Although a predominantly muslim country, the government of Chad is tolerant of other faiths and allows free discussion of religion. We are making the most of this tremendous opportunity, through outreach to Arab nomads, running a learning centre in Abéché and relational evangelism in market places. Our workers have also been involved in translating the New Testament into Chadian Arabic.
One particularly intrepid worker regularly visits local markets, sharing the gospel through conversations with the people who gather there:
“I can just about spot a heckler when I see one coming now. On Friday, I noticed one coming as part of a group. As they closed in, I only had enough time to offer up a quick, ‘Lord help me!’ prayer, before they reached me. Sure enough, straight on the offensive. He wanted to know why I was reading about Jesus in the middle of the market with a man. ‘After all, Jesus’ time is clearly over.’
“I simply asked him, ‘Who sent Jesus?’
“When he answered ‘God’, I went on to ask if that meant Jesus was telling people God’s word. The group agreed, so then I said that it is written that heaven and earth will end, but God’s word never passes away, to which there was loud agreement.
“Time for the leader to take another direction: ‘Ha! But your Arabic is not real Arabic!’ I asked what he meant by that, hoping it wasn’t going to take us off on a rabbit trail. Happily, no. It got me to the point where I was able to show the group some of the Jesus film. This visit ended after about an hour of sharing, with him asking me to come back another day. Oh and could he buy some of my teaching materials for himself and his two colleagues?”
God is doing exciting work in Chad. Please join us in praising him for the opportunities he is giving us there, and praying he will win many souls through our workers’ words and actions.
Find out more about our Friendship Evangelism ministry
Public evangelism isn’t always the best way to share the good news. In some nations, overt religious activity of this kind is prohibited. And in any case, sharing your faith in the context of a friendship is often the most powerful approach.
Many of us specialise in friendship evangelism; sharing their faith with friends and neighbours in cultures where preaching is discouraged or even impossible. We build relationships with local people, accept hospitality from them and perhaps teach them a little English. Sharing the gospel happens very naturally through these relationships.
We need you to get involved
Do you want to know more about how to share your faith in a different culture? Fill in our ‘connect with us’ form or email us.
