Over the years, we haven’t written much about the significance of books in our work, but this month, we must. Books have been a key part of OC’s work over the decades. Outside my (David’s) previous VP office is a library with dozens of books written by OC workers over the years, including the one I co-wrote in South Africa about pastoral leaders’ developmental needs.

Our OC office in Johannesburg maintains a library and bookshop for leaders to borrow and purchase materials for their growth and development. Recently, we learned of a story related to those books, one we believe you’d appreciate – and thank God for as well. Our OC office in South Africa received the following email:

“Dear Leadership at OC-Africa,

“My Muslim name is “Mohammed” [name changed], I was born and raised in a Muslim family in northern Mozambique. I was raised in a religion that hates Jews, Christians, and all white people. I was trained by the Isis in Somalia to fight for Allah in Jihad. I have been studying Islam since I was a little boy. In Islam there is the doctrine of Slavery and terrorism is regarded as the most rewarding service for Allah, killing Jews, Christians and all white people in the name of Allah is the only assurance a Muslim can have to enter Paradise.

“For 20 years I was in Somalia & Sudan for training in Jihad, I was trained to use all kinds of guns, grenades, swords, knives, etc.

“…God rescued me before I committed any acts of terrorism and murder. In the year 2005 after my training in Sudan & Somalia by Elshabab we visited the nation of Kenya…we were living in the coastal town called Mombasa where there is a growing population of Muslims. We met some missionaries at the beach in Mombasa and I was given a box full of Christian books. [The] box and these books had a red sticker of OC AFRICA.

“These books have transformed my life and God uses the books to give me purpose and direction for my life.

I have now officially changed my name to “Joshua” [name changed again].

“I have lived as a refugee in many African countries because I was running away from radical Islamic terrorists who were hunting my life so that they could kill me. I came to South Africa 13 years ago as a refugee but life was difficult…I lived from one shelter to another, sometimes I slept in the streets when I did not have any money to pay for the shelter. I started buying second-hand books and I began to feed my spirit with the word of God…I have learned to trust in God, your books have taught me Experiencing GOD.

“…God gave me a vision to reach 532 million Muslims in Africa and to equip the Church globally to reach Muslims. …By the grace of God, we have already planted churches in the rural areas in Zimbabwe, Mozambique.”

Only God knows how that box of books got from Johannesburg into the hands of Joshua in Kenya. All we know is that the Lord has used them to change this man’s life and to birth a ministry. Join us in thanking God for Joshua, for books, and for OC Africa’s library and shop!

Shared by David Bulger