For the past 12 years, Alyssa* has been telling Muslims about the good news of Christ as a Christar worker, first in the Middle East and now among the same people group in the United States.
Muslims who trust in Christ often hear the gospel many times, sometimes over many years, before they believe.
The first meeting
When a teammate introduced Alyssa to a Muslim woman named Bethany*, Alyssa determined she was going to tell her about Jesus during their very first conversation.
This teammate has been serving in Bethany’s community for over a quarter century. When she was going through a hard time and needed a listening ear, he suggested that another woman might better understand what she was facing and connected her with Alyssa.
For six hours at a café, Bethany poured out her heart to Alyssa, confiding in Alyssa about her struggles. Alyssa shared the gospel and she gave Bethany a Bible in her heart language.
She thanked Alyssa and informed her, “To be honest, I’m probably never going to talk to you again. And, if I ignore all your texts, I’m very sorry: I do that sometimes.”
Bethany was true to her word. When Alyssa texted her and invited her to get together, her messages went unanswered.
The Lord’s prompting
“But then when there was a Christmas party, I just felt the Lord prompt me to invite her to the party,” Alyssa recalls. Though she didn’t expect a reply, she obeyed.
Bethany responded—but not with an RSVP. Instead, she replied, “If I convert to your religion, will I find God?”
“I had such a great opportunity,” she recalls. “I just told her the way to find Jesus, the way to heaven and laid it all out for her.”
A week went by, but then her phone rang. It was Bethany, saying she really needed to talk to someone.
Now is the time
Over another six hours, Alyssa shared the whole gospel. “I felt like the Lord was just speaking through me that day,” she recalls.
At the end, Bethany asked, “Well, when is a good time to believe in Jesus?”
Alyssa replied, “The Bible says, ‘Now, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.’ So, now: Now is the time to accept Him.’”
Bethany agreed that now was the time. Thanking God, Alyssa led her in a prayer of salvation.
For the next year, Alyssa discipled her, helping her better understand and grow in her newfound faith. And, on the one-year anniversary of her “now”, Bethany was baptised.
The one who got the reward
“I was the one that got the reward at the end of leading her to the Lord,” Alyssa says. But she reminds us that her teammate had first befriended Bethany’s family, showing them love and telling them about Jesus for many years before Bethany responded.
“I want people to know: Keep sharing, don’t give up,” Alyssa says. “Perseverance is the number one thing. Just keep sharing.”
*Names changed for security reasons
Source: Christar
