Ling was born into a large Muslim family. She doesn’t eat pork and fasts each year for Ramadan. She wears her hijab out of the fear that others in the community will speak poorly of her if she doesn’t. She finds hijabs uncomfortable, especially in the heat, and she doesn’t like the way that people outside of her village look at her differently just because she is a Muslim. She was born into this family and this community; therefore, she is Muslim.
Arabic doesn’t make sense to her, so she doesn’t bother with the daily prayers. She fasts for Ramadan, but she sees it as dreadfully uncomfortable and pointless, but it is expected of her, so she complies. The rules of Islam are enforced by the elder women in her community, so to avoid their rebuke, she follows the outward, visible rules. Inwardly, however, Ling just wants to feel loved and find purpose in life.
Pray
- Pray that Ling would encounter Christians in the city nearby when she goes into the city to go shopping, and that they would boldly, yet with gentleness, share the gospel of Christ with her.
- Pray that other nominal Muslims like Ling would have visions and dreams or meet friends who can tell them about Jesus, so that they would find purpose and love in Jesus.
**All names have been changed and the picture is not of the storyteller in order to protect the identities of those who have shared their stories and lives with us over the years.