Standing next to you in heaven one day..may be one of these people or groups of people, looking to you face to face.....to say....thank you...

You prayed.

Cindy first entered my life as I was searching for a room to rent in her city. I had moved to her country with the hope of befriending people within her people group and Lord willing, one day introduce them to Isa Al-Masih (Jesus the Messiah). With that in mind, I packed my bags and headed to Southeast Asia , specifically to work with her Muslim Unreached People Group. As a resident of my new country and city of less than two weeks, I was anxious for a few local friends and a long-term living situation. A quick glance at the notice board in 7-Eleven was the start to a relationship and journey of a lifetime that neither of us were quite expecting.

While I looked at her apartment Cindy was anxious to befriend her first white acquaintance. She leaned over and whispered in my ear, asking me questions about my faith. Astonished, I didn't know how to answer her. I was told the people of her background are not interested in spiritual matters and that I should not expect to share my faith within the first several months of my stay - possibly never having an opportunity to explain the full truth of the gospel. Obviously God had different plans!

Although Cindy rented her extra room to another occupant, we were both anxious to continue our relationship. She later admitted she pursued a friendship with me because she hoped I would guide her in knowledge of Christianity and the Bible. “I think
God brought us together,” she says. Empty and searching, Cindy soon began telling me her story.

Cindy's search for spiritual truth began long before I even heard of her people group. Six years before we met, she started dating a local Christian boy. Intrigued by the faith of his family, she started reading the Bible, storing it at the bottom of her closet away from the prying eyes of her mother. On Sunday mornings she often snuck to church with his family, a privilege not extended to her race. “If my mother found out, I would be dead to her,” she told me. Cindy was incredibly interested in Jesus. She was drawn to Christians and felt at peace around them, yet did not completely understand what Jesus' sacrifice meant for her.

A world away, I was preparing to spend a minimum of two years in Cindy's country. While battling through issues of leaving behind all I had ever known, I continually felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit to go. I could not say no. In preparation, I began praying everyday and fasting frequently for her people group. I asked the Lord to would begin preparing the hearts of those I would meet. I asked Him to lead me to the right people and that the Holy Spirit would already be working in their hearts. Little did I know that at that very time Cindy was desperately trying to fill the spiritual void within her heart and those very prayers were being answered on the other side of the globe.

A bad breakup with her boyfriend left her without a Bible and without a place to worship the true God. Not fully understanding the gospel or sacrifice of Jesus, Cindy decided to return back to Islam. She started dating a Muslim boy who would “lead her back to the true religion”, and she began praying to God again in the only way she new how. However, none of this satisfied her longing to understand spiritual truth. She quickly realized within Christianity was the only place she found peace. After an argument with her parents, Cindy decided to move out on her own at the age of twenty eight, unusual for a single woman in her culture. She rented an apartment and began advertising for roommates when our lives first crossed paths.

Although Cindy no longer had a room available to rent we became fast friends. Our first few evenings together were the typical local idea of movies and late nights over coffee and sweets. Seeking more knowledge about Jesus, Cindy pursued a more meaningful relationship with me. So, our times together rapidly progressed to evenings spent eating takeout and discussing spiritual matters in her apartment. The first time I showed her a Bible she touched it, stroked it, and held it close to her heart. She was overjoyed when I was able to give her a Bible of her own.

Within a few evenings together I had shared the full gospel with Cindy, yet she wasn't content to stop discussion there. So many of the ideas were new to her, and she found it inconceivable that she could accept Jesus. “I was born a Muslim,” she insisted, stressing the belief that those of her race can be nothing but Muslims. Despite these hindrances, her hunger for spiritual truth could not be satisfied, and she continually pursued meeting together so she could learn and investigate more

Cindy eventually desired more knowledge than she believed I could offer her and asked if we could meet with “someone who knows a little more and is a little older.” So, upon her request, we met with a colleague of mine, Alice. “I am empty inside, and I am looking for someone who can guide me to the true God,” she explained to Alice . Alice took the time to share her own story, her own journey. Cindy was intrigued and jumped at the offer for the three of us to study the Bible together. The joy that emanated from Cindy after each of these meetings was surreal.

After one of these meetings, Cindy could not express herself and stressed over and over the peace she found in our study. “I felt zero inside, but now there is so much, and I feel so full,” she said multiple times. Hoping the Holy Spirit was at work, I gently nudged her further and asked her to explain not only how she felt, but also what she thought. “I want to learn more and more, so that I can be a follower of Jesus, just like you and Alice ” she said. Immediately, I was able to explain that she already had enough knowledge to be a follower and she could make a commitment that very day. Still hesitant, Cindy asked, “How do I know that he wants me to be his follower?” After the two of us examined just one scripture explaining Christ's sacrifice for everyone , not matter past, background, or culture, Cindy was ready to make a commitment and humbly prayed, asking Jesus to be her savior. Immediately, Cindy ended things with her Muslim boyfriend and took steps to rid her life of sin. “If I am going to follow Jesus, I don't want to have all this sin in my life,” she explained.

Cindy has taken steps to rid out sin in her life. She does desire to make the right decisions and follow Jesus wholeheartedly, yet it is not easy. To this day, she knows no other Muslims that have made the same decision. She and I have very few resources or guides. In many ways Cindy and I are on this journey together, both doing something for the first time. Cindy is following Jesus for the first time, and I am discipling a Muslim believer for the first time. We have known each other only four months and Cindy's decision is even newer. We must rely on prayer and the direction of the Holy Spirit as in our own humanity we cannot understand the appropriate course of action to be taken. But I have faith in the Holy Spirit and his ability to carry us forward. God in his goodness has brought us this far, and I know he will take us further. It was the Holy Spirit that first began working in Cindy's heart long before the Lord saw fit to bring us together. It was the Holy Spirit that led a colleague and I to her advertisement. And it must be the Holy Spirit that continues to guide our relationship as we both grow and learn more each day what it means to follow of Jesus.

Cindy made the important decision of becoming a follower of Jesus. She has prayed to him, asked him to be her savior, and told him she wants to follow him. She understands that following Jesus is a lifetime commitment, and she yearns to study further to learn more about who he is in order to follow him more closely. Yet, doubts sneak in. It has taken much conversation and prayer for her to realize that eternal life is extended to her. For several days she believed her sins were still too great to be admitted to heaven. She now understands that Jesus has paid her penalty in full.

We are also faced with a language barrier. While Cindy's English is amazing, certain truths are better understood by one's local and heart language. We have been studying with a local Bible and English Bible side by side, as we fear too much English will extract her from her culture. We long for her to become a strong believing Southeast Asain , not a believing Westerner. Unfortunately, at this point, we do not even have the Bible in its entirety to offer her in her local contextual language. While overjoyed at Cindy's decision, we long to see others in her community come to the same decision. We long to see Cindy understand truth in a language she can easily communicate to the Muslims that surround her.

Please join us in praying for Cindy. We rejoice that the God has called one of his own to him. We also pray that Cindy will continue to fully grasp the meaning of eternity. Pray that she will remain strong in the face of potential opposition from her family, culture, and government. Pray that as she learns more she will learn to communicate these dear truths with her family and culture.