“How can you say Jesus is God’s Son? That’s blasphemy!”
The expression on Fatou’s face accentuated her dismay. At age 16, her family’s Islamic beliefs were firmly entrenched in her mind: Jesus was a prophet, and Allah was absolutely singular in person—not existing in three persons, as her friend Joan described.
Fatou and two other young ladies sat in ABWE missionary Joan Schmitz’s living room, discussing Joan’s lesson from The Story of Hope, an evangelistic curriculum illustrating how Scripture points to Christ from Genesis to Revelation.
Fatou’s young life had not been easy. Challenges from being raised by her Gambian father and, later, the Englishwoman he married had prompted her to begin searching for truth outside the Qur’an. She had met Joan, who drove her to church each Sunday and initiated a small-group Bible study.
“I had been praying for the Lord to show me who I should work with, and he burdened my heart for Fatou,” Joan said.
Each lesson revealed more of the gospel. On Easter weekend, Joan showed the girls a film by well-known pastor Alistair Begg explaining that no set of religious works can lead to heaven—not the Islamic beliefs claimed by 90 percent of The Gambia’s population nor the Roman Catholic system held by the nation’s small Christian minority—but only faith in Christ saves.
“The whole time, I was praying silently that the Holy Spirit would convict her of her sin,” Joan remarked.
As soon as the video ended, Fatou declared, “I want to accept Jesus as my Savior.” Bowing her head, she articulated in an earnest, eloquent prayer her desperate need for a Savior and submitted her life to Christ.
Her new faith was quickly tested. Her family, initially thinking this was a passing phase, pressured her with increasing intensity to renounce her beliefs.
Then, the Muslim young man she had been dating proposed marriage. Confused, she sought advice from Joan, who shared insights from Scripture and gently pointed out the marital strain that a mutual friend endured due to living with an unsaved husband. While Fatou agonized over her decision, the church prayed.
“I can’t marry him,” she determined. “I can’t give up my faith.”
She broke off her relationship and enrolled in nursing school, sensing God’s leading to serve others in The Gambia.
“It is exciting to see what God is doing with her life,” Joan said.
ABWE teammates in The Gambia are committed to helping local churches disciple young men and women to be faithful to God’s Word.
“This is the fruit of missionaries going,” said Andy Kirby, ABWE executive vice president and former missionary to West Africa. “By providing ongoing examples of godly lives and families, they are building resilient converts in places where it’s hard to be a faithful believer.”
“This is the fruit of missionaries going. By providing ongoing examples of godly lives and families, they are building resilient converts in places where it’s hard to be a faithful believer.”
Andy Kirby
