Across the Middle East, men, women and children are longing for more. Something deep inside of them cries out for more than the religion, tradition and distant God they’ve been following.
MEM’s calling is to respond to this cry; to give every unique person an opportunity to explore and engage with the truth for themselves.
These three stories represent three of our projects and show how God is moving today in the lives of Middle Easterners.
Betrayal to Belief – Hadia’s Story
Hadia from Yemen endured sexual abuse from her stepfather and brother-in-law, with no support from the rest of her family. Feeling betrayed and disillusioned by her religion, she came across the social media page of the media team we trained and mentored in the Gulf.
Hadia was captivated by the videos and found solace in online conversations with the team. They discussed Scripture with her, sent her a digital Bible and answered all her questions.
Through these conversations, Hadia began to express an interest in Christianity, eventually giving her life to Jesus. She wants God to change her and set her free.
The team are now walking alongside her as she delves deeper into Christianity and seeks to understand the concept of relationships based on love and equality. If and when safe, they will connect Hadia with a church in her area.
As a young teen, Hadia falls into the target age range (12-15) of our Crown of Splendour project. Creating short videos for TikTok and Instagram, the objective is to empower young Middle Eastern girls, helping them build the faith and resilience needed to overcome life’s challenges.
For years, Ramzi in Algeria had been struggling internally. His heart was drawn to Christ then pulled away by life’s distractions.
He kept a Bible, hidden under his bed and away from his family. When they discovered it, they tore it up, threw it in his face and insulted him.
Despite this, Ramzi stopped visiting the mosque, knowing deep down that the fearful image of God he’d been taught was not true. His dream was to enter a church to pray and talk with someone who could guide him.
Ramzi found our Change Maker* page and made contact. Our partners began talking with him, explaining what it means to believe in Jesus and follow him.
“I love Christ and I don’t have a great understanding of Christianity, except that I love the cross,” shared Ramzi. He was very open and just needed to understand a few things before he was ready to make a step of faith.
“They tore my Bible and threw it in my face,” he said. “I love you, Lord. Make my heart happy. I love you.“
The team encouraged Ramzi that his faithfulness to the Lord will transform his life. They will continue to walk with Ramzi on his journey, as he studies the Bible and grows in his faith and knowledge.
*Change Maker is MEM’s digital evangelism platform on Facebook, TikTok and soon to be on YouTube.
“I chose the Bible ” – Hind’s Story
Hind, is a member of our Desert Roses Gulf ministry team.
“I always questioned my inherited religion and its rituals, having many questions about God,” shares Hind, “but I dared not ask.”
Hind had several children with her husband, but was unhappy in her marriage, experiencing both physical and emotional abuse. “I confess it was the wrong choice from the beginning,” she shares.
Severely depressed, Hind cried out to God for help. “For about a week, I cried and prayed,” she says, “and one night I felt the presence of someone in my room, standing by my bed.”
“I opened my eyes slightly,” Hind continues, “wondering who this person was and what he was doing in my room at that time. I questioned why he was wearing strange white and red robes.”
“Suddenly, I felt a gentle touch that took my breath away. It felt like my soul had left my body.
“I woke up feeling peace, and my sorrow had vanished…
Hind woke up feeling peaceful but wondering what on earth she had experienced. Then she heard a voice telling her it was Christ.
“The next thing I did was buy my first Bible, get to know the Saviour of the world, and accept him as the Lord and Saviour of my life,” she says.
Hind dedicated what time she could to studying the Bible, keeping all of this secret from her husband. But one day, he returned earlier than usual and caught her reading her Bible. He snatched it from Hind’s hands and threatened to throw it in the bin.
“That’s when I stood up,” Hind says, “and he gave me a choice between continuing our marriage or keeping the Bible.”
“Without hesitation, I chose the Bible.“
Hind’s husband then divorced her due to her conversion to Christianity, taking away her children. But the Lord was always with her.
“I felt a strange peace inside regarding the children,” she shares. Although it felt unjust that she lost them, Hind knew it was the right thing to do. She held onto a promise that God gave her – that they would “return from the land of the enemy”.
It took 11 years for that promise to come true, but some years later she was reunited with her children.
As an integral part of our Gulf women’s team, Hind has dedicated her time to producing media for other women in the Gulf and walking alongside them on their faith journey. Just like the team mentioned on page 12, she received training and support from MEM staff. Today, their ministry is thriving with thousands responding to their content.