October 4, 2015
WEI teacher, Katheryn Haddad, has been teaching this young Muslim social worker in West Africa for three years. She calls him “Aaron.”
Katheryn writes, “During those three years, his country has been attacked by the ebola virus, and some four thousand have died. Four members of his own family contracted the disease, and one died. The life expectancy in Sierra Leone is only 57 years because of yellow fever, cholera, and meningitis, in addition to ebola.
“In 2000, Aaron and his family were caught in the crossfires of civil war. He writes, ‘During the civil war in my country, the rebels captured me and my family and burnt down our house. Later on, they took us to another place and locked us in a room to kill us. With the help of the almighty God, the Ecomog peace-keeping force arrived there and freed us from the trouble.’
“In the past three years, Aaron has obtained an upper-level degree. But most of all, he left Islam for good and embraced Christianity.
“After his first year of studies with WEI, he concluded, ‘Jesus is not just a man, but God himself, and he came to save mankind.’ Further, he stated, ‘I learned that the death and resurrection of Jesus actually took place, and all the prophecies about him were fulfilled. There is no other way to receive salvation except through Jesus Christ. He alone can erase our sins.’
“Aaron wanted to be baptized into Christ, but he also wanted to remain a Muslim. He thought the two religions were compatible. Then he dropped out for six months. His teacher sent him a chart contrasting scriptures in the Qur’an with scriptures in the Bible. This helped. He finally came back and completed the intermediate course and started the advanced course, then dropped out again. (Remember what his family was going through at this time.) Finally in May of this year, he resumed his lessons.
“In July he wrote, ‘I was baptized to gain salvation, Mum. I assure you that I will no longer be a Muslim. I am saved. I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.”
Under Sharia law, it is a capital offense for a Muslim to convert to Christianity. One can only imagine how difficult it was for Aaron to cut his ties with Islam and become a follower of Christ.
We praise God that another Muslim student has had the faith and the courage to become a Christian.
