Jake, a former discipleship student, stayed on in the city after the course finished. We have seen him grow even more in his faith. He works as a barista at a popular café and shares his faith with the students who come. He also helps to mentor young people in our church. Jake stays at the Discipleship School property and organizes cleaning. His family remains in a neighbouring country. They do not share or support his new faith and conversations with them have been brief and angry, and sometimes they try to persuade Jake to return to Islam. In the many years Jake has lived in this country, his family has never come to see him, until this year. His mother and older brother suddenly decided they wanted to visit. Jake went to meet them in a city near the border and flew with his mother back to our city while his brother took the bus. Unfortunately the bus had an accident and Jake’s brother broke his leg. He eventually made it back here but because of his limited mobility was mostly confined to the Discipleship School property.
Jake notes that had his brother’s leg not been broken, he would have been out and around the city, certainly not spending so much time with Jake and his friends. Now Jake’s brother was constantly exposed to worship and sermons that Jake likes to listen to, and he was also exposed to the discipleship students and our church community. The Discipleship School property is a place to hang out, where we have barbecues, Bible studies, and prayer meetings. Jake’s brother was overwhelmed by what he saw and his prejudices about Christianity began to drop. He began to ask questions and to listen. And then, praise the Lord, he came to faith. It was incredible. A teary-eyed Jake baptized him recently and now Jake’s brother is a guest student in our discipleship program. Such a joy!