Successful mission to the Masai in Kenya

We have told you many remarkable stories about Pastor Mustafa, who coordinates Bibles for Mideast in Central Africa. During a recent prayer and fasting session, our pastor sensed a divine call from the Lord to go to Masai Mara in Kenya and share the gospel.

Masai Mara is a large national game reserve in Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti in Tanzania and about 140 miles from Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. The Masai tribe of around 50,000 people is one of the largest in Kenya. Polygamy and female genital mutilation are both traditional Masai practices.

Pastor Mustafa had visited the region several years ago, impacting one man and one of his wives in particular. The couple had been especially moved by the testimony of Lydia*—someone else we have shared a number of dramatic stories about—and were eager for the pastor to return.  

Lydia, the 14-year-old daughter of a missionary with Bibles for Mideast, had undergone forced and brutal female genital mutilation (FGM) back in 2017. Every girl between 10 and 14 years of age is forced to undergo the brutal practice, and many die—including Lydia—because of it.  

You can read the remarkable three-part account of her dying and being resurrected here:
URGENT CALL TO PRAYER for young Christian victim of female genital mutilation;
Doctors confirm death of young Lydia … BUT GOD!;
Jesus and Salvation in Lydia’s West African Town.]

When young Lydia heard of the planned mission trip, Holy Spirit prophesied through her that the team were to go courageously, for they would “face many mental and physical challenges from the people. But don’t get upset,” she continued, “several people will genuinely respond to the gospel message and be saved.” And she joined the five-member team!

Upon Pastor Mustafa and the team’s arrival in Masai Mara, the whole village was preparing for an FGM ceremony for several young women. Preparations involved evening gatherings for dance, singing and other cultural activities. Pastor Mustafa took advantage of their gathering to share the gospel and his own testimony of leaving Islam for the saving, freeing truth of Jesus Christ.

Lydia also shared her experience of FGM, death, and coming back to life by the touch of the Lord Jesus Christ (Doctors confirm death of young Lydia … BUT GOD!).

She explained graphically and effectively how they must leave the barbaric practice and turn to Jesus instead.  She then instructed them how to receive Jesus Christ as their own personal Lord and Savior.

The people listening--the young men especially—began shouting angrily at her to stop speaking about Jesus and against FGM. Grabbing thorny sticks from the nearby fence, they beat and sent the missionaries running. When the team finally found a safe place to rest, they spent the night in fervent prayer.

As night fell and the team prayed, Holy Spirit fell mightily on the whole village. No one could sleep;  many saw visions of Jesus Christ.

The villagers knew Pastor Mustafa and the team had to be praying somewhere not too far away, and once they located them, begged for forgiveness. Plans for the FGM ceremony were shut down and heaven opened wide as everyone accepted the Lord as their savior.

Pastor Mustafa and the team spent five more days with them, fellowshipping and instructing them further in the precious faith. Please pray for these villagers and the whole Masai tribe.
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*name changed for security reasons

The ‘light of a thousand suns’ shines on Oman!

An entire Arab Muslim family—a widow and her five grown children, all plagued for years with severe psoriasis—found healing and salvation thanks to the evangelistic initiatives of an underground Bibles for Mideast church meeting regularly not far from where they live in Oman. We first reported on that church and some of its newest members several years ago (Salvation and healing in the Sultanate of Oman).

Let us now tell you how God continues to work His wonders through His people there! Abbasia*, Mohsina* and others of the family we featured in our earlier story had been faithful Muslims before their dramatic conversions to Christianity.

Living in predominantly Islamic Oman, they knew well that the nearby mosque’s Friday prayers would have held special significance this past Friday—it being the second Friday in Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month. So the Christians, being brave and triumphant in their new faith in Christ, figured: ‘what better time to share the gospel with friends and neighbors?’

The oldest independent state in the Arab world, Oman borders the Gulf of Oman to the north, the Arabian Sea to the southeast, and Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen to the west. India lies across the Arabian Sea from Oman.

After seven days of prayer and fasting in their own homes, they felt confidently led by the Holy Spirit for their mission. As Islamic Friday prayers went on (within mosques throughout Oman and around the world), this particular mosque soon found itself surrounded by a small army of Christians wielding nothing but bibles and fervent prayers for opened minds and hearts.

The fasting and extra praying had them well-prepared spiritually, but they soon felt physically beaten down by the heat of the noonday sun [temps this time of year can reach 100 ºF—Ed.]. Then, quite miraculously, a cloud appeared out of nowhere, between them and the sun! The welcome respite from the heat comforted, strengthened and encouraged them even more for what they knew to be a holy assignment.

Abbasia* (the older brother in the family from our earlier story) and the Christian believers with him began sharing the gospel even as Friday prayers and preaching went on within the mosque. The Islamic believers became aware of the commotion outside, only barely able to make out the what the Christians were saying. But slowly, as the Holy Spirit began to move among them, the words came into sharper focus.

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save every human being!” they heard as clearly as the sun shone brightly above.

“This Jesus, this perfect man who had no sin in His life, carried each individual’s sin with him to the cross of Calvary. By His crucifixion, He took away our sins and opened the gates of heaven and gave us salvation. He rose from the dead on the third day and entered into Glory. He now sits at the right side of the Heavenly Father and intercedes for each of us! He will return on the clouds soon to take us to heaven. Believe Him and you will be saved! Without Jesus no one can go to heaven!”

As all heard the message and began finding themselves strangely stirred, the enraged imam (mosque leader) angrily redirected the roused emotions of his flock, demanding they ‘put an end’ to those speaking about Jesus.

He rushed out and towards the Christians, brandishing a sword, while others grabbed sticks from around the mosque’s grounds and charged.

“Allahu Akbar!” [Arabic for ‘Allah is greater’ or ‘Allah is (the) greatest’—Ed.] they shouted, aiming now to kill the evangelists.

Abbasia and the team with him stood their ground. Certain they were about to be martyred, they prayed for those heading directly at them, so close now they could see the hatred in their eyes.

Suddenly, only a few meters away, the mob stopped. Their hatred abruptly turned to fear, with some stepping back and running away. What had happened? What had they seen?

It was as if ‘Someone’ had turned a switch, brightening the light of the sun above to that of a million suns now aimed directly at the attackers and seeming to come closer and closer. The imam and his flock thought surely they would be swallowed up by the powerful light. They dropped their weapons and fled.

Abbasia and the team could barely stop praising and thanking the Lord for His mighty protection! They also found themselves praying, “Lord, save them! Make them Your children and help them become witnesses to Your Truth!”

Please join us in praying for all these new and not-yet believers, their local church, and the ministry of Bibles for Mideast across the entire region.

IMPORTANT UPDATE
We have learned that the imam and many who had been at the Friday service at the mosque—and afterwards witnessed the ‘bright, blinding light’—developed severe fevers. Not able to even speak about what they had experienced, concerned neighbors brought them all to hospital. Please pray for COMPLETE HEALING for all affected. We have to know and trust God is up to something beyond interesting.

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* Names changed for safety reasons

Bibles for Mideast establishes its 500th church!

The ministry of Bibles for Mideast reached a milestone recently, establishing its 500th church in Haima, central Oman. That same day, 54 former Muslims were baptized to become new members of this newest church!

Pastor Paul, Director of Bibles for Mideast, travelled from India to lead both the baptismal and dedication services.  Pastor Peter Haneef, President of the Assembly of Loving God churches along with Pastor Musthafa (Overseer of Africa for Bibles for Mideast),  Pastor Muthalib (who oversees the work in the Middle East),  Pastor Khani (who oversees the work in Bangladesh) and many other leaders assisted in the programs. Holy Spirit moved powerfully throughout the services, which included wonderful worship and concluded with a celebration of the Lord's Supper. 

Because of security concerns in this mostly Islamic nation, the dedication service began shortly after midnight on the chosen day. Everyone then boarded three buses for the trip from Haima to the Gulf of Masira in the Arabian Sea. A police van followed the buses for part of the route, but the travellers were relieved when they saw it turn back. Finally reaching the seashore about 3:30 in the morning for the baptism, Pastor Peter Haneef and the others could palpably feel God’s Presence and pleasure.

“Our Lord gave us a very blessed and bright moon light!” Pastor Peter recalls. “It felt like daylight! The sea was calm and quiet. Nobody felt afraid going down to the sea.”

The baptismal candidates reaffirmed their faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior and were baptised. All then knelt down together, praising and thanking the Lord before returning back to the newborn church in Haima. A worship service with the Lord’s Supper followed, with believers from many different ALG (Assembly of Loving God) churches taking part.

Pastor Mubarak and his wife worked long and hard, facing much persecution along the path to establishing this newest Bibles for Mideast church. The couple spend hours meeting people in the street, sharing their own experiences with and in Jesus, and distributing sample gospels. They often face abuse and beatings.

One evening a man brutally dragged Mrs. Mubarek by her hair through the street. Another time, someone grabbed their bibles and sample gospels and set them on fire. When Mrs. Mubarek lay down on the bibles in an attempt to squelch the flames, she was brutally kicked by the attacker. Even so, midst all the persecutions, the Lord rescued even some of the persecutors as He built His new church.

The pastor, his wife, and the growing flock continued in prayer and fasting as the small band of believers multiplied in numbers and power. When healings began to manifest, even more attended. And so the church was born!

We request your prayers for Pastor Mubarek, his family and all the members of this church as they continue to face persecution. We do remember you in our regular prayers as well, and thank you for your support of the ministry.

Muscat, capital city of Oman. Religion in Oman is dominantly Islam as Muslims account for a total of 88% per cent of the entire population

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Can you help? Please click here: BLESSING Bibles for Mideast

Evangelizing during Covid continues in Somalia with Pastor Mustafa and team

Holding strong to their Islamic faith, 36-year-old Azma* and her husband Fakru* also worked hard to support their six young children in their native Somalia. When Covid swept through their area several months ago, the disease claimed the life of one of their children and left Azma battling ‘long Covid’, feeling weaker rather than stronger as the days dragged on. Her husband did his best to work and support the family on his own.

When Pastor Mustafa and a Bibles for Mideast gospel team visited their home to distribute bibles, Azma mistook them for health workers due to the team’s full PPE gear. [You can read our most recent story on Pastor Mustafa’s work in Somalia here: Evangelization in the time of Covid: PPE x 2 (Personal Protective Equipment + Powerful Personal Evangelism)!]

“No, we aren’t health workers,” the kindly pastor explained. “We have come to pray for you, and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Azma stared from her doorway in disbelief.

“Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and the Son of Most High God,” the pastor continued.  “He came from heaven to save us from sin and death. And for that, He was crucified on the cross of Calvary, died, and on the third day rose from the dead. If you believe, you will be saved.”

When he offered her a Somali bible, Azma pulled away. At his offer of prayer, she told the team to ‘get lost’ and slammed the door.

Then, about two weeks ago, Azma’s husband Fakru fell ill as the omicron variant swept through their village. He died within two days.

Rural Somalian village

Inconsolable, Azma had no idea how to deal with her remaining children. Two sleepless nights after his death, she had a vision of hell and of Fakru being tormented there, while countless demons tried to drag her and her children into the pit as well. But then, the vision transformed, lightened and brightened as a beautiful, powerful man came—in the form of light!—and chased away all the tormenting demons from her house. She knew it had to be Lord Jesus, the Savior Pastor Mustafa had told her about.

The next day (Sunday before last), Pastor Mustafa and his congregation were engaged in ‘socially distanced’ deep worship at their church. As they worshiped the Lord Jesus in Spirit and Truth and with gifts of tongues accompanying, they suddenly heard an unusual cry in front of the church.

Someone went out, and found a woman lying face down before the church door, wailing and weeping uncontrollably. Between the loud wails, she seemed to be begging for forgiveness.  

Pastor Mustafa headed out to investigate, saw the prostate woman, and entreated her to stand up. Quaking with fear, she slowly rose to her feet. It was Pastor Mustafa’s turn to be surprised at the sight of tear-streaked Azma standing in front of him.

She asked for forgiveness, saying how sorry she was for demanding they leave when they had come to her with a Bible and an offer of prayer. She poured out her trials of the past few weeks and said she knew now how much she needed Jesus as her Savior.

Pastor Mustafa reached out to comfort her, gently holding her hands. He asked if she would come with him into the church, and there he told her more about Jesus. All in attendance had been praying for her, and she soon fully accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior.

Azma was back at church with her children for services of prayer and fasting during the week, and says she feels such “a great and powerful peace” in her mind now. She knows her Savior Jesus will always be with her, and will help her with her children.

‘All fear is gone,’ as the great old hymn reminds us, and Azma now holds that Truth in her heart and mind.

Please pray for Azma and her children. Please also pray for Pastor Mustafa and his team as they continue to minister and distribute bibles. They urgently require 10,000 Somali bibles to continue their work.

Children walking from village well in rural Somalia. Photo: Sabal Abdulle

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*Names changed for security reasons

Evangelization in the time of Covid: PPE x 2 (Personal Protective Equipment + Powerful Personal Evangelism)!

While it is true that Somalia’s broken healthcare system has hampered that country’s efforts to cope with COVID-19, our man in Somalia, Pastor Mustafa, sees instead more opportunities for geared-up evangelism efforts. Most recently, this involved the evangelization of a whole village in northern Somalia with full PPE added to the full armor of God as protection!
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Imam Sadath, spiritual head of a village mosque in northern Somalia, had followed the tenets of Islam his whole life and enjoyed popularity as a strong leader, teacher and even healer. But when Covid-19 swept through his village three months ago, none of the Imam’s prayers or recitations could bring relief.

Each day, an endless stream of villagers visited their leader, hoping to be helped, even as every home in the village lost someone to the disease. None of the imam’s duas (prayers, recitations, incantations, etc.) seemed to work anymore.

Medical workers carry the body of a COVID-19 patient at Martini Hospital in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia. Xinhua/Hassan Bashi via Getty Images

Then the inevitable happened—Covid reached his own home. Imam Sadath felt helpless and hopeless. He lost a daughter and a son to the disease, and soon he tested positive as well.

When Pastor Mustafa, a Bibles for Mideast leader in Somalia, heard the news, he and two other workers (all former Muslims) geared up in their PPE and headed for the Imam’s home.

They presented the leader, already beginning to feel the onset of Covid symptoms, with portions of the Bible: Psalms 91 and 121, as well as Isaiah 53. They suggested he read the sections each morning, noon and evening. As former Muslims, the missionary team knew well the discipline so deeply ingrained in Islam: all Muslims are expected to pray five times a day, usually reciting aloud or silently from their holy writings, so they figured this request should be an easy one for an imam.

But the Islamic leader tried to brush them away, wanting nothing to do with them or their literature. Suddenly however, he began to cough and struggle for breath, and then panicked at the real possibility of dying.

The Bibles for Mideast pastor began reading aloud the scriptures he had just given the imam. He went on to explain the prophecy from Isaiah 53 more fully: the crucifixion, death and resurrection of none other than Jesus Christ.

The missionaries then prayed for Imam Sadath and the remaining members of his family, who all reported they felt much better after the prayers.  

Before leaving, Pastor Mustafa reminded the Islamic leader about reading the scriptures three times daily, and this time, the imam wholeheartedly agreed to the plan.  [See one Pakistani pastor’s brilliant approach to bringing Muslims and Christians together through the worshipful Psalms: Using the Psalms to Connect with Muslims and the Quran.]

When Pastor Mustafa returned to the imam’s home a week later, he discovered the man not only felt far better, but had fully memorized all his ‘homework’! Imam Sadath reported that whenever he or his family members felt sick or had trouble breathing, they would recite these ‘words of God’ and feel better. He then asked Pastor Mustafa to tell him more about Jesus, and soon he and his whole family accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

After all were baptized, the former imam himself asked Pastor Mustafa to visit the homes in his village and distribute Bibles. A few days later, all geared up in their PPE and observing protocol for social distancing, the team set out to evangelize, give away Bibles, and pray with villagers who wanted it. Miraculously, not one person has died from the visited homes in the village. Quite naturally, people began to believe in Jesus as being so much more than the simple prophet Islam teaches about and many have become Christians. Please keep these new believers in your prayers.  

To keep up the work, Pastor Mustafa urgently requires 10,000 Somali Bibles, each costing about US$5.20.  As always and ever, we welcome your prayers and any additional help you can offer.

By God's grace and your prayers and support, Bibles for Mideast and the ALG Church continue to grow and thrive in Somalia, other parts of Africa, the Middle East and south Asia.

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Pastor Mustafa oversees approximately 40 underground Assembly of Loving God (ALG) house churches all across Africa and has long been one of our most active and powerful Bibles for Mideast leaders.   He knows and understands well those he ministers to, having once been among the 98.9 percent Muslim portion of Somalia’s population. We have reported many miraculous events in his and his team’s ministry in Somalia as he continues to prove  himself a  key player in God’s Kingdom plans for Africa.