Connecting cultures through dreams

By Jane | East Asia

For the last few months I felt God was prompting me to fast. So I started my routine once a week. And as Ramadan approached this year, I once again felt prompted to fast in a more significant way. I decided to abstain from food during the day, alongside our local Muslim minority group.

I did not have any specific expectations of what would happen during this time, but as we approach the end of Ramadan, God has exceeded my expectations.

We live in an environment where local people are rarely open to considering the gospel. We are intentional with sowing spiritual seeds, but rarely have the opportunity for in-depth conversations.

But during this time, I had the opportunity to tell a friend I was also fasting. She was elated and we engaged in a 45-minute conversation about Jesus. We discussed what fasting meant to her, and I shared what it meant for me. She noted that they fast out of duty and I fast out of love.

I am usually not a dreamer, but following that discussion I had a dream where I decided to cut my hair. In my dream, as I turned my head sideways my face turned into one of the local people.

My friend often shared her dreams with me, so I shared this strange dream with her. She was instantly touched. People here take dreams very seriously and she instantly saw the meaning.

"Clearly you have a true love in your heart for my people," she said. "Maybe you realized this as you've been fasting."

Indeed, God has given me a love for her and her people, which she could discern through our conversations.

The dream has been the start of almost two weeks of conversations about dreams, evil spirits and a relationship with God. I believe these conversations were bridged as a result of the fasting, and I pray for more opportunities in the week ahead as Ramadan comes to a close.

Please continue to pray for your Muslim neighbors and friends — that they too would have friends who would point them to Jesus.