Naima (name changed) was an unlikely candidate for the body of Christ. Born into a family of faith healers in the Indo-Malay region of the Pacific Islands, Naima was one of 15 children. She grew up instilled with the strong cultural value of honoring and caring for her family above herself. Yet spiritual darkness pervaded Naima’s upbringing, her parents’ belief system an intermingling of “witch doctoring” and Islamic teachings from the surrounding community.
As a young adult, Naima furthered her education by attending college. During that time, she heard the Gospel and trusted Christ as her Savior. Naima says that the joy and hope she found in Jesus quickly spilled over into a desire to share the Good News with others. “I had a heart for missions,” she shares. “But my discipleship leaders helped me understand that missions starts with family.” Naima knew that sharing her newfound faith with her family would not be easy. Yet she also knew the Holy Spirit was calling her to be a light into the darkness that overshadowed her parents and siblings.
Choose Jesus or Your Family
The response of Naima’s parents to her faith in Christ was severe. Her father locked in her in her room without food or water for two weeks, telling her she must renounce her faith in Christ. Naima refused. Each night, her father would come into her room again, demanding that she turn from Christianity. Naima says the only way she survived is that a cousin felt compassion for her and snuck a glass of water into her room every few days.
Then one night came the most frightening event of all for Naima. Her father came into the room, as he had done for several nights in a row. But this time he held a gun to her head and told her that he would kill her if she did not renounce Christ. Resigned to die for her faith, Naima again refused.
Miraculously, her father did not follow through on his threat. He did, however, give her one last ultimatum: “Choose Jesus or your family.” Naima knew that if she chose Jesus, she would be banished from her home and become an outcast from the family she loved. Still, Naima trusted the Lord to provide and care for her. She looked her father in the eyes as she said, “I choose Jesus.”
Seeds Sown in Hard Soil
Naima was disowned by her family and her access to them was limited for many years. Yet whenever small windows of opportunity to interact with her parents or siblings arose, Naima continued to boldly share the Gospel with them. Even as she studied God’s Word and began missional work in other Muslim-background communities, Naima never stopped praying for or witnessing to her family. And although the process was tedious and often discouraging, over time, those seeds began to take root in the hearts of Naima’s family.
“After many years, my mom and my dad both came to faith in Christ,” Naima shares. “And not only that, but now they support me in my [mission] work.” A number of Naima’s siblings are believers now as well, and the others stay continually in her prayers. God has truly done a miraculous work in Naima’s family, and they stand as a great encouragement to many Muslim-background Christians who face similar challenges. One of Naima’s colleagues says, “When we see what God did in Naima’s family, it gives us hope for what He can do in ours.”
TEAM’s partnerships are expanding like never before in Muslim-background communities in the Indo-Malay region, bringing the Gospel into communities that are unreachable for western workers.
That the Work May Continue
Naima is an agent of change and an ambassador for the Gospel well beyond her family of origin. She and other believers like her recognize that there are areas of their homeland that they can access in ways that western workers and church planters cannot. In partnership with TEAM and other organizations, Naima is one of many blazing those trails.
Naima works for a non-government organization that travels around to different towns and villages to help with community development projects. Naima and her co-workers stay in each location for several months before moving on to the next. Doing so gives them opportunities to build relationships, share the Gospel, and then disciple the new believers. In many of these areas, house churches are formed and then continue under the leadership of the local believers.
Naima said the training up of leaders in each community is essential because of the limited amount of time that she and her team can stay in any one area. “It is important that they know how to lead and disciple others, so that the work may continue with their own people.”
We Do it for Christ
Naima’s name is changed here in her story, and we’ll never be able to show you her beautiful face (which radiates with the love of Jesus) because of the risks and dangers she accepts by sharing the hope of Jesus in “closed” regions. When asked what gives her the boldness to continue in her tireless, nomadic work, she smiles and gives two answers.
First of all, she shares how close she and her co-workers have become. “We see each other as family, not as co-workers.” The camaraderie between Naima and her team is contagious and their love for one another is evident. They cry together, laugh together, pray together, and encourage one another on the difficult days.
Secondly, Naima speaks with unfaltering resolve of the calling the Lord has given her and her team. They fully recognize and understand that this calling has risks. “We expect persecution,” she says with a quiet confidence. “But it’s OK because we do it for Christ.”
You have a role to play in bringing the Gospel to the darkest and most unreached corners of the globe. TEAM workers can train, and local believers can carry the message, but it all starts with your prayers and support. A gift to TEAM’s general “GO Fund” assists us in strengthening and increasing partnerships with the global Church around the world.
