“Follow me, and don’t be afraid,” beckoned a man encompassed in light.
Rashid startled awake, sensing that the vivid apparition in his dream had been Jesus. As a devout Muslim in a strict Islamic nation, he pondered this strange appearance until his troubled nights brought a second dream of Jesus. This time, Rashid confided in a friend, only to be met with ridicule.
Undaunted, Rashid began diligently studying the Qur’an, finding Jesus described as a highly esteemed prophet. The deeper Rashid studied the Qur’an, however, the more contradictions he found within its text, and he began to doubt his Islamic faith.
With growing conviction that Islam was not the true path, Rashid announced to his parents that he desired to pursue Christianity. Enraged, Rashid’s father beat him, and, as the call to prayer reverberated through the city, forced him to recite Islamic prayers. Rashid’s wife soon divorced him. When her family threatened to kidnap and kill him for his interest in the Bible, he knew he needed to flee.
Quickly researching nations granting asylum for religious persecution, he boarded a plane for a country in the Balkans and surrendered himself to the authorities upon arrival. His first task at the refugee center was to search for someone who could answer his questions about Jesus. An online search revealed an international church planted by ABWE workers, whom he contacted to arrange a meeting.
The church leaders initially viewed Rashid’s message with caution. Located along the historical faultline between Islam and Christendom, believers in the Balkans still feel the rumblings of religious tension. Two ABWE workers and a national pastor prayerfully agreed to talk with him.
“Whatever doubts or suspicions we had about his intentions were quickly eclipsed by Rashid’s great joy and genuine interest,” said Blake, an ABWE worker.
As Rashid plied the church leaders with questions, his smile grew larger with each gospel statement.
“Jesus died . . . for my sins. . . . He is alive now in heaven . . . yes!” he exclaimed.
Bowing his head, Rashid repented and placed his faith in the Savior for whom he had already suffered. As they rejoiced together, the men asked Rashid how they could help him.
He responded immediately, “I need to be baptized! Can you help me with that?”
God’s plan for Rashid soon became yet more apparent. While visiting the Middle East in 2023, the wife of one of the ABWE workers had sensed the Lord leading her to get an Arabic Bible, despite her inability to read it. They now presented it to Rashid, who received it with joy, reverently embracing it to his chest.
“God graciously used our little church as a lighthouse for someone seeking Jesus,” concluded Blake, “and there is rejoicing in heaven as another sinner has entered the family of God.”
Editor’s Note: Names have been changed for security.
