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GHANA, WEST AFRICA (ANS) -- It was a hot, breezeless afternoon when a
young Muslim man arrived at the mission center and demanded an audience
with the pastor.
“I directed him to see one of my co-workers,” says Pastor Yusif, a national missionary active in West Africa. “But he insisted it was personal and wanted to see me.”
The man introduced himself as Ahmed, 33, from a strong Muslim background. In fact, he said he memorized the entire Koran by the age of 11 and later became a Koranic instructor and musician.
Despite Ahmed’s achievements, he told Pastor Yusif about a profound emptiness at the core of his being. He was looking for God but doubted he existed. Internal anxieties robbed him of peace. After his wife left him, he struggled to find meaning in life.
“I felt like cotton,” Ahmed told Pastor Yusif. “I would go wherever the wind blew me, but I was confused and afraid.”
As time passed, Ahmed started to isolate himself. He stayed in his room for days, rarely venturing out. In his desperation, he asked God to speak to him and show him if he is real.
One night a vivid dream terrified him. “A huge man appeared to him in the dream and said he had to cut off his head and put on a new one,” Pastor Yusif reports. “The man was holding a long sword. Ahmed observed that the handle of the sword had a cross.”
When Ahmed awakened, he suddenly realized the man meant for him to take off his Muslim head and replace it with a Christian head. The man wanted him to become a Christian, but how could he do that? He could never become an infidel! If he did that, he would be ostracized or killed. His family and friends would never forgive him. He would lose all his rights of inheritance and privilege.
The more Ahmed tried to forget about the dream, the more it returned to him. He decided he must find a Christian pastor.
And so there he was, staring face to face at Pastor Yusif. “I want to be a Christian; can you help me to be a Christian?” Ahmed asked.
Pastor Yusif shared the way of salvation, and Ahmed prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior and Lord.
“Even if I die poor, I am happy,” Ahmed exclaimed, with a huge smile on his face, “because I know where I’m going. I know Jesus is real.”
Pastor Yusif gave Ahmed a New Testament and told him to memorize the Book of Matthew, chapters five through seven. Ahmed came to see Pastor Yusif the next day, and proudly recited all three chapters.
“For the past four weeks, he attended every service,” Pastor Yusif notes. “He sings beautiful songs to honor the Lord Jesus and he wants to be an evangelist.”
Pastor Yusif believes Ahmed’s life is at risk, and maintains concern that Muslim leaders may try to harm the new convert. “Pray that Ahmed’s faith in Christ will grow and the Lord will use him to touch the lives of many for his Kingdom,” he says. “Pray that the Lord gives us wisdom to disciple him and get him deeply rooted in the Word of God, and that he becomes a vibrant evangelist.”
“Pray also that the Lord would protect him from militants and would supply the support he needs for the next 12 months, and for all the other “Ahmeds” who are hiding and sitting on the fence to come out boldly and follow Jesus Christ.”
Mark Ellis is a Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service. He is also an associate pastor in Laguna Beach, CA.
Used by Permission: ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA www.assistnews.net
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