Neima sat up in bed, gasping. For a moment, confusion clouded her mind. Shafts of moonlight illuminated a cramped and lonely apartment—not the bedroom she and her siblings shared.

As the cobwebs of sleep slipped from her mind, Neima remembered that she was not home. She was alone in the city, now a college student.

Dropping back onto her pillow, Neima turned her thoughts to the dream that had awakened her. Once again, the man in white had visited her and told her how much He cared for her. She wasn’t sure who He was, but she suspected the reoccurring dream had something to do with her secret internet explorations of world religions.

Maybe He was Jesus.

Neima tossed and turned until the first rays of sunlight streamed through her narrow window. The harsh sounds of the city—so different from the bleating of sheep and crowing of roosters at home—pressed into her apartment.

If only she had someone to talk to about her dreams. But the only people she knew in the city were her classmates and professors, whose hypocrisy had been the reason she’d begun to doubt Islam. She needed to find a Christian, but the only Christians she knew about in the country were foreigners who lived in bigger cities.

Sadly, Neima dressed and made her bed. She didn’t have the time or money to travel, even to learn more about other religions.

But there was one woman she’d been able to connect with online, a Jesus follower from a nearby country.

Neima pulled out her phone and opened her social media app. She grinned when she saw her online friend had left a message. “I know of someone in your city who can answer your questions.”

Heart pounding, Neima skimmed the contact information in the message. These Jesus followers were one local woman and a foreigner who spoke her language. And they only lived a few blocks away.

By the time Neima finished her walk to the university, she had reached out to the Jesus followers and accepted their invitation to talk later at a nearby café. Maybe today her questions would finally be answered!

Later that afternoon, Neima arrived at the pickup location. Her gaze swept the cars driving by. It was easy to locate the couple she’d come to meet—there were few Western foreigners in the city. The car pulled up and she got in with hands shaking, suddenly nervous to meet the people who could bring her the clarity she craved.

“Hello,” she greeted them. “I’m Neima.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” one of the woman said. “I’m Elise and this is my friend Yasemin.”

The three of them exchanged small talk until they arrived at the café. Neima slipped into a chair across the table from Elise and Yasemin.

“Do you have some questions about Jesus?” Elise asked.

“Yes.” Neima bit her lip and tried to organize her thoughts. She should have made a list of things to ask.

“What would you like to know?” Elise smiled.

Neima hesitated. “I’ve been wondering what I should do about some people I detest. I don’t like carrying all this hate, and I want to know what Jesus said to do about it.”

“Jesus said to love our enemies,” Yasemin said.  

“That’s right,” Elise agreed. “He said we should treat them with kindness and pray for them.”

Neima’s mouth dropped. “I don’t know any teachings like that. No one could do that.”

“On our own, loving like that is impossible,” Yasemin agreed. “But those who trust Jesus have God’s power to love people who are difficult to like.”

Could she really put that sort of love into practice? Over the next few months, Neima met with Yasemin and Elise every week, asking questions and reading through the Bible they gave her.

By the end of the semester, Neima decided that she wanted to be free of the hate. Her negative view of those she disliked improved when she reminded herself that God cared about them. She wanted to love like Jesus—and experience His love for her.

“I have committed to following Jesus,” she told Yasemin one afternoon.

“That’s wonderful!” Yasemin reached out to hug her.

Neima wasted no time calling her family and sharing the love she had found with them. Surprised to hear that she’d been able to let go of grudges and forgive, they listened to what she had to say. She also began to pray with her friends when they had problems with other people.

Now that Neima knew what it meant to love and be loved, she couldn’t help but joyfully share the new life she had found in Jesus.

Pray:

• Pray that Neima will grow in her faith and will boldly share the love she’s received.
• Ask God to continue to connect field workers with Muslims looking for hope.
• Pray for more college students in the Muslim world to examine their worldview and discover the truth about Jesus.

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

Main photo on iStock