Murat glanced behind him as he hurried down the street of the unfamiliar seaside village. It felt strange to walk alone, especially in a place he’d never been. Although he was an adult according to both Islam and his country, his parents still treated him like a child, refusing to […]
Becoming True Brothers
Parviz found a place to sit in the small apartment full of unfamiliar faces. The room smelled of foreign food instead of the aromatic spices he was used to, and the scent made him feel even more out of place. His younger brother, Karim, had been coming to this group […]
An Orphan No Longer
Massin clenched his hands together as the car rounded a bend in the dirt road and the familiar, white-washed walls of an orphanage came into view. He hadn’t set foot in the public children’s home since leaving its stifling confines a year before. As they reached the end of the […]
Changed by a Dream
Khalil rolled over in bed for what felt like the hundredth time. He tried to force himself to sleep despite the pain. While getting a simple surgery a week earlier, he’d suffered a rare complication, and each day had brought more suffering than the last. He was beginning to lose […]
Baptized in the Wadi
Bisharra popped an SD card into her phone and turned up the volume. She loved to listen to scripture passages recorded by her friends from America, Kristi and Anna. The words of Acts echoed through her small mudbrick home as she built a fire and prepared millet and okra sauce […]
The Grumpy Samaritan
Afternoon sun angled through the windows of the small West African clinic, bringing the heat with it. I stretched my back before calling in the last patient of the day. Twelve-year-old Brahim entered my examination room, cradling his arm and bravely holding back tears. His mother hurried in with Brahim’s […]
Hope from a Changed Heart
No one said goodbye to Hadiya as she walked out of the fellowship meeting. She wasn’t surprised. Most people considered her a lost cause. And she knew exactly why. Months before, after being slighted by her friend Zeinab, Hadiya had spread lies about her and some of the other women […]
The Business Handbook
The grind of machinery and rumble of voices swirled around Munir as he rapped on the door of the factory office. It opened, and Munir was greeted by a smiling American man. Munir smiled back and introduced himself. “I’m visiting my brother, who owns the textile factory next door.” “Oh […]
Fridays at the Mosque
I stood on the sidewalk, sweating a little in the hot climate. The mosque rose into the blue sky, domes and spires gleaming in the sunlight. I took a deep breath, removed my shoes, and stepped inside. Silently, I prayed that something would come of my harebrained idea. There are […]
Walking With Abdalla
Each evening, people swarm to our city’s largest public park to enjoy picnics under the palms or long walks in the cool air. On one of my regular walks around the loop, I saw a man I’d never met walking toward me. I said hello and asked if I could […]