Expedition Morocco 2015 Trip Report
God speaks in the Atlas Mountains
By Gary Fallesen
Climbing For Christ
Mohammad holds his Bible while preparing tea for family members.
We were in the house of a Mohammad. One of the countless Mohammads you will meet in a country in which 99.6 percent of the population follows the Islamic prophet Muhammad. But this Mohammad is different. He is a follower of Christ.
“You showed us the path so we followed,” he tells our companion on this trek into the Atlas Mountains.
He makes it sound so simple. But there is more to the story of this Berber man, a devout Muslim who converted three years ago to Christianity in a village where there were no other believers in Jesus. I was blessed to hear his story:
Mohammad saw our companion and another friend as they were hiking through the village, full packs on their backs and many miles on their boots. He invited our two brothers for tea. But they were on their way out of the mountains that day and did not have time. They asked for a rain check. “Next time.” Mohammad agreed.
The next time they passed that way, they stopped for tea. Mohammad asked them to stay the night, but they already had agreed to visit another village. “Next time,” they said. Mohammad agreed.
The next time they stayed and they had an opportunity to share why they visited the mountains. Mohammad was interested in what they said.
They visited many more times and kept sharing the truth. Mohammad remained interested, but it did not seem to be going any further. During one visit, Mohammad was preparing to go to a call to prayer in the village mosque. One of our friends asked, “Do you ever hear God speak to you?” Mohammad laughed. “Of course not. Allah doesn’t speak to us.”
Then Mohammad asked the friend if he’d ever heard God speak. Our brother shared how God had told him to come to work in Morocco. Yes, God had sent him. Intrigued, Mohammad asked others in the group if God had spoken to them. “Yes.” “Yes.” “Yes.”
Our brother challenged Mohammad: “When you are done with your call to prayer, stay a little while longer. Ask God to speak to you, and be still.”
This is not an uncommon challenge. It is made often in situations such as this. So much so that our brothers forgot what they had said to Mohammad. But they kept coming back to visit and share. One day they were frustrated and in the midst of this told Mohammad he had to make a decision.
He said he had.
“What is it?” they asked.
“Jesus” was the answer.
As hearts beat faster they needed to clarify a few things for Mohammad. Many from his religion will say they believe in Jesus, but only as a prophet and not the Son of God who came to take away the sin of the world.
They asked Mohammad if he considered Jesus to be his Savior.
“Of course,” he answered.
They continued to ask questions with Mohammad giving all of the right answers. Finally they realized that he had not just made this decision. They asked when he had decided to follow Jesus. He reminded them of the day he was preparing to go to the call to prayer, when they had challenged him. He had done what they said. He asked God to speak to him, and then was still. In that moment, he heard God speak.
“Take hold of the way of Jesus.”
There was no turning back for this Mohammad. He was called to follow Christ.
There are many, many more Mohammads out there. Those who need to hear about the God of the Bible, the One who speaks through His Word and through dreams and visions. Pray for the work and the workers in North Africa, and for those who will hear.
“‘And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.’ As he said these things, he called out, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’” – Luke 8:8 (ESV)
PROFILE
Morocco is an Arab country located in North Africa. Population: 33.6 million. Religion: Islam (99.6 percent). Professing Christians: 0.2 percent of the population. The Berber people (divided into one dozen people groups) account for more than 6 million of the population. Less than 0.1 percent profess to be Christian.
CLICK HERE to read daily Dispatches from Expedition Morocco 2015.
5338