The Town
Early this fall, I was lucky to find myself returning to one of my favorite places – a small desert oasis town in the foothills of towering mountains. The city where I live was still hot from the summer, but in this small town the air was cool and crisp. As I braced myself for the cool of the morning and the night, I wore a long sleeve shirt and coat for the first time this season. During our time there our hotel was just turning on the heat for the beginning of the cold season.
Walking around this town you can see a sea of white hats and headscarves, many of which were turned towards us as very few foreigners make their way here. Some faces were curious, others were stern, but a quick smile and greeting would turn the coldest of countenance to one of happiness and hospitality. This town has seen a lot of change over the last several years, transforming from a small rural trade town filled with horses and tractors on wooden frames, now filled with cars and towering buildings.
This town is an historic stronghold for Islam in East Asia, having one of the highest concentrations of madrasas around. There is also a growing link back to the Middle East as new mosques in a more Arab style are continually being built.
The Elderly Man Who Drew a Crowd
I was traveling with a group of friends from the States and our first evening we were stopped by an older man, who wanted to use English tell us about Islam. We talked with him back and forth for some time. As the conversation went on we moved more and more into the local language, we tried to show him the natural sinfulness of all mankind, and our need for a savior to take the punishment we deserve. Foreigners were a novelty here, so a foreigner speaking the local language drew quite a group of listeners!
As we discussed the fact that all children have a tendency to not listen to their parents without being taught, and we discussed the necessity of even the prophets to sacrifice to God, we began to draw a crowd of more than a dozen people, who all had the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you Lord for using this elderly man to start a conversation that could touch so many with your Gospel.
The Young Man Who Brought Friends
On a latter day of our trip we walked out of a local shop and came upon a young man I had met on a previous trip. He is Muslim, but we shared many evenings discussing the Scriptures during my last visit years ago. We quickly caught up, and he asked us to come meet him at a nearby restaurant to practice English. We gladly accepted the invitation and later met him at the appointed place.
He arrived, not alone, but with a slew of friends, and we spent the evening getting to know one another. We shared what it means to be a Christian as we also asked them about their faith. As we were finishing up our time my friend asked me to return to his town soon to do some ESL with him and that he would invite many of his friends for me to talk with. Thank you Lord for providing this young Muslim man, who is giving so many the opportunity to meet those who bear Good News.
Written by William Raines