I met a guy online through social media. I run a moderately popular account on Instagram where I post content about movies and TV shows. One day I had the conviction to use a TV character’s Christian faith as a way to talk about Jesus and to open up the floor for people to ask questions about Christianity. It was well-received and a lot of people had great questions that I was able to answer.
Over time, this one guy (college age and still lives with his family) was asking me a ton of questions about Christianity. He revealed that he was a Muslim living in Egypt (I live in the USA) who was seriously considering converting to Christianity (his father had planted the seed but I had the blessing of tending to the growing plant—I’m unsure if his father, who passed away recently, was ever saved but it sounds like he loved Jesus, so I really hope so). Over time I was able to answer many questions and he eventually said he was ready to convert. I walked him through the process and now he’s a Christian!
This is the first time I’ve helped lead someone to Christ, so I’m learning (and struggling) as I go. I know it’s extremely important to disciple new Christians instead of just sending them on their way after saying the prayer to figure things out on their own. I promised to myself that I’ll never abandon him and always be there if he has any more questions.
He was super excited about his conversion but since then he has had some tough experiences where I’m struggling to figure out how to help. He was excited and wanted to tell his family but was afraid of what they would do. He ultimately told them and they were not very supportive and wanted him to give Islam another try. After tremendous pressure from his family, he ultimately decided to affirm that he IS a Christian and that he’s not going back. He also wants to get baptized but he doesn’t really have anywhere to go. Egypt is also a country that requires you to list your religion on your ID and he’s struggling with whether he should get it changed (I said that regardless of what his ID says, it doesn’t change his heart, and that I don’t want him to put himself in any unnecessary danger).
Throughout these struggles I’ve frequently encouraged him to pray and trust God. I feel like a broken record, and while these are good things to do, I hate that I don’t have any other good advice. Also, because I live in the US, I am having trouble relating to his issues, and we live so far apart that I feel detached from him, like a long-distance relationship.
On top of all of that, I’m not even two months into a brand-new job that takes up a lot of my time and energy. I’ve recently started going to a new church where I don’t have a lot of relationships built up yet. (I left my last church because they handled a personal issue very terribly, so I don’t feel comfortable reaching back out to them.) I have a lot on my plate and not a lot of connections to help me out.
I feel so over my head and don’t know what to do. I want to be able to help him but I feel so inadequate. He reached out again today asking if we can hop on another call this week to talk. He says he doesn’t know what to do with his family and wishes he was born somewhere else. I don’t know what to say. I feel like I’d be petrified on the call because I feel so afraid.
I’ve tried encouraging him to find a nearby church but he’s afraid they won’t accept him because he’s still listed as a Muslim on his ID. The church we looked up online doesn’t really have any info on their website so I can only hope that it’s a good church. I tried to tell him that Christians are welcoming and accepting and want to love him, but I honestly don’t know what Christian churches are like in Egypt. He also has a teacher who is Christian and has answered a couple of questions. I recommended that he reach out to her and she can serve as a resource for him that is close by, but she’s afraid to say too much because she doesn’t want to lose her job or worse.
I’m struggling to find ways to help him because he’s in a completely different place with virtually no one to help him but me. His dad is gone (and he’s still very broken up about it), there aren’t a lot of Christians around him, and his teacher seems to be stepping back. But I feel so inadequate. He needs someone he can meet with in person that understands the struggles of being a Christian in Egypt and can invest more time for him. Are there any kind of Christian ministries that deal with this kind of thing? He’s just so conflicted and afraid right now. I’m asking for any advice you may have on the matter please!
Over time, this one guy (college age and still lives with his family) was asking me a ton of questions about Christianity. He revealed that he was a Muslim living in Egypt (I live in the USA) who was seriously considering converting to Christianity (his father had planted the seed but I had the blessing of tending to the growing plant—I’m unsure if his father, who passed away recently, was ever saved but it sounds like he loved Jesus, so I really hope so). Over time I was able to answer many questions and he eventually said he was ready to convert. I walked him through the process and now he’s a Christian!
This is the first time I’ve helped lead someone to Christ, so I’m learning (and struggling) as I go. I know it’s extremely important to disciple new Christians instead of just sending them on their way after saying the prayer to figure things out on their own. I promised to myself that I’ll never abandon him and always be there if he has any more questions.
He was super excited about his conversion but since then he has had some tough experiences where I’m struggling to figure out how to help. He was excited and wanted to tell his family but was afraid of what they would do. He ultimately told them and they were not very supportive and wanted him to give Islam another try. After tremendous pressure from his family, he ultimately decided to affirm that he IS a Christian and that he’s not going back. He also wants to get baptized but he doesn’t really have anywhere to go. Egypt is also a country that requires you to list your religion on your ID and he’s struggling with whether he should get it changed (I said that regardless of what his ID says, it doesn’t change his heart, and that I don’t want him to put himself in any unnecessary danger).
Throughout these struggles I’ve frequently encouraged him to pray and trust God. I feel like a broken record, and while these are good things to do, I hate that I don’t have any other good advice. Also, because I live in the US, I am having trouble relating to his issues, and we live so far apart that I feel detached from him, like a long-distance relationship.
On top of all of that, I’m not even two months into a brand-new job that takes up a lot of my time and energy. I’ve recently started going to a new church where I don’t have a lot of relationships built up yet. (I left my last church because they handled a personal issue very terribly, so I don’t feel comfortable reaching back out to them.) I have a lot on my plate and not a lot of connections to help me out.
I feel so over my head and don’t know what to do. I want to be able to help him but I feel so inadequate. He reached out again today asking if we can hop on another call this week to talk. He says he doesn’t know what to do with his family and wishes he was born somewhere else. I don’t know what to say. I feel like I’d be petrified on the call because I feel so afraid.
I’ve tried encouraging him to find a nearby church but he’s afraid they won’t accept him because he’s still listed as a Muslim on his ID. The church we looked up online doesn’t really have any info on their website so I can only hope that it’s a good church. I tried to tell him that Christians are welcoming and accepting and want to love him, but I honestly don’t know what Christian churches are like in Egypt. He also has a teacher who is Christian and has answered a couple of questions. I recommended that he reach out to her and she can serve as a resource for him that is close by, but she’s afraid to say too much because she doesn’t want to lose her job or worse.
I’m struggling to find ways to help him because he’s in a completely different place with virtually no one to help him but me. His dad is gone (and he’s still very broken up about it), there aren’t a lot of Christians around him, and his teacher seems to be stepping back. But I feel so inadequate. He needs someone he can meet with in person that understands the struggles of being a Christian in Egypt and can invest more time for him. Are there any kind of Christian ministries that deal with this kind of thing? He’s just so conflicted and afraid right now. I’m asking for any advice you may have on the matter please!
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