Building bridges of trust
In a certain area where Muslims form a prominent segment of the population, Seventh-day Adventist church members are endeavoring to establish better relations with the Muslim community.
For almost a year, few Adventists in this small town felt the need to build bridges of trust and understanding with the “other children of Abraham.” This vision was conceived after they attended the “Understanding a Muslim’s Heart” seminar held in October last year.
“You are the only Christian who visited and prayed for me,” said hospital patient Hadji Omar when he was visited by Maks, an Adventist who is establishing friendship relations with Muslims in this community.
Dani, another Adventist Christian, saw a need for a madrassah (Arabic school) and immediately offered his carpentry skills. He assisted in the repairs of the building and built writing desks for the students. Our Muslim friends were very grateful for his help.
 On Fridays, some of the men in the church visit the mosque. Afterward, they join in the humble meal prepared after the jumuat (Friday prayer). On one of their visits to a depressed area, the local church members identified the community’s need for medical and health service. The following week, they distributed used clothing for the children, women, and the elderly, and conducted health lectures. One religious leader told them, “It has been our aspiration that Muslims will have better relationships with Christians, however, you went ahead of us.”
Building friendship
As a result of this trust-and-friendship-building initiative, an Adventist-Muslim Relations (AMR) group is now organized in the area. More than 1,000 Muslim patients received free medical services from the Adventist health professionals while the Muslims did a good job with registration and screening patients.
Last May, a number attended the Ayat Allah (Signs of God) study using the spiritual truths from the Bible found in the Qurán. The study brought awareness that both Muslims and Adventists believe in the judgment day (yom-al-din), that Issa al Massih (Jesus the Messiah) is the One who will come on that great day, and that we should prepare for the return of Jesus.
Funded by The Quiet Hour, a health awareness seminar and basic first aid training was also conducted at the same time. For this segment, the Lord provided a medical professional. Zenaida, the program coordinator, invited Dr. Norma, an Adventist doctor, to participate in the program. Dr. Norma sounded anxious on the phone. At 11:00 the night before, her niece was bitten by a snake inside their house. Dr. Norma watched over her the whole night. Realizing that her niece would survive the snakebite ordeal, Dr. Norma gladly accepted the invitation.
Her medical counseling made an impact on the Muslim attendees. One father decided to quit smoking. Two elderly persons decided to eliminate coffee from their lifestyle.
Though the seminar started at 4:00 p.m., our Muslim friends came as early as 2:30 p.m. They helped clean the venue and arranged the chairs in the hall. Before the daily programs started, they had basic training in first aid, monitoring vital signs, and preparing charcoal poultices for simple infections. One mother was glad to report, “I applied a charcoal poultice on one neighbor who has swelling in her eye area. The following morning, the swelling subsided and the pain was gone. Alhamdullilah! (Praise be to God!).” This activated-charcoal preparation is now a potential business endeavor for the Muslim women.
Fulfilling Muslim prophecy
A mosque leader shared his observation, “Because of this program, more of our youth are now attending the Friday prayers. How come this AMR is only happening now?” An Adventist replied, “Allah is the Master Planner. I believer He has a timetable for everything.”
Yasser, a Muslim youth leader, tells his Muslim friends, “When I visit the Adventist homes, I feel at home. It is because I know they do not serve pork. When I go to their church, I do not commit idolatry because there are no idols there.”
Surely, these are all stories pointing to our great God who makes all things wonderful in His time. Indeed, the Lord is “doing a new thing, making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19. One iman (religious leader) uttered thought-provoking words, “This is the fulfillment of the prophecy. We have a prophecy that in the last days, non-Muslims will help us strengthen our faith in Allah. Now I know that these non-Muslims are you, the Seventh-day Adventists.” A village leader expressed his optimism, “I hope this will continue forever.”
Let us pray that the vision of this village leader will come true and hope that we will have a part of his great dream. You and I can. With God, we can. |
