“Have you seen a teenage boy? His name is Adel,” Noor pleaded, as she had every morning since arriving at the refugee camp without her son. The only ones in their family to survive the violence near their home, they had been separated while fleeing weeks before.

“Not today,” the camp administrator told her.

Other refugees crowded her out of the way to ask about their own lost loved ones, and Noor trudged back to her tent, barely able to hold back tears. The longer Adel remained missing, the more she worried that extremists had conscripted him. What if she never saw him again?

Near her tent, Noor heard two other widows talking about the terrible impact of the war. One had lost her husband and daughter. The other had watched her home destroyed and her son kidnapped by militants. But instead of compassion, these stories triggered an argument over who had suffered most.

Noor felt alone and helpless in the face of such devastation. She needed something useful to do.

A few days later, she met Valerie, a Frontiers field worker who served as a translator for the doctors in the camp. As the two women talked, Valerie mentioned that her team needed a place to distribute medication.

Noor thought for a moment. She could host them. Maybe then her tent wouldn’t feel so lonely.

Within days, they had a pharmacy set up. As new arrivals to the camp came to the tent, the team offered to pray in Jesus’ name for every patient.

Noor had never seen anything like the compassion and care Valerie’s team showed to the refugees. Muslims from different tribes didn’t trust each other and showed no concern for other refugees, but Valerie cared for everyone equally. Noor had to know what made this team different.

As Noor approached the other woman one afternoon, Valerie asked, “Any news about Adel?”

Noor shook her head.

“God knows exactly where he is,” Valerie said. “I am praying for him.”

“You are so full of faith,” Noor said with awe. “What is it that you believe?”

Valerie smiled and offered her a seat on a rug at the back of the tent. Pulling out her phone, she began playing stories from God’s Word.

Noor noticed that these passages were different than what she’d heard in the Quran. From creation, God loved the people He made, and He sent prophets to tell them of a coming Savior who would be the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Day after day, she asked to hear more.

One afternoon, she saw a group of widows arguing and gossiping. Usually, she was too timid to get involved in these confrontations, but that day she and Valerie had listened to a Jesus story about peace. Noor walked up to the other widows and retold what she had heard.  

For weeks, Noor continued this routine—learning about Jesus with Valerie, then sharing what she had discovered with the women of the camp. She believed He was wise and His teachings good. But she couldn’t be sure that He was as powerful as Valerie said.

As Noor tossed in her sleep one night, she had a dream about Jesus. He was tall, and light shone all around Him. When He hugged her, He said, “Your son will come back safe … soon.”

Noor woke with a start. Dawn light glowed through holes in her tent, and she hurried to the entrance of camp to ask for news of Adel. A group of new arrivals huddled at the check-in booth. Among them, a thin boy’s face peeked through the bodies, searching for something.

“Adel!” Noor cried as she ran to him, wrapping him in an embrace and kissing his face.

When Noor told Valerie the joyous news, she recounted her dream. “Jesus brought my son home,” she declared. “He really is God. And I want to share this with everyone.”

Valerie hugged her and smiled widely.

Soon, Noor began studying the Injil with other widows, and within a short time, more than 80 women met regularly. As the teachings of Jesus spread throughout the camp, the women began to change.

Acts of kindness blossomed in unexpected places. Women who had once been bitter and distrusting began caring for other families in need. They made meals and laundered clothes when other mothers couldn’t.

When they had first arrived at the camp, the widows could only focus on survival. But the love of Jesus had filled their hearts to overflowing with joy and kindness.

A few months later, Valerie visited Noor’s tent.

“I have good news!” Noor exclaimed before Valerie could even sit on the rug. “My friend Amrita, who I’ve been studying the Injil with, has relatives in the north. She told us she wanted to go share the Good News with them, but she didn’t have money to travel.”

Valerie’s smile dimmed. “Oh, no. Maybe…”

Noor waved off whatever Valerie was going to suggest. “All of the widows in the group pooled our money. We had just enough for her to make the trip.”

Tears immediately sprang to Valerie’s eyes. As a Frontiers worker, she had discipled women who had sent out a worker of their own—and it had been entirely their idea. God is continuing to inspire and empower these widows as they share the hope and love they’ve experienced far beyond the borders of their camp.

Pray:

• Thank King Jesus for reuniting Noor with her son and using her to spread His kingdom.
• Pray that Christ followers will have access to serve in refugee camps so Muslims will hear about and follow Jesus.
• Ask God to give refugees like Noor and Amrita, who have turned to Christ, courage and boldness to share the Good News with friends and relatives.

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

Main photo on iStock: Madeleine Jettre

Original article: https://frontiersusa.org/blog/hope-worth-sharing