Ministry in unreached areas can be a slow process and is covered in prayer. It’s common for missionaries pioneering new gospel movements to spend countless hours in prayer, walking the streets and seeking out persons of peace.
These three steps—praying, walking and seeking—are what two East-West missionaries living in the Middle East set out to do in their community when they met Bayezid*, a local shop owner.
They paused their prayer walk to engage Bayezid in conversation. As their conversation flowed, the couple had an opportunity to explain they were followers of Jesus. It turns out, Bayezid had a unique interest in Jesus and had even downloaded a Bible to his phone—an uncommon text in his Muslim nation.
The missionaries asked if he had any interest in reading the Bible together. Bayezid’s response shocked them.
“I don’t just want to read it, I want you to explain it to me!”
Soon after that initial encounter, they started meeting with Bayezid each week to drink tea and read Scripture in the back of his shop. Sometimes he responded to the text with childlike receptivity and eagerness. Other times his cultural and religious background created hesitancy, doubt or confusion.
But as God would have it, the topic of sacrifices came up during one of their tea times … leading their conversation to a full-blown gospel presentation.
Bayezid had yet to trust in Jesus, but he is one of a few persons of peace in the missionaries’ community. He’s even introduced the couple to his family, and his wife now serves as one of the missionary’s language teacher.
Please join us in praying that Bayezid's whole family becomes a follower of Jesus, that his wife’s heart is fertile to gospel, and that their marriage is strengthened during a difficult season.
*Name changed for security reasons.