I was sitting in an English airport ready to fly to India for the first time. A youngish looking lady started speaking with me about her first time flying alone, and the anxieties that came with that. Eventually she unraveled what seemed like her whole life story to me as I listened intently – wondering where this was all heading.

The first thing the girl downstairs asked me was if I loved Justin Beiber! Believe it or not, on the surface, most Muslim young people look just like you and me. They listen to the same pop music and often dress and talk the same way. But in another sense they are so very different. For instance we’ve recently been told that our Bible is changed, untrustworthy, and that because we’re Christians we’re going to go to hell.

I watched a link on You Tube recently that presented alarming (or alarmist) statistics on the growth of Islam.  The premise of the clip was that if we don’t begin reproducing at a faster rate, and share the gospel with Muslims they will take over our world. 

At times I struggle with a lack of fruitfulness in my ministry and even question what my family and I are doing here in the Middle East. But when someone like Nan, a recently baptized new believer, so dramatically turns to him, I’m refreshed in my spirit again and feel able to carry on.  Interestingly, when I first met her I confess I didn't like her at all. She was very hard and abrupt. The woman we see before us now however is a warm loving individual.  That's transformation.

A WEC church planting team recently hosted a seminar on dreams in a Middle Eastern city.  Recognising the fascination of dream interpretation in much of folk Islam, the team invited an author on dreams according to the Pentateuch, Psalms and the New Testament to speak.  Following the presentation a local believer bravely shared her story.