Aisha was a single Muslim mom when I first met her. I saw her in line for food and noticed her back was hurting, so I asked her to come sit with me and have a cup of coffee. Little did I know, ‘coffee’ was the magic word, and a deep friendship began.

I learned that she was the youngest daughter of her family and thus, the ‘Cinderella’ of the house. Much responsibility was given to her at an early age and it never stopped. Even when she started working as an adult, she still had to bring all her money home to the family, do all the cooking and cleaning, and solve everyone else’s problems and arguments. She wanted to flee. She had grown up being told by her culture that a handsome, rich man would marry her and provide for all her needs and she would have her own family. That was not her story.

Aisha met Yassin on a plane. Yassin was attractive and smart, and Aisha was as naïve as she was beautiful. She was quickly swept off her feet by this incredible man flirting with her. She believed all his tall tales and knew he must be her way to freedom from her family, and the answer to her dreams of escaping her current reality. Nine months later, Nabil was born, and Yassin was long gone. Aisha had chosen to emigrate during her pregnancy to run from the shame, but it had followed her.

When I met Aisha, she had no money, no permanent job, and was living in a three-bedroom apartment with her jobless older sister and brother. Aisha found cleaning jobs here and there, and again found herself responsible for her family. The pressure to provide for their every need continued, as did the relentless pressure to marry anyone just to eliminate the shame she had caused, and was still causing, her family. When the landlord evicted Aisha and her family for being unable to pay rent for months, I contacted a church and asked if they would donate the deposit for a new apartment. They said yes and, due to that act of kindness, Aisha and her siblings were able to start over. That was when she experienced the power of the love of Christians first-hand.

I eventually asked Aisha to do a four-month Bible study with me. We studied stories all throughout the Bible and she began to learn the truth about Jesus. She now understood that Jesus is not who the Muslims say He is. Near the end of the study, Aisha accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Though the pressure from her family had not ceased, Aisha found freedom from her shame in the unconditional love of her Heavenly Father and her Christian sisters and brothers. She found that the Bible had the answers she needed for all of life’s difficulties. And, for the first time, she had solid hope for the future. She became a faithful member of the church despite her family’s opposing counsel, and she began to raise her son, Nabil, in the knowledge of Christ.

I once asked Aisha what made her decide to follow Jesus. Her response was this, “Muslims talk about loving one another, but Christians actually do it.  That is how I knew that the Christians were speaking the truth.”

 

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

John 13:35

 

About the Author:

Sandra Lee is a pastor who spent 15 years on the field reaching out to Muslim people groups. She now holds in-person and online training sessions on the basics of Islam, cultural differences and how to reach out to a Muslim. Contact her to receive training for your church or fellowship @ lovingthemtraining@nym.hush.org

 

Contact us at office@lovecompels.com

Will you help us? Donate Here