Paid to Betray Their Country

Nadia and Neesha* are two women in Central Asia who are passionate about sharing their faith. In the face of great danger, they would secretly hand out Bibles and tell others about Jesus, even though their country was hostile toward Christianity.

One day they spoke to a man who was an undercover policeman. He arrested them and discovered eight Bibles in their purses. Sitting in a basement jail and fearing for their lives, they began to pray.

Then Nadia said, “I read that when Paul was in prison, he sang. So let’s sing!”

One of the prisoners down the hall yelled, “You’re crazy! They are going to rape you both and then kill you. How can you sing?”

But the women kept singing praises to God. Suddenly, the undercover officer came down the stairs. He unchained them and took them to a private room for interrogation.

“You risked everything to give these Bibles away. You have betrayed your country and your family. No one would risk all this unless being paid a lot of money. Who is paying you to do this?”

Nadia replied, “You are right, someone did pay for us to do this. I will tell you everything.”

“Who is it?” the man pressed.

“His name is Jesus, and He gave His life to save mine.” Nadia continued sharing all she knew about Christ and how He came to save the world.

Finally, the policeman interrupted, “Stop! If you keep talking, I’ll end up believing this story too.”

With that, he returned the eight Bibles to Nadia and Neesha and, incredibly, released them to go. Astonished and suddenly standing free outside the prison, the two women quickly separated, each going a different way in case they were being followed.

As soon as Neesha turned the corner and was out of view from the prison, she ran face to face into the undercover officer. She stopped and gasped. He had been waiting for her at the prison’s back entrance.

“Give me one of those Bibles!” he whispered.

“Excuse me?”

“May I please have one of your Bibles? I must know more about this Jesus.”

Neesha smiled, dug down into her purse, and handed him a copy, along with a card giving instructions on how to download the Jesus Film^® app.

“Thank you,” he said and then he disappeared inside.

Nadia and Neesha need your prayers as they continue to risk everything to spread the gospel.

You can download the Jesus Film app here.

*For security reasons, Nadia and Neesha are composites of two unrelated incidents.

God's Perfect Timing

As Christians, we often never find out what happens to the people with whom we share our faith. If they are not an ongoing part of our life, we may never see them again. This is especially true when we distribute material but don’t get a chance to have a conversation.

This last summer, I went on a Jesus Film Mission Trip^® and had the opportunity to help distribute free Bibles and DVDs to busy shoppers in London. I was discouraged in not being able to have spiritual conversations with many of those who took the gifts I was handing out. Until I heard this story …

Every day Sada*, a Middle Easterner residing in London, would walk by the Jesus Film^® workers and take one of the films and a New Testament. Then, as soon as she was out of sight, she would toss it in the garbage. It was her small way of helping her people avoid the distraction of Christianity.

All summer the Jesus Film workers were there in London. Every day Sada took a copy. Near the end of summer, she forgot to discard it and found it in her bags when she got home. She tossed it up in her closet and forgot about it.

For nine years!

Soon after Sada graduated from med school, she discovered the Bible and the DVD in her closet and became curious. She opened the package and watched the film. Then she began reading the Scriptures. To make a long story shorter, she eventually received Christ into her heart.

Sada is now a doctor and an influential leader in her community in the UK. She shares her faith regularly.

God’s timing is perfect. Had Sada received Christ nine years earlier, before college, she says her parents would have cut her off financially, disowned her and a degree would have been impossible. Her chance of being a doctor influencing other community leaders would never have materialized.

We may share the gospel dozens of times with a friend. We may give away hundreds of Bibles or other materials. We may pray for years for the salvation of a loved one and never see evidence of a change.

But be encouraged; God is at work and He knows the perfect time to draw people to Himself. If you’d like to know more about Jesus Film Mission Trips go to www.jesusfilmmissiontrips.org.

*name changed