Sarah

My friend Sarah and I met two years ago, and from the day we met, she had a certain curiosity about Jesus in her heart. Sarah lives in a different part of the country, and in the months following our initial meeting, we had conversations over the phone about the Bible and who God is. Even though she was curious, Sarah identified culturally as a Muslim and told me once that she could never accept Jesus as Lord because it would “go against her religion.”

One day last summer, Sarah called me with an urgent prayer request: “I want to see Jesus in a dream. Will you pray for me?” After a day of prayer, I received another phone call from her with the exciting news that she saw Jesus in her dream. When I asked her why she suddenly de- sired this, she told me, “I prayed for years to see Muhammad, and he has done nothing for me. But the day after I prayed to see Jesus, He showed up. In my dream, He was light and peace.”

Since then, we have been calling every now and then. Just a few weeks ago, while speaking on the phone, she excitedly told me, “I have been praying a lot more—for myself, for my family, even for my enemies. I think we need to start praying together.” Thrilled by her suggestion, I agreed that we should start praying together regularly. We made plans to start and she interjected: “I have to tell you something! I want to change religions. I am ready to become a Christian.” I was stunned! Almost two years ago, I sat across the table from Sarah in a crowded coffee shop and asked her if she wanted to follow Jesus. She adamantly said “no” and explained she could never do something so offensive to the religion that she was brought up in. The Lord has worked a miracle in her heart, and she now sees Jesus as Lord, King, and loving Father. That weekend she told me, “I have followed Allah for 21 years, and he has done nothing for me. In just two years, Jesus has done so much for me. I know following Him is the best decision I can ever make.”

Last week, I travelled to her city and spent the week with this new sister in Christ to disciple her in the very first stages of her walk with Christ. In the week I was there, Sarah shared with her two closest friends about her decision to follow Jesus and she was baptized. For Sarah, these were huge steps—in the village where she lives, following Jesus comes with a huge cost. A local who leaves their faith to become a believer can lose a job, be disowned from their family, or even be killed. I was encouraged and so inspired by the faith of this week-old believer who had counted the cost and decided Jesus was worth it.