Jay* is a missionary and student from Afghanistan who came to the States in August 2019 to earn his Master’s degree. When he arrived in the States, he felt called to work with international students at the University of Missouri in addition to pursuing his degree. He currently works with both Afghan and Muslim students, as he feels personally called to serve these groups because he can relate to them. One day he hopes to return to the Middle East.
God Opens Doors
As Jay was getting to know the campus and discerning his calling, God providentially provided a way for him to meet the people he felt called to serve.
“I kept praying for God to bring the people for me to serve, but I decided to procrastinate when it came to going out to find them,” Jay shared. “I told myself I would just go out the next day.”
One day as Jay was walking around campus, he noticed a group of Muslim students and he was immediately drawn to them. He went up to chat with them and they ended up giving him their contact information, allowing Jay to message them and minister to them. It was during this random encounter that Jay realized he was in the right place.
“I graduated in July of this year and began asking God if it was time for me to go back to Afghanistan,” Jay explained.
But, in a matter of days, the Lord worked out all the details for Jay to remain in the States to further his education and earn a Ph.D.
“I even had a job offer back home and I was so confused about whether or not I should stay or go, but God worked it out in ten days,” Jay said. “It was so quick; I think He knew I would be anxious, so He worked fast.”
Connecting with All Nations
Jay decided to take the opportunity to stay in the States and continue pursuing missions. It was during a lesson in his Perspectives on the World Christian Movement class on campus that Jay heard about All Nations for the very first time.
Although he felt called to be a missionary, Jay had never thought about joining a missions organization, but he believed having the support would be beneficial to his ministry. He began asking his close friends and spiritual mentors for their opinions on All Nations.
“All of the people I talked to said they loved All Nations, and it was close to my school, so I could drive to the training in only a few hours,” Jay said.
Jay signed up for the three-week Church Planting Experience (CPx) training in Kansas City and stayed at the All Nations Guest House. He said it was a wonderful experience, he felt comfortable and enjoyed the bonfires and the company of other guests. He also enjoyed the simplicity of the messages taught in training in comparison to the topics he learned about in his Christian classes at school.
“One of the things I really liked about the training was how easy it was to learn,” he said. At school, there are a lot of complex theologies that make it difficult to share Jesus with others.”
Jay also said he had a lot of fun with the other missionary trainees who attended the training and that he found them kind, considerate and enjoyable to be around. It was a memorable time for him and an overall wonderful experience.
“The Guest House was warm and I had many good conversations with the people there; they were open and willing to be vulnerable, which made it a great time,” Jay said.
Pray for Afghanistan and Support Continued Training
As a student, Jay continues to serve as a missionary at the University of Missouri. He asks for everyone to continue to pray for both him and his ministry with the Afghan people, and for his home country.
“Please pray that God would give me boldness to share the Gospel and raise up bold and fearless leaders,” he requested. “Please pray He would give me wisdom and open up my family member’s hearts to knowing Him. They are not yet believers, but I have dreams we will all be reunited one day. They are still in Afghanistan, pray for their safety.”
Jay said prayer is desperately needed for the people of the Afghan church:
“For Afghanistan and the church, pray for peace and safety. Pray for openness that Christian believers can go and stay there, pray that God provides safety for the workers. Pray for believers to help young children get a good education in person or online. Pray that they are safe and for God to protect them. They are in a vulnerable place. Pray for God to hide them from the eyes of enemies and keep them safe from the Taliban. Pray that the church will grow and people will see the church and become followers of Christ. Pray for the leaders of the church. A lot of the older generations of the church left Afghanistan. Pray for strong leaders to rise up among them to lead them. Young believers are undercover, but they need strong leadership to help them grow in faith.”
Consider Jay’s story and be encouraged that every little bit of your support to All Nations means so much to missionaries like Jay. Your support is providing training, Guest House accommodations and prayer covering to missionaries like Jay who come to All Nations from all over the world.
*Name and photo changed for security
—
Help us revive the All Nations Guest Houses! Visit this page to make a year-end, holiday gift that will go toward much-needed repairs and updates.
