Hank’s* journey to faith began with a dream. His Christian friend, Roger, dreamed of a building he had never seen before, an Alliance community center in the Middle East. He found the building and decided to take Hank with him to see it.
Fear of Persecution
When they arrived at the center, Roger talked to Matthew, one of the teachers and an Alliance worker, about faith. Roger had already accepted Christ a few years earlier, but Hank had not heard much about the gospel before. After hearing Roger’s conversation with Matthew, Hank was interested in learning more about Christianity. He asked if they could meet to study the Bible.
The two met with Matthew for many months until he returned to the States for home assignment. Another teacher at the center, Steven, contacted them soon after to continue their study. While Roger was growing in his faith, Hank was reluctant to surrender to Christ. He was afraid of what his family would do to him if they found out.
“If I become a Christian,” Hank asked, “will I have to tell anyone?”
“If you follow Christ, there is a call to tell people,” Steven said. “You don’t have to go down to the central market and proclaim it on the street corner, but you do need to pray for opportunities to impact the lives of your family and friends.”
Hank was still intrigued by Christianity, but he wanted to ask more questions before he took a step of faith.
Encountering the Power of Christ
One night, Hank had a dream. In this dream, Hank was standing in a cave, facing its mouth. A sea of people dressed in the traditional, religious clothes of the region were walking toward the darkness at the back of the cave. As he watched this, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“What are you doing here?” the stranger asked. “I have chosen you! Follow Me.”
The man stepped past Hank, toward the mouth of the cave. He was dressed in bright white from head to toe, shining so much that Hank couldn’t see His face. The man approached the opening of the cave, turned around, and waved to Hank. As he took his first step toward the man, he woke up.
Hank couldn’t wait to share it with someone. He called an Alliance partner, Brett, whom he had been tutoring in his native language. “That’s what I needed,” Hank said. “I am ready to follow Jesus. He came to me and showed me His power.”
Hank is now a strong follower of Christ and regularly goes to the central market to find people who need to hear about the love of Jesus.
*Names changed