Clicking into place

Maghdi* had so many questions. A chance encounter on social media had introduced him to a God who loved and forgave freely. And now he was unsure if the beliefs he had been brought up with were right after all…

In the North African country where Maghdi lives, finding answers about Christianity is tough. Less than one per cent of the population identify as Christian, and constructing a church building is illegal. There is a Church, a body of believers – but it’s very small and very hidden.

That’s where BMS World Mission workers Andrea and Ian come in. Around twenty years ago, they joined a media centre in Spain to broadcast the good news of Jesus to unreached people across North Africa. At this time, no-one was making Christian television programmes for North African people in their own dialect. Since then, they’ve built a trusted team, including Arabic-speaking Muslim-background believers.

The team share engaging, culturally relevant short videos about Christianity on social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. “We make them to make people ask questions,” Andrea and Ian explain. Which they do. After a video is published, the team’s apologist, Habib*, is on hand to reply to individual questions via Facebook and WhatsApp. Often the comments are hostile, but sometimes people are genuinely seeking the truth.

Last Christmas, they produced a series of 24 short animations telling the Christmas story – a digital Advent calendar. The videos were a hit. “The rest of the year, we had 153 new subscribers to our YouTube channel,” says Andrea. “In December we had 692.”

And somehow, the simplicity of the animations touched Maghdi’s heart. For months, he’d been chatting to Habib online, asking excellent questions but then falling silent for weeks at a time. It emerged that his family were unhappy with his searching and had been trying to dissuade him.

The first question Magdhi asked the team was at Christmas time: “Why did Jesus come?” On day four of the Advent series, something finally clicked, and Maghdi gave his life to Jesus. This was wonderfully unexpected news for Andrea and Ian. They had included a call to make a commitment in the final video of the series, but Maghdi hadn’t needed to wait. He told Habib, “This is the first time I have heard the Christmas story told so clearly.”

How do Andrea and Ian feel when someone comes to the Lord? “Absolutely thrilled to pieces!” says Andrea. “It can be a very dry job, and then all of a sudden, somebody makes a commitment… It’s like, ‘Wow! We knew you were going to do something amazing with this, God.’ It makes you so excited.”

Following the success of the Christmas animations, the team’s work has gone from strength to strength. They produced another series for Easter, with more than 2,600 people checking out the Good Friday episode.

When you’re the only Christian in your family, finding a sense of community is vital. The team put Maghdi in touch with another Christian in his own city who can study the Bible with him, so that he won’t be alone in his new-found faith.

Andrea and Ian are passionate about helping new believers to become confident, well-equipped followers of Jesus. They’ve produced a series of “How to” videos covering essential topics such as “How do I pray?”, “How do I read the Bible?” and “How do I worship?”

These videos are now being used by churches in North Africa. “Missionaries from other organisations in-country are asking, ‘Can we have your materials?’” says Andrea. Their impact is wider than Andrea and Ian might ever know, helping the Church to grow and mature in some of the toughest soil around.

All this amazing work is only possible through your generosity and prayers. “We are so grateful to be part of God’s plan of salvation for the world,” says Andrea. “To stand alongside each of you and serve in his Kingdom, holding out the hope of eternal life with God to those who do not know him.”

*Names (apart from Andrea and Ian’s) have been changed for security reasons.