HOT SUMMER: A student team brings water to the desert

[ see photos | read testimony ]

As the Muslim call to noon prayers lifts above the white-washed walls of the baked-mud mosque sitting virtually alone in the desert, Rebekah stands outside in the merciless heat and prays.

A college student from the United States, she went to North Africa** last summer as part of a team of students from seven states. The group members, all under age 24, volunteered their summer vacation to travel across the world to study at an Arabic university.

They did more than give up some vacation time. They came following the command to go to the nations sharing their faith-despite the hardships of being in a country with extreme restrictions on sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Wanting to share with people who don't know the truth can be frustrating, especially in a country like this one," said Travis, another team member. "We've had chances to share the gospel, but we also had to come to grips with the fact that we may have to reach them just by loving on them."

Standing outside the mosque in the dry, dusty wind of the North African desert, with temperatures nearing 125 degrees, Rebekah admitted a sense of helplessness is unavoidable.

"So many times we could have come right out and said what we believed," she said. "But we've had to learn when to be quiet and when to speak. Sometimes the spiritual warfare is so thick. It's so hard to stay silent when you know they're hurting."

"If you only knew ."

As part of their study requirements, the students spent several hours a day in class, learning basic Arabic and studying the culture and society of their host country. Everything they heard was based on the "pillars" or basic beliefs of Islam. "I am continually struck by the works-based pillar of Islam," said Kathy, another team member. "The cry of my heart is, 'If you only knew, it would be so much better.'"

Following classes, the group spent time in the open-air markets, walking among stalls of pungent spices, mounds of fresh sweet mint, pottery and freshly slaughtered goats - scenes and smells unchanged since the time of Christ.

With every step the group drew curious glances - from women veiled head-to-foot in black robes with only small slits showing dark eyes, and from men, weather-beaten and rough.
The group drew attention not only because of the color of their skin but the smiles on their faces. Everywhere they went, they saw how God was overcoming the barriers of these unreached people, most of whom are tribal Berbers.

The Berbers of North Africa call themselves Amazighen, which means "The Free People." Proud and independent, they have lived in the mountainous desert region of North Africa for thousands of years, according to Christians working with the Berbers.

Steeped in tradition and bound by tight family structures, the Berbers of North Africa practice Islam interwoven with traditional animistic religions. A hard life greets the peoples of this region. Acrid land and dry conditions yield nominal crops. In the desert, ancient dirt and rock forts still stand guarding water sources-the most precious commodity in the desert regions.

Despite the harsh conditions, the students found themselves among some of the most hospitable people they had ever encountered. A stern lesson, for some.

"I feel broken when I look at these people," said Mike. "I have Christ in my life and I want to share Him, but these people here are so giving. It has shown me how selfish I am with what I have. Why did God choose me, a filthy rag, and not them? It is so humbling."

A need for love

While the Berbers have seen their political freedom encroached upon by tightening borders and government control, it is their spiritual freedom that concerned the group of students from America. In Islam, Rebekah explained, "there are 99 names for God, but not one means 'love.' That is so sad to me; they have no concept of a loving Father. Every day, wherever I go and enter into conversation, I always leave people with the Arabic phrase 'God is love.' That is what they need to hear."

The hunger and desire of the people is there, said Jane, another team member. In the markets, curbside coffee shops, even in the dark of night, person after person approached members of the student team, quietly but eagerly seeking to know: "Who is Jesus?" It is impossible for anyone to go to a place like North Africa with a burden for missions and not expect to be changed, she added. "When we go home, the main thing I can do is pray," she said. In time she may forget how hot the sun was in the desert, but "we can't go home and forget these people. We've got to remember these faces - the faces of the children who were dark with oppression because they don't know Jesus.

"God didn't die for North Africa," she added. "He died for these people."

"Colossians 1:6 is so true," said Brandon. "All over the world, the gospel is bearing fruit, whether we know it or not. God's victory - His promise - is happening. It is not going to be stopped by any man or spiritual opposition."

Standing in the heat of the desert, watching the dust stir as a shepherd led his flock to the water, he was struck by the realization of how sheep scatter without a shepherd. "I had never seen a herd of sheep before I came to North Africa," he said. "Without a shepherd, there is no way these people will get anywhere. After spending these weeks here, I know that God is going to call the scattered sheep of the world to Himself." The need is great for people to share the gospel among the Berbers of North Africa, the students agreed. But sharing their faith and the truth of Jesus Christ takes sacrifice, they admitted, especially on foreign soil.

The biggest obstacle young Americans face today is a small one, he added: Students must get over the insignificant - but stubborn-barrier of pride and selfishness.

"God has commanded us - as young people and as the future of the church - to go, even though we don't deserve to be used. What a privilege to be used for something so great," he said. "We have to be faithful to the call. Sure, we run the risk of losing a part of ourselves, and we've got to sacrifice our money and our time. We've been called to be His mouthpieces and spread His truth through the giving of ourselves. That is the only way so many of these people will ever hear."

"If the world is going to be won, it will happen through us - the young people," Rebekah said. "The young people in this North African country and other countries like it are the ones who know English and hunger for connection with the Western world. They are the ones who - once saved - will have the boldness to share with their families and catch the vision for reaching their country."

"As I stood in the doorway of the mosque, it was so dark - not only in the literal sense. A dark, heavy cloud seemed to hang over the place. Where is the hope in that?" she asked. "How will they know unless we go?

**Note: The country visited by the college team and their full names are not given in order to protect the ministry of Christian workers there. The writer also cannot be identified, but can be reached at asiaoc@pobox.com

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