‘Nathan M.’ is the director of Middle East Student Fellowship. His staff risks arrest and deportation to share the gospel on university campuses. Yet they have the privilege of seeing students from all over the world embrace Christ as their Savior. In his latest update, ‘Nathan’ shares the sad but beautiful story of a young lady who has maintained her faith in Christ despite persecution from her family. ‘Nathan,’ the MESF staff, and those seeking or saved through their ministry certainly need your prayers.
“‘Maria’ (not her real name) came to Christ reading the Bible with a MESF staff on her campus. ‘Maria’ comes from a very conservative Muslim family, but she realized that Christ is the true God and Savior as she studied the Bible. After coming to Christ, she has endured a lot of persecution from her family.
Her dad discovered her Bible with sermon notes from her church. When he confronted her, she told him that she has become a Christian. Her dad became upset with her and poured hot boiling water on her. She was rushed to the hospital. What was most difficult for her was that her family did not come to see her.
When she returned home, she found her family packing to leave. They did not want to tell her where they were going. They also stopped paying for her university education and living expenses. She’s now staying with some church members. When I met her some weeks later, standing outside her church, she said, “I now know who my real family is – it’s my brothers and sisters in Christ who love Jesus”.
As she continues to endure opposition from her dad and sisters, she says, “I am not worried about what will happen to me, because I know Jesus. I’m worried about my family because they don’t believe in Him”. Please pray for her to continue to trust in Christ till the end. Also, pray for her to be able to get back on campus. She wants to go back to continue sharing the gospel with her friends.
‘Luke’ moved from West Africa to study a Masters in Business. Just before he moved, his father, who was a Muslim, died. He was hurt by the loss and began to ask questions about what happens to us after we die and who is the real God we should believe in. When he moved to campus, the first students he met were Christian students who invited him to study the book of Romans with me. As a result of studying the Bible and attending our church, he understood the gospel and put his faith in Christ. ‘Luke’ said, “I now see that God is bringing students from all over the world to these campuses to believe in the gospel. I am one of them.”
‘Luke’ is now leading Bible discussions at his university and is seeking to raise up other leaders. Pray for more leaders like ‘Luke’!
A constant challenge we face in our ministry is that university authorities threaten to take action against our Christian students. At one of our campuses, our student leader was given an official notice saying that the university will take legal action against her if she continues to lead Bible studies. She was initially discouraged and afraid of what might happen, but continues to press on. Please pray for her protection and to know how to share Christ on campus. Also, pray for the many non-Christian students attending these studies to know Christ.”
