Have you heard the expression “Boots on the Ground?” Well our Live Dead Missionaries are the boots on the Silk Road. Here we’d like to take a moment and allow one of them to share part of their life with you. Some names and details have been changed, but this is a true story from this colorful, vibrant, and sometimes surprising region and those who God has called to work here.

This month I moved out to my permanent team right after the Sacrifice Holiday, the second biggest Islamic holiday. The second day myself and the other new teammate got to the city, our team leader introduced us to one of the local believers, a lovely hairdresser called Daisy. She excitedly invited us over for tea at her house the next night.

Tea here in Turkey is both a ritual and a lifestyle. It is offered almost anywhere you go. If you’re invited to a Turkish home for tea, it usually begins late in the evening and can last late into the night with many sweets and food. Tea at Daisy’s was no exception.

Daisy had invited myself and our team members as well as another believer, her childhood best friend and her niece, Sarah, for tea. Halfway through the evening, Daisy brought up the subject of miracles. I got to share the story of how God spoke to me in dreams and healed my back on a bike tour across the Midwest.

This led to the other believer being able to share her entire testimony with boldness. This caught the attention of Daisy’s niece who asked many questions. The more Sarah heard of this Muslim background believer’s testimony the more she became interested in what she was saying.

“How do I get this Holy Spirit you talk about? Is there a prayer to pray?” Sarah exclaimed.

We prayed with her for her to experience God in a new way. Once she learned that Christians don’t worship idols or Mary and that they experience God’s peace, she was so open to hearing about the Gospel. We gave her God’s Word and told her to contact us if she has more questions. I have never met a more spiritually hungry person here on the Silk Road. The Holy Spirit prepares people’s hearts; all we have to do is open our mouths and share.