Hana is a fairly new member of our English reading group. She speaks limited English and is intimidated by how well others speak. The first few weeks that she came, she hardly participated in the Bible study. We wondered if she even enjoyed being there.

One week, I sat next to Hana and noticed that she had a page full of notes on the week’s Bible passage, Matthew 18’s parable of the lost sheep. She had studied the passage on her own beforehand and taught herself the words she didn’t understand. She had even taken the time to write out answers to the following questions, which we discuss every week:

• What stands out or what do you find interesting about this passage?
• What do you learn about God from this passage?
• What do you learn about people?
• If this is true, how must our lives change to reflect what we have learned?

Hana’s insights were beautiful. When I asked her to share, she said, “God wants us all to be humble and not look down upon anyone else. He is not willing to lose a single one of His followers.”

Hana is still reluctant to speak up during the discussions. So during our last gathering, I asked her if she could summarize the passage in Arabic so that all the group members’ children playing in the room could understand it.

When she told the story to the children, it was as if she had memorized it in full. She shared deeply about what the passage meant and didn’t miss a single detail.

• Please pray that Hana would continue to come to our reading group, despite feeling inadequate in English.
• Pray that she would be transformed by the Word, choose to follow Jesus, and become a leader of many.
• Ask God to spark a thriving movement to Christ as Hana and others in this reading group share the Word.

**This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.** 

Original article: https://www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/quiet-hana