The following write-up is by Nathan Densley. Names and locations have been changed to protect parties involved.
It was a long trip. For six hours I sat on a bus watching the scenery. It looked similar to Saskatchewan farmland with the only difference being a six foot tall barbed wire fence running alongside of the road. We were traveling through ***** right next to the ***** border. Although we saw a few military vehicles, this trip was just like any other bus ride I had taken, maybe even a little better. What did stand out to me was hearing young men from ***** who have grown up so near to ***** and ***** express no fear regarding their neighboring countries. They simply see them like we would view those from the United States.
After our bus ride, we rented a car and headed to *****, a town in ***** that God called us to. Our mission was simple; we would start walking and listen to the Holy Spirit as He gave directions. There were moments, though not many, where we thought: "What in the world are we doing?" It wasn’t long until we came across six young men sitting under a tree. We started to walk past them when they started to talk to us in their own language. When they realized we couldn't understand them they started laughing—not at us but with us; obviously, they were the fun-loving jokesters in the town.
These young men took us for a climb up a mountain. As we moved upward they pointed out exotic fruits like, siv or as the French call it, pomme. They also told us that they hunt mountain goat and spend much of their time herding sheep, goats, mules, and cows. At the top of the mountain they stopped and danced. When we finished our hike, the leader of the bunch, S...., took us to his home. We were thrilled to discover that they are a very important family in *****.
When we arrived we were introduced to the father, A.... This, by the way, is quite an honor. They served us some great food (goat cheese, yogurt, honey, bread, olives, and a mixture of tomatoes and cucumbers) and we had an excellent time trying to learn some of their language. There are 11 children in this family so it felt like a crowd. Our presence didn’t stop the youngest from being coaxed to dance. He performed a traditional dance…Gangnam Style…for our entertainment—was it ever fun. What a world we live in!
The most interesting thing about our first visit was how Jesus entered the conversation. HIs name was introduced by the very thing I have been taught deters witness among Muslims—my tattoos. After looking at the one on my arm they asked if I had any more, so I started showing them, saving the best for last: a picture of Jesus tattooed on my chest. The teenagers asked many questions and became very interested in Christ from this point on.
Over the next few days we continued to build our friendship with this family. We also started growing in favor with the community. Eventually they invited us to another home where the most powerful men of the town had gathered to ask us the question we had already heard time and again, "Why B****?" Even the Imam came to talk to us. At this point we laid all our cards on the table. Using Google translate on a smart phone we described the dream I had in Canada of a person calling out for help. When I told them that the man in my dream looked just like S..., all the air seemed to leave the room.
This began a bit of an intense discussion with the Imam and A...(who was previously mentioned). I can’t be sure but one of my companions and I believe we heard the ***** word for infidel uttered by the Imam. It didn’t deter us, however. As the questions continued, they discovered that I was a religious teacher. This opened the door for me to talk more about my travels and where I have been.
The next day, while sitting with the kids watching the ***** version of Saturday morning TV, we started to ask about their mother’s sickness. We told them that we have often seen people who were prayed for be healed. We started by praying for the children—four of them were healed. This prompted them to bring in their mother, who has been in constant pain for a long time. After we prayed for her she immediately started to feel better, and her headache left. Unfortunately, it was not long before the pain returned. I suspect she either fell prey to unbelief or she wasn't healed in the first place. In any case, this seemed to put a bit of a damper our ability to further preach the gospel.
We left ***** and came back to our hotel with a promise that we would return to work with them on their farm. Our hearts were heavy about things not going as planned, so we prayed together and sought the Lord on the matter. After a day of rest from the cultural overload, the Holy Spirit led us back to the same location. We obeyed and after some hard manual labor we were given a place to sleep at the home described above and continued to wait for the Lord's direction.
In the morning it seemed as if things culminated in a stand-off. A deaf woman was brought to us by another Imam. We prayed several times for her to be healed, but nothing happened. While we are at peace that the Gospel was preached, we have come to realize that it is less powerful than when it is accompanied by signs and wonders. One thing is certain--the Kingdom of God was introduced to *****.
I must add that there were other smaller miracles. Just imagine, we had been told it would take months to get into a ***** home for a meal, but within 24 hours we were sleeping in one of these homes! We are thankful of the Father for His grace. We left the family with a Bible in their own language and our contact info. We will definitely be planning another trip to this town and hope to bring new faces, more of the love of Jesus, and the healing work of the Kingdom.
It was a long trip. For six hours I sat on a bus watching the scenery. It looked similar to Saskatchewan farmland with the only difference being a six foot tall barbed wire fence running alongside of the road. We were traveling through ***** right next to the ***** border. Although we saw a few military vehicles, this trip was just like any other bus ride I had taken, maybe even a little better. What did stand out to me was hearing young men from ***** who have grown up so near to ***** and ***** express no fear regarding their neighboring countries. They simply see them like we would view those from the United States.
After our bus ride, we rented a car and headed to *****, a town in ***** that God called us to. Our mission was simple; we would start walking and listen to the Holy Spirit as He gave directions. There were moments, though not many, where we thought: "What in the world are we doing?" It wasn’t long until we came across six young men sitting under a tree. We started to walk past them when they started to talk to us in their own language. When they realized we couldn't understand them they started laughing—not at us but with us; obviously, they were the fun-loving jokesters in the town.
These young men took us for a climb up a mountain. As we moved upward they pointed out exotic fruits like, siv or as the French call it, pomme. They also told us that they hunt mountain goat and spend much of their time herding sheep, goats, mules, and cows. At the top of the mountain they stopped and danced. When we finished our hike, the leader of the bunch, S...., took us to his home. We were thrilled to discover that they are a very important family in *****.
When we arrived we were introduced to the father, A.... This, by the way, is quite an honor. They served us some great food (goat cheese, yogurt, honey, bread, olives, and a mixture of tomatoes and cucumbers) and we had an excellent time trying to learn some of their language. There are 11 children in this family so it felt like a crowd. Our presence didn’t stop the youngest from being coaxed to dance. He performed a traditional dance…Gangnam Style…for our entertainment—was it ever fun. What a world we live in!
The most interesting thing about our first visit was how Jesus entered the conversation. HIs name was introduced by the very thing I have been taught deters witness among Muslims—my tattoos. After looking at the one on my arm they asked if I had any more, so I started showing them, saving the best for last: a picture of Jesus tattooed on my chest. The teenagers asked many questions and became very interested in Christ from this point on.
Over the next few days we continued to build our friendship with this family. We also started growing in favor with the community. Eventually they invited us to another home where the most powerful men of the town had gathered to ask us the question we had already heard time and again, "Why B****?" Even the Imam came to talk to us. At this point we laid all our cards on the table. Using Google translate on a smart phone we described the dream I had in Canada of a person calling out for help. When I told them that the man in my dream looked just like S..., all the air seemed to leave the room.
This began a bit of an intense discussion with the Imam and A...(who was previously mentioned). I can’t be sure but one of my companions and I believe we heard the ***** word for infidel uttered by the Imam. It didn’t deter us, however. As the questions continued, they discovered that I was a religious teacher. This opened the door for me to talk more about my travels and where I have been.
The next day, while sitting with the kids watching the ***** version of Saturday morning TV, we started to ask about their mother’s sickness. We told them that we have often seen people who were prayed for be healed. We started by praying for the children—four of them were healed. This prompted them to bring in their mother, who has been in constant pain for a long time. After we prayed for her she immediately started to feel better, and her headache left. Unfortunately, it was not long before the pain returned. I suspect she either fell prey to unbelief or she wasn't healed in the first place. In any case, this seemed to put a bit of a damper our ability to further preach the gospel.
We left ***** and came back to our hotel with a promise that we would return to work with them on their farm. Our hearts were heavy about things not going as planned, so we prayed together and sought the Lord on the matter. After a day of rest from the cultural overload, the Holy Spirit led us back to the same location. We obeyed and after some hard manual labor we were given a place to sleep at the home described above and continued to wait for the Lord's direction.
In the morning it seemed as if things culminated in a stand-off. A deaf woman was brought to us by another Imam. We prayed several times for her to be healed, but nothing happened. While we are at peace that the Gospel was preached, we have come to realize that it is less powerful than when it is accompanied by signs and wonders. One thing is certain--the Kingdom of God was introduced to *****.
I must add that there were other smaller miracles. Just imagine, we had been told it would take months to get into a ***** home for a meal, but within 24 hours we were sleeping in one of these homes! We are thankful of the Father for His grace. We left the family with a Bible in their own language and our contact info. We will definitely be planning another trip to this town and hope to bring new faces, more of the love of Jesus, and the healing work of the Kingdom.