While helping an Afghan friend apply for jobs, the Lord put it on my heart to pray. I asked the man if we could pray that God would lead him to the right job in Jesus name. One simple act of faith led to an in depth conversation about Jesus. My friend asked me to send him a link to the Injil in Pashtu.

What struck me about this encounter is that I was not trying super hard to come up with the right words to speak. This man was just hungry to hear the words of Jesus. I think sometimes I put it on myself to convince people, but the reality is God was already working in this mans heart. I just needed to be present and take a baby step of faith and let God do the rest.

I’m a 21 year old girl who originally comes from a muslim family. When I was 13, I was going through a tough phase in life; I was suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts. Every night, I used to have nightmares about demons running around and laughing at me. I was feeling so lost until one day, Jesus appeared to me in my dream. He was looking at me with so much compassion in His eyes, and it felt like He was telling me that this is just a phase and that He’s going to be here for me to get through it.

I woke up with a feeling of peace that I never felt before, and I started crying tears of joy. This dream stayed with me for years, until I reached the age of 19.

I decided to do my own research and find out more about who Jesus was, so I started reading the Bible. I actually had in mind to prove it wrong, but little did I know that the Holy Spirit was working harder to bring me back home. And that’s what He did. The truth was a hard pill to swallow when I realized that what I’ve been believing in since I was a kid was not the truth, but being with Jesus gave me the strength to face everything that was about to be thrown in my way.

Life hasn’t been all flowers and butterflies since I became a Christian; I’ve been through heartbreak, disappointment, sadness, and grief. But Jesus’ presence and my reliance on Him has definitely made things better through prayer. Also, reading the word of God is my guide in life. I realized that in order to hear what God has to say, I just have to pick up my Bible and read it. When you do so, your priorities will be set in order, and you will know the heart of God and how merciful and loving He is.

I feel grateful that I got to meet Jesus and know Him for who He really is, and I’m excited to see what God has in store for me in the years to come. Always remember: no matter how far you wander, He always leaves the 99 sheep to go look for the lost one.

A friend arranged an informal get together of Christian and Muslim friends for a Ramadan Iftar dinner and introduced me to the Muslim community's new imam. Part of a persecuted minority in Central Asia where he grew up and in ohter places he had lived, he was now making his home in the US. We were both a little nervous as he did not speak much English. But he was able to express how excited he was to learn about Christianity from real Christians, not just what others had told him. We are now good friends, sharing meals and spiritual conversations almost weekly.

I asked a Muslim what their favorite surah is in the Quran. They instantly replied "Yusuf!". I quickly realized that Yusuf was the name of Joseph from the Bible, and I told them Joseph is an important person in the Bible also. I then directed them to Genesis 37-50. In less than a minute this Muslim was reading the Word of God with curiosity.

I used to be wary of muslims, didn't understand them. One day, while evangelising in the city, Jesus sent a young muslim my way who engaged in a fierce debate with me about Jesus not being God. We continued via WhatsApp, he even came to my house a couple of times. The result was I started studying islam and developed an understanding for muslims. And Jesus placed reaching out to muslims in my heart. Now my heart is filled with love for them. The next time I was out in the city evangelising, I actively sought out muslims and engaged in conversation with them. That day, very unexpectedly, I was able to talk about Jesus in four different conversations with muslims and they gladly accepted a New Testament, something I didn't expect. Praise be to Jesus for His work in and through people.

Our uber driver was a twenty-year old Jordanian young who had been in the US only a few years. During our short ride together we enjoyed a pleasant conversation about his desire to start his own business. Since I am a retired businessman, I offered to advise him on his venture. At the end of our trip, he jumped out of the car and opened the door for my wife and I and shook my hand enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear. Just before we departed, I gave him my phone number and shared a small gospel tract with him containing the Gospel of John. I told him that I was a follower of Jesus. He smiled and accepted both my number and the tract. A few days later, he called and we invited him to our home. This visit lasted for over an hour. At the end of the visit, I prayed for him and his plans in Jesus name. He thanked me for my prayer. A few days later we met again and over the next few weeks we met regularly. Our discussions were mostly about his business plans but I did share my faith with him. Then, my wife and I invited him for Thanksgiving dinner and shared a meal with him. We purchased a Bible for him on the internet written in Arabic. Although the Bible was under thirty dollars, it was a beautiful book. He accepted our gift. I asked him to read the Book of Mark and let me know what he thought about it. Shortly thereafter, we visited again and he told me he had questions about what he had read. I agreed to answer his questions to the best of my ability. Presently, i am looking forward to meeting with my young friend to discuss his questions.

When I visited an Afghanistan family before Christmas to give them Christmas gifts, I was compelled to share my testimony how I felt about Jesus' resurrection in Easter celebrations at church. The husband called all family members including children to sit down and interpreting my story to them. I will continue to follow up with this family, be friends and care for their needs.