As we look forward to Christmas 2021, we also want to look back at last year. Here is a glimpse at one of the projects funded by your kind donations to the 2020 Christmas Appeal.

This is Hassan’s* story as told by an OM worker in Tanzania. 

OM in Tanzania have been involved with Matipwili Islamic village for the past two years. One evening while on outreach, as we were busy having a meal, a young Muslim man by the name of Hassan came looking for us. Hassan is a father of eight and a husband of two. He shared with us that he had heard we were back in the village, and he wanted to take the opportunity to become a follower of Jesus. We asked him, ‘why now?’.

Based on the beliefs and teachings of Islam, Hassan believed he could not be saved. He shared how impossible it was for him to keep to the laws and how God seemed so far away, his life was falling apart, and sin was dominating him. Hassan felt like Islam did not make sense to him anymore and it was failing him. He shared how he saw something different and unique about us, and about our message and had come to ask for help.

He was almost on his knees in desperation begging for us to help him to become a follower of Jesus.

We could see that he was expectant of a special ceremony and a prayer, but we just simply told him to go back home and cry out to God for himself. We shared how he needed to ask God to save him, and we encouraged him to come back and share how God had spoken to him.

The following day Hassan came back looking like a different man. He shared of how one of his children, who had kept them up many nights for months because of a chest condition, had slept through the night the previous night. Every time Hassan woke up to check on the child, to his surprise the child was still sleeping, but he took the opportunity to pray through the night.

During the night God revealed Himself to Hassan, and he made a decision to follow Jesus. Hassan then asked if we would disciple him and his family and he asked for a Bible.

Paul, one of our fellow brothers in the Lord, immediately stepped up and committed himself to journeying with Hassan.

Hassan’s story reminded the Team of the scripture in John 13:35, where Jesus tells His followers that the world will know that we are His disciples and belong to Him by the way we have love for one another. Our testimony as a community of believers speaks volumes to the world around us.

*Name changed

OM Christmas Appeal

As in the words of Mary in Luke 1, join us this Christmas as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus and show mercy to those in distress, lift the humble and fill the hungry with good things. 

2021 Christmas Appeal