Hi Friends, this story is from Jordan!! Slightly delayed seeing as I am in the end of my time in Thailand, but better late than never am I right?
Before coming on the world race I heard many stories of muslims coming to faith and the radical movements of God in countries and areas where the name of Jesus is not known and most definitely not worshipped. I heard stories of muslims dreaming of Jesus and deciding to follow him. These stories became a lot more real to me when I met my friend A.
The day that I met A we had been warned about the danger of sharing the gospel in our specific area. We had been encouraged by our hosts to not talk to people on the streets. This didn’t sit right with me. I wanted to be respectful to their ministry and take caution but also wanted to follow wherever the spirit was leading.
Later that day, my friend, Jordan and I were headed to our local grocery store to get food for dinner that night. Grocery shopping in Jordan can get interesting– Arabic isn’t necessarily a language that you can guess at. Just ask my friends Jakson and Banks who one time bought cheese when they were trying to buy butter. We got to the grocery store and started to do our shopping when we were greeted by A and her niece in the vegetable oil aisle. To our surprise A spoke perfect english, and she wanted to help us find all of the best deals in the store. As we began to talk with her, her niece wandered around the corner. Once her niece was out of sight, she leaned in and whispered something to me that nearly brought tears to my eyes. She told me that her niece does not know this but she prays to Jesus. She told me how she was going through a really difficult time and she had a dream where Jesus lifted her head and wiped her tears and told her that everything would be okay. She told us that she only wears a hijab so that she will not lose her family but that she wants to pray to and worship Jesus.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:3-4 NIV
A told us all of this without us mentioning anything about our faith. I cannot explain to you the look in her eyes as she told me about her dream and her desire to worship Jesus. It was a look that fueled my desire to share the gospel with the lost and the unreached. After all of this A bought us some pasta noodles and then took us to the restaurant next door to buy us a traditional Jordanian meal called Mansef. Her immediate generosity and friendship is something that I will always remember.
As we walked home with our groceries I was reminded of the conversation with our hosts. The Lord used A to show me that the holy spirit is guiding me and bringing people to me and my team. Even in the presence of danger and potential persecution the Lord is there. He is there for A as she figures out how she will follow Jesus without the support of her family. He is there for me and my team as we walk the streets leaning on the holy spirit for discernment. He is with YOU wherever you are reading this from.
Prayer Requests:
- Pray that A would continue to lean into the Lord and that she would find community in Jordan.
- For my team and I as we finish our last two days of structured ministry in the Chiang Mai area.
- For peace and comfort as we say difficult goodbyes
- Strength and Endurance for the last few weeks of the World Race! (this one anyway lol)
- For the lost in Thailand!
- For me as I support raising to lead a trip to the Dominican Republic in August.
Thanks for reading! As always feel free to reach out to chat about this story or anything else. Your friendship and support means so much to me!
-Lex
