Sadia stood on the bank of the river, lined up next to eight other Muslim-background men and women. A nervous joy bubbled in her chest, threatening to overwhelm her with tears.
“Have you decided to follow Jesus and Him only?” asked Farid, a believer who belongs to the same Muslim people group.
“Yes,” Sadia and the others replied.
“Do you know that He has forgiven all your sins? And do you proclaim to these witnesses here that you will follow Christ and never turn back?” Sadia said yes in unison with the others.
“And when people mock you and mistreat you and your family, when they persecute you, even if they threaten to kill you, will you still follow Jesus?”
Tears streamed down Sadia’s face. “I will,” she declared.
Frontiers worker Geoff watched as Sadia and the others stepped into the water. Then they were baptized by Farid and other Muslim-background believers trained by Geoff.
In the years they’ve lived in this community, Geoff and his teammates have enjoyed countless meals and rounds of tea in local homes. They’ve shared joys and heartbreaks that have woven them into rich friendships with the local Muslim families.
This has opened doors to make disciples and equip them to share the message of the Gospel with others. Through ongoing coaching, Geoff’s team has helped dozens of Muslim-background men and women reach even more communities and start new Bible studies. As a result, hundreds of people like Sadia have been baptized into the body of Christ.
Now Sadia and other recently baptized believers are sharing the Good News with more Muslims.
During a month-long visit to her hometown, Sadia started Bible studies with 40 friends, relatives, and neighbors. It was the first time any of them had met a follower of Jesus—much less one from their own village. In that month, 11 people became followers of Christ.
On her next visit, she shared the Gospel with even more people, and several new believers were baptized.
A group of 20 women in the village asked Sadia to tell them about Jesus. As she began sharing, she saw that one young woman had brought a son who was gravely ill. Doctors had told the mother that they couldn’t help the child and that he would die.
But Sadia prayed for him in Jesus’ name, and the child was immediately healed. Then she carried on with her message. When she finished sharing the Gospel, each woman committed to following Christ and learning from the Bible.
Because of Sadia’s faithfulness, God’s Word is being cherished and applied in an entire Muslim village.
As Frontiers teams like Geoff’s equip new believers to make disciples, even more Muslims are discovering Jesus in the Word, following Him, and gathering into communities of faith.
**This account comes from a long-term worker. Names have been changed for security.**
Original article: https://frontiersusa.org/blog/where-there-were-none