God’s Word in the Middle East

*Names changed for security

Over the buzz of excited crowds, a Cru® staff member could barely hear Adara’s* voice. 

“I want a Bible,” the young woman whispered in Arabic. “Please, can you tell me about Jesus?”

Adara didn’t have much time. She came to a book fair with her parents and knew they were somewhere in the crowd. She was nervous about being found talking to Christians, but she bravely explained that — like so many others in the Middle East — she had a vivid dream about Jesus. 

In the Middle East, there are huge cultural events with attendance that can number in the millions. In the interest of fostering an academic, open-minded atmosphere, the usual restrictions on Bibles are relaxed. Many people can’t believe their eyes when they see God’s Word out in the open. 

Adara knew the usual restrictions are loosened at these events and jumped at her chance to learn more about Christianity. That day, Adara received a Bible and heard the gospel. In a little corner of the booth, she prayed to Jesus for the first time.

“Yes, I want this,” she said. “I accept Jesus. I love him.”

Countless spiritually thirsty people like Adara are dreaming about Jesus and searching for His Word. The demand for Arabic, Turkish and Persian Bibles is so great that local Cru movements often struggle to keep up.

“This is my first time seeing and holding a Bible in my hands,” one young man said after accepting a Bible. He was so amazed, he immediately stopped to take pictures of his new Bible.

Cru ministries are seeing wide-open doors to share Jesus in this part of the world. Opportunities are rising in closed-nation schools, one-on-one meetings, online outreach and more. Through one Arabic evangelism website alone, an average of 15,000 people come to faith every month. 

Ministry leaders in this region marvel at the openness to the gospel they’re seeing right now, they’re astonished by how many people are looking for connection and how the Holy Spirit is working in people’s hearts before they’ve even seen a Bible.

One local Cru staff member said, “It is truly a time of harvest!”

For 75 years, Cru has placed Bibles at the heart of its mission to help fulfill the Great Commission. To help supply Bibles to those who are searching for Jesus across North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, consider giving toward this great need.