Changed by love

These are the words Omid* heard when talking to listener Hasam*. Omid works for our partner, the Panamanian Project, who are reaching a Muslim people group in a region of Central Asia where sharing about Jesus is incredibly dangerous, as Hasam’s words illustrate. But despite the violent threat, Hasam’s story is one of God softening his heart through love.

Seeking

After Hasam begun listening to the Panamanian broadcasts he decided to phone in and speak with Omid, who is part of the radio follow-up team. Their calls went on for several months, and eventually Hasam starting sharing about the Christian radio programmes with others in his village.

But his conversations were met with hostility.

Men from his community shared verses from the Qur’an that show it was permissible to kill anyone who leaves their religion.

Radical response

On the next call, during the conversation Hasam suddenly said that he wanted to kill Omid. Omid had a quick decision to make – how should he respond to this serious threat? His reply was simple, but incredibly powerful.

“I love you and I am praying for you.”

The threat of death met with love. Omid’s words reflected the heart of the gospel to Hasam who was taken aback. He replied, “If I see you today, there is 80% chance I will kill you but because of your love, I can no longer say I will 100% kill you.”

Softened heart

By living out the radical love of Jesus, God had used Omid’s words to work in Hasam’s heart. Amazingly, Omid was able to continue the conversation and encourage Hasam to pray and ask God to reveal the truth to him, rather than relying on those around him who spread violence.

A week later, Omid spoke with Hasam again, and Hasam said “I would like to meet you.” Omid replied: “Do you remember you told me that if you meet me in person, you will kill me?”. Hasam said that he had changed his mind.

Omid asked if he could pray for him and prayed in the name of Jesus that the Hasam would experience God’s blessings and peace.  The team hope that, in time God will reveal His truth to Hasam. Would you join us in this prayer?

*Name changed for security reasons