In mid-December, I received a phone call in the evening from a former student. He is now 20 years old. He was very excited and asked me what I thought about dreams. Sensing that something special must have happened, I replied, “God speaks to us in dreams.” And then I asked him, “Have you been dreaming? And if so, would you like to tell me about it?” Then it just poured out of him. He had encountered Jesus in a dream and had been electrified all day, not knowing who to talk to about it because he thought he was crazy. We talked a little, and at the end I asked him how he recognized Jesus. He replied, “Jesus was wearing the same clothes as in the pictures you always used to tell us the stories with!”
How faithful Jesus is!!! How wonderful!!! He builds on what he gives us and brings it forth in his own time. A few days after the phone call, I asked him if his dream had become clearer to him. He said, “Since the dream, I have peace, I sleep well, and I know that Jesus is guiding me!”
After the holidays, I entered my 8th/9th grade classroom and was greeted by a girl with these words: “I’ve started reading the Bible!” 😊
And in 7th grade, a Muslim girl beamed at me: “Do you have a story with you? I love your stories!” I should mention that I am currently telling stories from the life of Jesus, including healing stories. After the story of the healing of blind Bartimaeus (I had pictures with me. In one of them, Jesus had laid his hand on Bartimaeus’ eyes.) she looked at me and said, “When we were at the school camp, I felt so sick on the boat and you laid your hand on me. That was good!” I had forgotten the situation, but then I remembered that she had been really green in the face. I had put my arm around her and prayed quietly in tongues, so we arrived safely at the shore. We then talked about it in class, how Jesus gave his followers the task of doing the same things he did and that Jesus still performs the same miracles and signs he did through his followers.
Such conversations and encounters are becoming more frequent at the moment; there is something in the air…
During the mid-year parent-teacher conferences, I realized that I have 14 Muslims in grades 2-9 this school year, more than ever before. The devout believers in particular are very open and interested. This morning I read in Acts 10:2 about Cornelius: “He was a devout man and feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.” And God saw his heart and his hunger and revealed himself to him. This brought to mind my many Muslim students, how earnestly they pray and keep their rules, how they approach Ramadan with great anticipation and expect to be rewarded for their good deeds on the Night of Destiny, which is expected to take place on March 26. What a privilege it is that we can pray that our Lord will meet them, that they will have dreams and visions, and that Jesus will meet their longing and hunger and they will find true life!
Warm regards from K.F.