Another Conversion Story (sorry)

“Mustapha” met me on one of my walks and asked for my contact information. As always, I gave him an email address, and he quickly became a regular correspondent. His emails usually consisted of one or two lines asking when and how we could see one another again; my replies were generally as short, reiterating that I can never predict when I’m going to walk through town.

One day I was working away when a stranger came up to my door. Since I’d met him only briefly before, I didn’t recognize Mustapha until he reintroduced himself. Warmly inviting him to take a seat, I began to pray, “Lord, You have brought this man to my office for a reason: please give me an opening to share about You!” This is a prayer I am finding God delights to answer! It wasn’t too long until Mustapha asked me whether I can read in the local language: and I eagerly replied, “You tell me!” and whipped out my local Bible – praise the Lord that the written language is fairly phonetic – and read John 3:16 aloud to him. “Yes,” he said, “You read well. Because God loved the world, He sent His Son to die so that if we believe on Him, we will have eternal life. But do you actually understand the words that you are reading?” “Oh, I understand more words from this verse,” I said, flipping to John 14:6. “You see,” I pointed out after reading it, “I know that these are the words for way, truth, and life.” “No one comes to God except through me,” Mustapha completed for me. From these verses I briefly gave him the gospel, then moved on to lighter subjects. When he came to visit me a couple of weeks later, I felt I should just chat with him on those lighter subjects (such as school and family), and did so.

Well, he came back for a third visit, and this time I barraged him with tracts. “Read these so we’ll have something to discuss if you come again,” I encouraged him. When he came back a fourth time, I asked him whether he’d read what I’d previously given him. He had, and said he understood the booklets’ messages, and was seriously interested in Christianity. “But I’m a student, and my parents are paying my school fees,” he said. “So I think I should wait for a couple of years until I’ve graduated before becoming a Christian: or what do you think?” I encouraged him that today is the day of salvation, and he never knows when death will come. He promised to seriously consider what we’d discussed and to visit a Christian friend of his.

Last week Mustapha showed up for a final visit, and said that he met with the Christian friend, who led him to Christ. What a joy! Furthermore, his friend is willing to meet with him regularly to study the Bible and help him grow in his new faith.

Praise God with me for Mustapha’s conversion, and pray for him as he seeks to hide his new identity from his parents for now. He will still accompany his father to the mosque until he is ready to boldly proclaim his Christianity. May God guard, guide, and grow him in the months and years ahead!