My Ways are Not Your Ways November 23rd, 2006
Around 75% of all Christians in the Moroccan church today had their first contact with Christianity through media. Radio, TV, internet and Bible correspondence courses have been, and continue to be, very effective tools in reaching millions of people in North Africa.
Nevertheless, the story of how a young Moroccan woman, Laila, arrived in the church is unique. Seventeen-year-old Laila, who comes from a small town in Morocco, was studying as a high school exchange student in one of the major cities in the U.S. While there, she heard the gospel and decided to follow Christ as her Savior.
She received our e-mail address from a friend, and wrote to us saying,
“I just accepted Christ about a month ago, and it changed my life completely. It changed my perspective on life and the future. I am so glad I came here to find the Lord, or actually to be captured by the Lord. I know as well how difficult it will be for me when I go back home. I hope to hear from you soon, and thank you so much for what you are doing for God and for the people of Morocco.”
We were so encouraged to hear from Laila, and corresponded with her for a few months. To encourage her we gave her the address of our Arabic website, www.asdika.org, where she can listen to Moroccan Christian music and hear testimonies from other Moroccans.
After the school year was over, Laila came back to Morocco for the summer with plans to return to college in the U.S. in the fall, but soon learned that her visa had been refused. She wrote:
“You know, it’s a lot easier to live my new faith [in the United States], and I miss all the people I knew or met over there, but it’s okay. About my faith, it’s not like it was before. I am a Christian, but I can’t say it; I can’t pray in Jesus’ name, I can’t read the Bible, I am afraid that someone will see me or hear me, because in our house I don’t have any privacy. I read the Bible rarely when I find myself alone at home, or if I wake up in the middle of the night. I would love to meet other Christians here in Morocco.”
We gave Laila the telephone number for Nadia, who runs our telephone counseling center in Morocco, and she was able to contact her. This is what Laila wrote about her meeting with Nadia:
“I met Miss Nadia today … she understood me, and she was very kind. She told me that next time she is going to have me meet some other Christians, and she invited me to go to her church, which is great. I’m very happy about what happened today.
“When I came back home from the States I was afraid, I was terrified by the idea that somebody would know about my conversion and hate me because of it. I was afraid to feel so lonely, because here I don’t have my church family with me who always supported me. But I guess God had his plan all worked out for me, and every day I live I see a little bit of it with joy. God is awesome. I love you so much even though I’ve never met you. You were a great help to me, and you’re still there for me. Thank you very much.”
Laila has been attending the church group in her city for over a month now, and meets with Nadia regularly for discipleship. Yes indeed, as Laila said, God is awesome.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Is. 55: 8-9