I would like to share a very powerful story to help you see what God sees in other places in our world, particularly in North Africa.

As I was driving out of North Africa recently on my way to Spain, I was reminded of the first story when I passed a familiar area. It was the same area where I had a very dramatic encounter a few years back … an area inhabited almost only by Muslims.

On that particular day several years ago, I had been driving through the rain with one of our students when we saw a young family by the side of the road. The father was trying to hitch a ride while his wife was squatting down in the mud, trying to shelter their two young daughters under her arms. (I later learned the girls were five and six years old.)

I could endanger their lives by revealing their names, so I will call them “Abdul” and “Souad.” Abdul is over 100 years old. He was 22 years old when he was led to Christ by two American missionary ladies. This was incredible because he was the son of an Imam, a teacher of Islam. Abdul got off “easy” for his apostasy from the Muslim faith; he was only kicked out of his home for the rest of his days.

When I first met Abdul, it was many years since his conversion. He was 97 and had been openly preaching the Gospel for 75 years! Locals see him in the streets and call him “The Old Fool” or “Old Satan.” He and his wife have been ostracized and have few friends, but they do have plenty of enemies.