Through prayer and divine timing, God transforms a young woman’s life in the MENA region, leading her to faith, purpose, and a new beginning.
Hana* had been praying for 6 months to find a manager for her shop–a business God led her to start after she and her family had moved half way around the world to serve in a MENA city with over 20 million inhabitants.
In another city, Lara* and Jamal* were praying for a young woman who was interested in more than English classes.
Little did Diana* know how these prayers would impact her life.
***
The story begins around a bonfire and as told by Lara*:
We were gathered around a traditional garage bonfire with a group of strangers we had recently met on a local bike ride excursion. It was a late, cold January night, and it was our first late-night adventure in our new city.
As I examined the faces of the strangers around me, my eyes met with hers. The short young woman in her 20s, with brown, curly hair and a bashful smile examined me seemingly amused by having a foreigner in front of her. We didn’t speak each other’s languages, but we exchanged a few words through a translation app and then shared phone numbers. I saved her phone number and wrote "Diana" unaware of how important she would become in our lives–and of how thirsty she was for Jesus.
Soon after, she contacted me to start learning English with us. And as time passed by I learned that she was from a small village and had, against all social norms, moved by herself to the city to become the proud owner of a small shoe store.
Diana* was determined to make the most of our English courses, which kept her around us for longer than most students. Like many of her companions, she dreamed of moving abroad. She was full of determination, but one day her enthusiasm vanished. She entered the room with a heavy, sad expression that changed the mood of the class. I was planning to approach her after the class, but as soon as it finished, she stood up and rushed through the door.
The Holy Spirit impressed me to send her a message at the end of the day and to offer her help for whatever she was going through. And so I did. To my surprise, she replied instantly and confessed with desperation that she felt miserable, that she could not see any good in herself.
The country’s financial circumstances made the sales in her store drop, and she had decided to permanently close it, leaving her without an income, a project on her own, and a reason to get up in the mornings. Diana told us how she felt that things always seemed to go wrong and that she was tired.
I could not do much for her shop, but I was certain she needed Jesus. Suddenly, I remembered that our small group had invited a special speaker the following day, so I decided to invite her. “It will be good for you,” I assured her. She agreed to come without hesitation.
Diana arrived on time and remained pensive as she listened attentively to the speaker, (who happened to be Hana’s husband). That day we reflected on the story of Jesus saving the woman who was about to be stoned after being caught in sin. I could see that she was moved by the story, as if the forgiving eyes of the Savior had rested upon her herself, showing her a little light of hope in the midst of the darkness of her world.
That evening, Diana learned that she was loved, and infinitely valuable in the eyes of the Creator. This marked the beginning of her journey getting to know Jesus. From that day on, she continued attending our worship meetings and small group. Diana progressed quickly with her English and eventually began working as our receptionist.
Our relationship grew naturally through and quickly and we became close friends through working, eating, worshipping, and then studying the Bible together. It wasn’t long before Diana accepted the Sabbath and began keeping it with us.
One day, while exercising together, Diana shared with us that she had decided to move to a larger city where she could find a better job and go to college. We were sad, but also wanted to support her in her desire for personal growth.
“Please pray that I can find a job that doesn’t require me to work on Sabbath,” she asked. “Of course,” we replied, and I began praying that she would soon make the decision to give her life to Jesus through baptism.
The Lord did not delay His answer–he had already been working in her heart. In a casual Sabbath lunch, after our house church, she declared her desire to be baptized. We praised the Lord and made the proper arrangements, deciding that it would be best for her to get baptized in the church of the great city she was moving to.
A few weeks later, on a cold December evening, two years after we had met, Diana was entering the baptismal waters. It was a joyful day. We had a new sister in Christ, eager to face her new life holding Jesus’ hand.
***
Diana moved to the city where she completed her final two Bible studies in Hana’s shop and prepared for a job interview she’d lined up at a place where she would have Sabbath off–but then the interview fell through. Diana was discouraged and not sure what to do next, but when Hana heard about it, she knew that God had plans for Diana right there, working in her shop as store manager–a job she has been thriving in for one year now.
God had heard every prayer and worked out his plan as only he can.
*Not their real names
By Lara