Fifty-five-year-old Raaib* is a good, persevering, and diligent man. He has four children – two sons and two daughters – and one grandson.

Raaib works very hard as a tile layer to support his family. One of his sons suffers from a chronic disease that requires expensive medical treatments. In addition, he provides for his other son who is in university. The demands of life and the responsibilities on his shoulders have driven him away from God. I compare him to the soil in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away.”

Each week I invited him to our house church meetings. His responded to my invitations saying, “When I have time, I will attend.” I did not give up on him. I continued to invite him. My perseverance finally paid off.

This time I suggested he attend only to watch – nothing more. His responded that he did not get home until late. I was willing to accommodate him, holding the meeting at 9:00 p.m. To my amazement, he invited us to have the meeting in his own home. Then he added, “I want my family to hear the Bible.”

Raaib remained silent until the end of the meeting. Then he raised his hand and asked about the books of the “Holy Bible.” He took the Bible and began browsing through it. “How can I (we) read and understand it?” I answered him, “Start reading, and you will find it is easier to understand than you think.” Everyone looked at him as he started to read silently. Then he raised his voice and started to read aloud in the presence of all the participants.

Since then, he has attended house church meetings. He sings and participates with joy and happiness.
 
*name has been changed

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