Editor’s note: As you pray for the missionaries The Sanctuary supports, we would like to give you a glimpse into the lives of one family living on the other side of the world. A and L live in a conservative Muslim country with their two children.

We may live on the other side of the world from Bolingbrook, but our lives have more in common than you might think. Here in LoS, parents want the best for their kids. Women keep up with the latest fashions. Men get excited about watching sports on TV. We have elaborate weddings and birthday parties. We shop for groceries and get stuck in bad traffic.

However, in many ways, life here is different. Mosques dot every corner of our city. Five times a day, a religious official cries out from the minarets: “God is Great, and Mohammed is his Prophet!” summoning the faithful to prostrate, pray and bless their prophet. Women dare not leave their homes without covering themselves from head-to-toe in black. Nor will they will they speak or make eye contact with any other male on the street who is not her husband or brother.

As the Christmas season rolls in this December, we won’t see a hint of its arrival; none of the usual consumerism we see in Bolingbrook, but sadly also an absence of any proclamation of the Savior’s birth. No one remembers that around here.

This place once knew the light of the Gospel. But the arrival of Islam in 600 AD pretty much wiped out any influence it once had. Now, with a population of more than 22 million people, the country is almost entirely Muslim. Being a follower of Jesus is an oxymoron. People just don’t understand how someone can be from the LoS and NOT be a Muslim.

Seeking Jesus is complicated when you live in this conservative Muslim country — where it is illegal to leave Islam. Everyone around you is Muslim. There is very little Christian presence, if at all. Access to God’s Word or any biblical resource is non-existent, and Christian websites are censored on the Internet. Add to that a general fear of investigating another religion other than Islam, and you can see why “contemplating change” is not a simple feat.

Then, if a person desires to embrace Jesus as Lord, they run into trouble and there is much to lose. A person almost always loses community (ostracized by family and friends); they can lose their jobs, become imprisoned, and in some cases, they can even be killed. One must truly count the cost in following the Messiah.

While it is true that the Enemy is hard at work in LoS to keep people from the Truth, it is also true — and worthy of rejoicing — that the Holy Spirit is powerful! Everyday there are open doors to talk about Jesus. We are humbled as He uses our broken Arabic to communicate His stories, His life, and His words to everyday folks. And we are blown away when we meet people who want to know more. That’s why we live here. We know that Jesus will not forget His bride in LoS! Because among the weeds, there’s wheat: A few hundred followers of Jesus are here, and we believe there will be more! Pray with us:

• For dreams and visions of Jesus (Joel 2:28)
• For Jesus-ordained relationships with locals in order to meet and disciple those He has called out.
• For protection against discouragement, fear, disunity among His followers.

For the fame of His Name,
A & L