he was 10.”
Confession of Faith
Some days later, at the POBLO office, Mike confessed his faith in Jesus Christ, and Musa and the POBLO staff prayed God’s blessing on his new walk.
How did Mike meet Musa and the rest of the POBLO staff? It came down to a quarter-page flyer advertising POBLO’s Ethnic Support Center. One of the Muslim students who attended the English-as-a-Second-Language class at POBLO was Mike’s neighbor, and she passed the flyer on to him. With that small impetus, Mike came, met Musa, and the rest is history.
Clearly, God had been working in this man’s life for many years to bring him to the point where he was willing to publicly confess faith in Christ. Please keep Mike and Missionary Karim Musa in your prayers as God continues to work miracles in the lives of His people.
Dreams Play Part in Iraqi Woman’s Faith
We often hear about Muslim people having spiritual dreams which lead them to the truth about Jesus Christ. This was the case with “Marsha” whom I had met at an English class in Dearborn. Her teacher, Jeff, identified that she might be receptive to the Gospel. Marsha was all alone in this country, unmarried, and also appeared to be emotionally needy. I invited her to the POBLO office on a day I knew missionary Karim Musa would be there. Musa speaks Arabic, and is from Iraq, just like Marsha. She accepted my invitation.
An Open Mind
Later in the week, Musa met with Marsha, and, upon greeting her, discerned she had an “open mind” and began to speak about the peace we have with God through Messiah (the name Muslims know Jesus by). She was clearly ready for what he had to say and Marsha had something remarkable she just had to share. Marsha described a dream she had had the night before in which she saw the POBLO office and Musa. She had never been to our office before, nor met him. She had no way of knowing that he would be calling her that day. She confessed, “I think God is speaking to me” and we enthusiastically agreed! Musa ended the interview by giving her an Arabic new testament and asked her to read it.
Jesus Changes Lives
A few weeks went by. Musa tried to keep in touch with Marsha by phone. Then, once again, she immediately said she needed to see us. Marsha had visibly changed. She seemed like a different person. There was a huge smile on the inside as well as on the outside. It was as though a deep joy was beaming from within her. And, once again, she said that she had seen us both in a dream the previous night. At that point, Musa spent an hour sharing Jesus and His life-changing Gospel. She nodded. She understood. And now, she clearly believed this Good News. Musa led her in prayer as she confessed her faith in this Messiah. The POBLO staff was then blessed to join in praying over her.
What a day! We thank God for making Christ clear to Marsha. And we thank God too, for the dreams.
