by Photo: People attend a service hosted by the ministry at the Kenyan coast. Photo credits: Adrian Butcher.
By Tohru Inoue
Stellah’s aunty was a Muslim. In fact, her aunt was the only Muslim in the family. The rest of the extended family would have said they are Christians. Statistically, Kenya is over 80% Christian. Because of that, Stellah remembers how her aunt didn’t always feel she fit in with the rest of the Christian family. This stuck with young Stellah and motivated her to remember the Muslim community, a community God loved.
Now looking back on her life, it dawns on Stellah that she spent a lot of time with Muslims in her youth. For a while, she lived with a Muslim family while going to school and had many Muslim friends at school. But it was thoughts about her aunt that fueled her passion for reaching the Muslim community.
So she applied herself to learning all she could about sharing her faith with those in Islam. But before she graduated from her studies, her aunt passed away. Stellah thought of all the opportunities she had missed in her youth to share the Gospel. She thought of all the conversations that could have been opportunities to share the Good News. She decided to commit her life in service to God in the Muslim community.
She now conducts trainings for churches and individuals, equipping them to reach their Muslim neighbours.
She’s sharing her passion to love and serve those of the Muslim religion as Christ would.
This year her team organised a week-long camp for 120 youth, aged 13-25. They prayed, studied the Word and then went out into the community to share the Gospel. They walked through the neighbourhood in groups of five accompanied by an adult. They went house to house preaching the Good News of Jesus. About 50 people came to know the Lord that day.
Young people – not much older than she was when she was living with Muslims – were learning to share their faith. Now, Stellah is equipping young people to be able to welcome aunties, uncles and others who are away from the faith. This way they would know what to say to invite them to know the Saviour.
Pray:
For more mentors and trainers who would commit to help with discipling young believers.
For freedom for the women from cultural pressures.
That the trainings offered would help people launch into missions.
Tohru Inoue serves as a missionary with SIM Kenya.
