In this young Muslim woman’s home, the name of Jesus was spoken.
Worship songs were sung, scriptures were read, and passionate prayers were uttered.
Even though I had just met Sonia, her family welcomed the five of us into their home, feeding us copious amounts of couscous, grapes, pastries, and mint tea. Her friends and relatives freely moved in and out of her home— I lost count of how many times my cheeks were kissed in greeting! And all of a sudden, there were three adorable little girls on our laps. Over and over again, Sonia’s mother and father exclaimed that we were welcome in their home anytime. There was a pretty wide language barrier, but Sonia’s cousin, Yasmin, spoke decent English, so we managed to communicate decently well (with the additional help of Google Translate here and there).
At one point, the family brought out some drums— five for each one of us— and they showed us how to play them. This led to the singing of worship songs as Gina Marie continued playing her drum. The little girls listening were completely transfixed by the holy music.
The conversation moved to faith after a little while. Sonia’s cousin in particular was so open to hearing about our faith and about Jesus. Though communicating was a little difficult, she was interested in learning about Christianity. The women told us about Islam and then they asked if we wanted to hear some of the Quran. We told them that we would love to, so two of the woman put on hijabs and recited a few passages.
When they finished, Gina Marie asked if they would like to hear some of the Bible. Yasmin nodded her head eagerly, so Gina Marie brought it out of her bag. We told them that we study the Bible and read it every day, and that God speaks to us through the Scriptures. Gina Marie decided the Psalms would be a good place to start, and she began to read Psalm 23. After she finished reading the Psalm, Yasmin whispered, “I understood every word. I understood everything. Will you read more?”
I gasped and my heart began pounding. Gina Marie asked us which Psalm she should read to them next. At the same time, Landry and I said, “Psalm 139!” Again, Yasmin exclaimed that she understood everything Gina Marie had read, and she thanked us for sharing.
After five hours with Sonia’s family, we prepared to leave, but we asked if we could pray for them before we left. Since they are very devout Muslims, they would not allow us to pray with them, but they happily cleared out a space in another room for us to pray privately. As we prayed over this family and their home, the Holy Spirit descended heavily. I prayed for the Holy Spirit’s presence to linger in their home long after we had gone, for all of them to have encounters with Jesus, for their hearts to be pierced by the Truth that was spoken, and for other followers of Jesus to continue the miraculous work that He had started that day.
I am so thankful for this day, for this family, for the relationships that were formed, and for the seeds that were planted. The Holy Spirit is moving, and people can’t help but be changed when they encounter Him. Please keep this family in your prayers!
