Strong Focus on Discipleship in 2012
January 23, 2012
Arab youth connects with God
March 9, 2012
A chance meeting on the tube in London changed the life of a young North African woman. Today she brings the good news of the gospel to her own people in North Africa.
Chance meeting
It was a chance meeting in 1993 that would radically change Nadja’s destiny and give her a new purpose in life. At that time she was a Muslim woman who had recently moved from North Africa to join her sister in London. In her home country she had worked with disabled and challenged children. The fathers of most of these children had been killed during a violent civil war in the 90’s where 160 000 civilians lost their life. Deeply depressed and heartbroken by the terror she had witnessed, she packed her suitcase and left for London.
– I got a job in London, but I was not happy, she says.
One afternoon on the underground she was approached by an Egyptian woman who talked to her about Isai. Nadja was lonely and took time to listen to the stranger.
– I recognized Isai as the Muslim name for Jesus. Because I felt sad and alone I stopped and talked to her. She gave me the gospel of John and told me about a fellowship with people from all the Arab countries, Nadja remembers.
The Egyptian woman invited her to a lunch meeting a few days later, assuring her they would still be friends no matter what happened there. Nadja accepted the invitation and prepared herself carefully by reading the entire gospel of John.
Touched by the Jesus movie
– When I went to lunch that day I had many questions in my head. I had always felt like a good Muslim woman although I never understood the point of the hijab. But now I suddenly had many questions about Jesus whom I realized I knew nothing about.
During the lunch there were several Arabs from different countries who had come together. They watched the Jesus movie, and Nadja was deeply touched by what she saw.
A simple prayer
Nadja accepted the invitation to join more lunch meetings, partly because she was so overwhelmed by how nice everyone treated her.
– I wasn’t very excited about the worship, but when the pastor talked about God’s love I felt something move inside of me. I finally said a simple prayer where I declared: “Whoever you are God, I will follow you.” The pastor led me in the prayer of salvation, but I didn’t feel any different there and then. Yet the next morning when I woke up everything was different! The colors were more brilliant, the impressions stronger, I felt happy and for the first time for as long as I could remember, I felt peace.
This was the beginning of a completely new chapter in Nadja’s life. When her sister heard what had happened to her, she also accepted Jesus as her savior.
Met her husband
Shortly thereafter Nadja met the man in her life, an Egyptian from a Christian family.
– There were so many hindrances that had to be overcome before we could get married that I have no doubt whatsoever that God helped us. For my dad it was a triple shock to hear that I had become a Christian and was going to marry another Christian, who on top of that was an Egyptian. People from my country and Egypt are not known to like each other, she explains with a laugh.
Picture of reconciliation
Her husband’s family in Egypt were equally shocked that he was going to marry a girl from a Muslim family, and they firmly put their foot down and said no.
– We told God that we would not marry until we got the blessings from our families, and we did get it even though we lived in suspense until the wedding. In a way we feel we are a living picture of the Christian reconciliation work we are a part of in North Africa, Nadja says.
In 2005 Nadja and her husband moved to North Africa to lead the follow up work of a Christian media ministry. Since then she and her husband have been in a fruitful ministry discipling new believers while sharing God’s love among the locals.
Jesus changes lives
– It is a great blessing to listen to the testimonies from people who had their lives transformed by the power of God, Nadja says.
– Last summer as some of our students shared their stories at the graduation party, one testimony was particularly strong. When the church leader who knew this person from before heard the testimony, he said: “It would have been easier to have faith to raise the dead than to believe that such a transformation could happen in this man’s life, glory be to God!
Nadja is also often invited to churches to share how they can disciple new believers from a Muslim background like herself.
– When God got a hold of me in the underground in London he had much bigger and more exciting plans for my life than I could ever have imagined. He transformed me from a lonely and broken woman to one who loves life and all that God has for me!
All gifts to Miracle Channel will help ensure that the people of the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf region will have the opportunity to discover how Jesus Christ can give them a new and better life.
