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Nargiza,* a former Muslim from a Central Asian republic, recently shared her story with our team. Her brother, out of curiosity, attended a local house church to see what it was about. After he encountered Jesus and was dramatically saved, Nargiza saw a marked transformation in his life. Her brother suddenly possessed a new peace and joy she had not witnessed in anyone.Nargiza then started attending the same house church. A short time later, Nargiza opened her heart to Christ and experienced the same transformational power. However, she had not anticipated the strong opposition she would experience from her family….

Now that we’re all rested from our time at the Assemblies of God General Council, we want to share some of our thoughts and perceptions from that amazing time! Many parents and their youth came by the booth and we asked them, “Do you have any Muslim friends or do you know of Muslims in your school?”  All of them said, “Yes, we do have Muslims in their schools or in our neighborhoods.” They were very interested to hear how to minister to them and show them Christ’s love. One mother came by the booth with her daughter and we…

In March 1999, during the war of Kosovo, over 500,000 refugees flooded into Albania. Many of them traveled for days on foot with very little food and water and passing through dangerous checkpoints. Wives were forced to witness the killing of their husbands and children saw their parents executed. In response to the influx of refugees, Kurt and Stephanie Plagenhoef, Assemblies of God missionaries, began a refugee camp and took in several hundred Kosovar Albanians. Many of these Muslims came from the war-ton city of Mitrovia and had never met a true follower of Christ. After the war ended, the…

The great preacher John Wesley said, ?If we suffer persecution and affliction in a right manner, we attain a larger measure of conformity to Christ ? than we could have done merely by imitating his mercy, in abundance of good works.?This statement reflects the church in Cuba today. Recently a Global Initiative team traveled to Cuba for a week of training. We visited two new areas where Fidel and Raul Castro were born and raised. This strong communist area of the island has demonstrated the greatest resistance to the church, but the Holy Spirit continues to strengthen the church and,…

People praying for Muslims may be familiar with the ?Persecution Watch List? published annually by Open Doors ministry. In any given year, Muslim nations are approximately 40 of the top 50 countries which persecute Christians. Part of the reality in these contexts is a spirit of fear which keeps people from seeking Jesus. Perhaps you have gone through a experience at a school where secular humanism prevails. Our maybe it?s a ?toxic environment? at work which may include ridicule of those who exhibit faith in God. If so, you may be able to better relate to Muslims who may want…

A U.S. missionary, Akhmed,* a former Muslim who is now reaching Muslims with the gospel, shared this story that took place in Virginia: Last summer I was driving through a neighborhood in Alexandria. There I saw six or seven middle school Muslim children selling muffins. I parked nearby and began a conversation with the ordinary Muslim greeting. They were very polite, so I inquired about the very tiny muffins they had for sale. To my disbelief they were asking $2.00 for each muffin. I responded back, ?No way!? and we began bargaining like good Middle Easterners, but they would not…

Did you know that many mosques in America have established ?Sunday School? as part of the services they offer? While many of these systematic classes were established for training Muslim children, many other Muslim ?Sunday Schools? intentionally reach out to non-Muslims in the their communities. These Sunday School programs often promote the ethical and family values of Islam which, in our post-Christian pluralistic society, resounds with great appeal.  Should this alarm us as the church of Jesus Christ? At a minimum, it should cause us to reflect and pray regarding how we should respond. Ultimately, it should challenge us to…

Did you happen to miss a day of Eye On… The U.S. this week? Catch up here with our weekly round up! Monday: Muslims Are Not Our EnemiesTuesday: Muslims Are Not Our Enemies, But the PrizeWednesday: From Islam to ChristianityThursday: Alabama Laymen Build Bridge with Muslims

“When Rob Bensinger was at the North American Mission Board?s SEND Conference three years ago God struck him with a realization. He didn?t know any Muslims. That realization came after Bensinger, a member of Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Vestavia Hills, heard two things at the conference that changed the trajectory of his thoughts. ?One is that God has brought the nations to us?you don?t have to go on an international trip to find them,? Bensinger said. The second was that if you?re waiting on your ministry to start when you go overseas, there?s nothing magical about a plane ride?intentional gospel…

“Farah and Mahmoud Nagib walked to their car and found another note on the windshield telling them to go home. The Muslim couple had left Iran to study in the United States, and the adjustment had been difficult. Besides leaving threatening notes, Americans were letting the air out of their tires. Afraid, the young couple tried to shelter themselves beneath their cultural heritage and their prayers to Allah. They had been born Muslims and planned to live their entire lives as Muslims. But an unexpected crush of events forced Farah and Mahmoud to look past their culture and re-examine their…