This story comes from one of our pray bands in the Arab World. If you would like to receive real-time information of needs and answers to prayer from one of our Live Dead teams, with many more details than we are able to share here publicly on our blog, we invite you to looking into starting a Pray Band 

“Do you want to come over for dinner?”

My barber, Ryan*, is on the phone. He’s cut my hair only once. I shared my testimony with him and we exchanged numbers, but I haven’t heard from him since.

He agrees to come.

We engage in small talk as we cook and then we pray and begin to eat. The conversation progresses quickly and we conclude that we both want one another to go to heaven; however, we both think our way is the only way to get there.

The food is as heavy as the conversation, so after dinner, we decide to go for a walk.

As happens so often in the nation where we live, we bump into a few of Ryan’s friends in a coffee shop and they invite us to sit with them. The questions from the group quickly evolve from, “What’s America like?” to “What do Americans think about Muslims?”

They express anger for the reputation radical Islam is giving them and apologize. I see an open door. I tell my new friends that I have had the opportunity to visit American churches and tell them that we need to love Muslims because Jesus loves Muslims. I assure them that there are many Christians who love Muslims.

I now have their full attention.

As I pause to think of where to go from here, I hear Joseph* say softly, “I love Jesus.”

Joseph shares that he and his friend, Mohamed*, actually have Bibles and that they have been reading them. I spend the next few hours answering their questions about the Bible. We talk about how Jesus really is the Son of God and that he died for our sins.

But eventually, they ask a question for which I don’t have an answer. I tell them I don’t know.

From the corner, Joseph looks right at me, with tears in his eyes. “I’ve never heard someone say, ‘I don’t know’ when talking about religion. Usually people just lie to me.”

They ask when we can meet again to study the Bible together.

—

We believe that there are many more people here like Ryan, Mohamed and Joseph whom God is drawing to Himself; but there must be someone to tell them about Jesus!

Please pray:

• that Mohamed, Ryan and Joseph would continue to hunger for truth
• that God would continue to lead our team to those who are ready to hear the Gospel
• that God would give us boldness and humility to preach the Gospel
• that more Christians would respond to God’s call to reap the harvest in North Africa

Thanks so much for praying.

And thanks, as always, for being a part of this community. We really couldn’t do this without you.

*Names have been changed for security purposes.