“When the Middle East opened a door to tourism in a new way recently, we started sending teams there on short-term camping trips,” said Nasser al’Qahtani, Multiply’s Regional Team Leader for North Africa and the Middle East, and leader of a growing network in the region called River of Life. “Now, these trips have developed into a new mission training program.”
This past summer, River of Life hosted ACTION Arabia and sent a small team of people from the Midwest US to the Arabian Peninsula to climb rocks and camp in the mountains. For Nasser, who was born and grew up in the region, there were various reasons for organizing the mission training experience, all of which are being realized in meaningful ways.
“A program like this serves multiple purposes,” said Nasser. “First, it provides genuine opportunities for local Muslims to hear the Gospel, many for the very first time. For me, that’s a high priority. On trips like this, dozens of people are exposed to the message of Jesus, mainly through the testimonies of these visitors. It happens in a casual setting, often around a campfire, so people are usually more open to getting to know each other and hearing one another’s stories.”
In a region that has been closed to the Gospel for many years, Nasser also rejoices at the newfound openness of his people to hearing about Jesus. “They are hungry for God,” he said. “The doors are finally open.”
Back in the US, Nasser helped train the ACTION team before the trip. He helped them understand Middle Eastern culture and, as a former Muslim, he equipped them with appropriate ways to communicate the Gospel to Muslims. Then he connected them to a small house church in the country that they visited. For both the visitors and the hosts, this church partnership was fruitful.
A new believer named Mohammed met the team at the airport. He helped host them during their stay, providing further orientation at the beginning, as well as transportation and translation services throughout the visit. Although Mohammed was a part of the local house church, he enjoyed a level of Christian community while hosting the team that he had never experienced before. At the end of their days together, Mohammed testified, “This week was the spiritual highlight of my life!”
As one of the team’s translators, Mohammed eagerly served them as they shared their faith with locals, even though he was somewhat reluctant to participate in the conversations himself. He was very aware of the threat of persecution if he made his own convictions known, so he was often careful and cautious on his own.
However, one of the unexpected ways that the team had an impact on Mohammed’s life was through one of the participant’s testimonies. One night, around the campfire, Melissa shared her painful story with the group about how she had left the Mormon church. Her decision to follow Jesus brought division in her family and she ended up facing much persecution and huge sacrifices to stay true to her faith.
For Mohammed, Melissa’s story spoke so clearly to his own predicament of faith and the strain that put on his relationships with family and friends. In a strict Muslim environment, following Jesus often meant public scorn and family shame. But Melissa’s story gave him courage and showed him a way to walk in faith, not fear.
“She has suffered so much,” Mohammed told one of the team members afterward, “yet God has been with her. She understands what we face here when we choose to follow Jesus. Her story has challenged me to be bolder.”
In addition to strengthening the faith of the hosts, Nasser also noted that the trip was a way for team members to test their capacity to live and serve in that part of the world. “It can be an important part of the discernment process for those who are considering long-term service in countries like this,” he said simply. “I know of two new workers with Multiply who heard a calling to this region after one of these trips.”
More than that, Nasser loves how God uses the experience to transform the perspective of participants. “Many North Americans see this part of the world as intimidating or even dangerous,” Nasser explained. “But it’s actually a very welcoming place. There are so many negative impressions about Muslim culture, but they don’t really match with reality, especially in terms of the openness and friendliness of the common people.”
In that way, ACTION Arabia was able to facilitate an experience that brought participants into a very casual environment where it was relatively easy to make friends with Muslims and share the Gospel openly with them. “For some, it’s an opportunity to remove the mental block that exists toward Muslims, or even to overcome fear,” Nasser said frankly. “Then it’s so exciting to watch as these team members become advocates for reaching out to Muslims wherever they go, whether back in North America or elsewhere.”
One of Nasser’s favorite images of these experiences is the evening campfire. He insisted that every visiting team bring at least someone who plays guitar and leads worship. They make it a priority to spend time in the evenings around the campfire to sing songs of worship to Jesus and to share stories of his goodness and love. It is in that setting, as fellow climbers and campers have gathered around, that the teams have seen deep intrigue and interest in the eyes of onlookers.
“Local Muslims watch these foreigners worship God and they’re amazed,” said Nasser. “They observe something so intimate and spiritual, but it’s unfamiliar to them, in terms of their own religion. They will often take out their mobile phones to not only record the mesmerizing experience but to share it with their family and friends all over the country.”
Many of these local Muslims had never met North Americans before, and so they watched everything very carefully. They were intrigued by the team’s conversations and behavior. “After a time, they began asking us more and more questions, and listening intently to our answers,” the team leader recalled.
By the end of the week, the team invited several of the locals who had shown interest in learning more about following Jesus to come to their host’s home for fellowship. “They joined us for worship, prayer, and a devotional study, and then watched us celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.”
As the team finally prepared to leave, all were emotional as they said goodbye to their hosts. Mohammed broke down in tears. “Thank you for coming to us,” he said. “Thank you for your love.”
PRAY/GO
Please pray for the Gospel seeds that were planted and watered during ACTION-Arabia and ask God to raise up more harvest workers to partner with the River of Life team.
Two members of the ACTION Arabia team, including the team leader, are currently in long-term missionary training with Multiply.
To speak with someone about current service opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa, call your local Mission Mobilizer at 1.888.866.6267.
