A few weeks ago I shared with you "Joe's" inspiring testimony from my recent trip to Kenya (you can find it here). Now, I'd like to share with you three more testimonies from students I met in Nairobi.

The next Is "Judy", a woman in her late 40s who has been a missionary since 1990. In 1998 she began to recognize a great need for scholarship, so she came to Nairobi for graduate studies. As she encountered more and more Muslims of differing scholarship levels, she felt the need to get even more training. She's now pursuing her PhD in Islamic Studies. "The books that are available help me be more effective in ministry and to teach other Christians so they'll be effective, especially when interacting with Muslims.", Judy shared.

Then came "Pauline", a woman also in her late 40s. Pauline is a teacher and full-time missionary with S.I.M. (Sudan Interior Mission). She's in the Islamic Studies Program in Nairobi. "In my experience I encountered several challenges to effective ministry. That's why I decided to come here. And let me say that The Theological Book Network is on a great mission because reading is so important for getting foundations for life and ministry. What you do goes beyond academics to integrating faith and mission. In that way, you help meet the needs of the church. My great desire is to see as many people as possible equipped for the tasks ahead and to write practical books from an African perspective on how to engage Muslims." Pauline continued, "It's a privilege to partner with The Network. I'm sure our library has valuable resources we students cannot find anywhere else. Together we are advancing the kingdom of God." Pauline's specific plan is to go to the Borana Oromo people in the south of Kenya. Islam is strong and illiteracy is rampant. Given the oral culture she'll be working in, Pauline will speak to teenage girls about Christianity. Young women they have large networks of friends and social influence in that culture.

Last was "Aminata", a woman in her mid 20s from Sierra Leone, studying Islam. She converted from Islam in a Muslim dominated country. "I have to learn how to speak to my family and then others in words they can understand. I'm grateful for the opportunity to study because of the availability of good resources to study.", said Aminata. She is the first in her family to go through high school, so her parents were disappointed and hurt when she converted to Christianity "and even more when I began to preach, and now even more when I moved to Kenya to study.", shared Aminata. Even so, she will work with her church and former school to be a missionary in Sierra Leone.

I hope these testimonies inspire you as much as they inspire me. These students reminded me as we serve the Majority World Church, we are serving brothers and sisters in very challenging and complex situations. The theological resources we send are of great importance for helping students stand firm in the truth of Christ amidst adversity. Please join me in praying for these students and prayerfully consider donating now to help us strengthen them with the theological resources they desperately need.