Aysha

Aysha had polio as a child and uses crutches to move around, even in her own home. She grew up in a Muslim country where Christians were the foreign power that had colonized and ruled for half a century. Although now independent again, there were plenty of foreigners in the country. Becoming a Christian meant joining the colonial foreigners and rejecting the traditions of her family and religion. Aysha’s family lived in one of the most religious cities where Muslim scholars study under professors known in the whole of the Muslim world.

Living with the results of polio was not easy. Aysha did attend school, but couldn’t participate in most of the activities. She was sidelined. At home she could help with cooking and washing, but even here, being a girl and lame, she was second class. Her family loved her, but that is what life was like for people who couldn’t participate fully due to disabilities. Aysha expected, along with her family, that she would never get married and would be dependent on her brothers all her life.

Some foreigners opened a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities and her family agreed to let her go there, to learn to become more independent. In addition to the rehab actives, the foreigners taught skills like knitting and carpentry, so those who came could gain skills to get jobs and support themselves. Aysha learned how to teach people her language, and was quite good at it. She was paid for this work. She had never expected to be able to have a job and earn money. 

The foreigners at this rehab center were different from many Aysha had met in the city. These people were caring, patient and learned her language. They didn’t treat her as second class. They did teach about Jesus, the prophet of the Christians, who was also one of the prophets of Islam. Their stories about him were different from ones she had learned. She liked their stories.

One night she had a very vivid dream. She was sitting under a tree when a young foreign woman walked up to her and with a warm smile, started chatting. This woman had on a very distinctive sweater. Aysha thought about that dream numerous times. Then one day at the rehab center, this woman walked in, wearing the same sweater with the same smile on her face. She asked Aysha to help her learn to speak her language.

As Aysha and this foreigner met, their friendship grew and Aysha felt free to ask more about the prophet Jesus. She grew to love this prophet, and decided to follow him. She didn’t want to disgrace her family so she didn’t tell them. She was pretty happy with her life the way it was.

Then she met a young man at the rehab center who also was a polio victim. He had excelled in school and had welcomed the teaching about Jesus. He had told his family that he had become a Christian. They didn’t like it, but he continued to live at home. He encouraged Aysha to attend the meeting of believers in the city, to become part of the Christian movement. She finally told her family about him and being a Christian. They didn’t like the second part, but they agreed that she could marry this young man. With her job teaching foreigners her language and his job answering letters from people interested in Christianity, they set up their own household. When I met them they had a beautiful 5 year old daughter. They still visited their families periodically, but their life was centered around the Christian fellowship.

This story was told by Najia (pseudonym). Najia is the child of missionaries, and she and her husband chose to also serve God in this way. They have worked in several countries among Muslim people groups, building relationships, training, and encouraging those who choose to follow Jesus.