In Jesus’ Name

In Jesus’ Name

Muslim friends request prayers from a Christian neighbor.

Not so long ago, I was the only actual resident in our village, but lately, construction has burgeoned. I do miss the peace and quiet, yet the more neighbors we have, the more opportunities to share God’s love!

One of my neighbors, Diatou, recently had a stroke that paralyzed her right side and slurred her speech. I learned about it from another neighbor, Ndeye, so on our way to the market, Ndeye and I went to visit Diatou and encourage her to trust God as the Great Physician.

As we got up to leave, Ndeye asked me to pray for Diatou. I often pray for my Muslim friends, clients and students one on one, but this request surprised me because Muslims, who of course do not pray in Jesus’ name, hesitate to do anything that looks like condoning Christianity. But because I was asked, I prayed for Diatou’s health and her family—in Jesus’ name. After the prayer, I looked around and saw perplexed smiles on my neighbors’ faces.

The next day, I visited again to take Diatou’s blood pressure. Once more, she allowed me to pray for her, and then I gave her a massage and a hydrotherapy treatment. After the treatment, her blood pressure had decreased slightly, which made her family happy. I showed her husband and daughter how to continue the water treatments. Then I shared some nutrition advice, gave her some vitamins and again encouraged the family to look to the Great Physician.

Diatou’s husband is a traditional healer, so he had already been giving her massage treatments. In the coming days, we sometimes worked on her together. We also helped her with stretching and physical therapy. After a couple of weeks, Diatou’s speech became more comprehensible. She could also move her right leg some and take a few steps with support. We praised and thanked God together.

More and more I am being placed in situations with people who need encouragement to trust God with every aspect of their lives. Fatima, my former student, recently called me for help preparing for a test. Fatima was applying to a master’s program and needed a score of 100 on an English test. When she had taken the test a year prior, she received a score of 84. Now she had only a few weeks to prepare to retake the exam. I could hear the stress in her voice.

I always encourage my students to do their best, but also to trust God; so before we began studying, I asked Fatima if we could pray together. She accepted, and I prayed that God would help her according to His will. Then I told her to trust Him and to pray during the test. From time to time, I sent her faith-inspiring text messages, and I gave her a Great Controversy to read after the test. A week after her test, Fatima e-mailed to thank me for my help. She had received a score of 100! We praised God.

Though Muslims pray five times a day, take pilgrimages and engage in numerous outward ceremonies, many lack a personal relationship with God. The idea of God as a loving Father is foreign to them. It is this good news that many need to hear. Please continue to pray for Senegal. The work here is filled with challenges, but God is on His throne. May He continue to bless our work for Him!


Location
Senegal

Author
Deborah Ndione and her family are missionaries working near Dakar, Senegal. Deborah uses medical ministry, English tutoring, women’s ministry, children’s ministry and other simple methods to make friends to invite to Christ’s Kingdom.

How You Can Help

Pray for Deborah’s neighbor Diatou’s health and for her family’s faith and confidence in God to continue increasing.

Pray for continued opportunities for Deborah and the other Christians in Senegal to share the love of the Father with their Muslim neighbors.

Give to the work in Senegal by sending your check marked “Senegal” to:

Mission Projects International
PO Box 151
Inchelium, WA 99138

For online options, visit:
missionspro.org/donate