A young man had grown up surrounded by folk Islamic tradition. He had been taught that the Injil (the Gospels) was corrupted and that followers of Isa al-Masih (Jesus the Messiah) were dangerous. Yet a local believer—a former religious teacher—sat with him over tea and shared a simple story from the Injil. As they sipped bitter milk tea under a bamboo awning, the man spoke of a Messiah who forgives sins and walks with the poor.
That night, the young man had a dream. A man in radiant white robes appeared to him and called him by his full name—something even his friends rarely did—and said, "You are mine. Follow Me now."
He woke up trembling, drenched in sweat, yet at the same time, he felt a great peace come over him. Before sunrise, he found the disciple who had shared with him saying, "I want to follow!"
The believer hesitated, wondering if he truly understood. "Do you know what this means?"
"I know enough," the young man replied. "He came to me. I will obey."
They walked to the edge of the village, to a small muddy river. Along the way, he asked, "Can I tell my uncle? He is the only one who listens to me." When the uncle heard the dream, he too was convinced by the truth. That afternoon, not only two but three men were baptized—in secret, under overhanging vines in a river. No one had dared mention Isa's (Jesus') name.
Today, there is a house fellowship that meets in the shade of a tamarind tree near that river. The young man now tells others, "I met Him before I understood Him. But he knew me!"
