As a disciple-maker among the unreached, I have noted how the environment affects disciple making. The people surrounding a disciples can choke the seeds of the gospel sprouting in them and can also be responsible for exponential growth and transformation. The truth is that where we live may sometimes determine our spiritual disciplines. That history, culture and people may determines much of how we do things throughout their lives. And strangely may determine our eternal destination. There are certain people that when you associate with, you automatically experience change and growth. Personally, there are certain people I have sat under and experienced radical exponential transformation. I’m grateful for such people.
And this similar case has been part of my ministry among the unreached. I have been making disciples among the unreached while stationed in a boarding high school. My interactions with the student is dependent on the school calendar since during holidays the students go home and come back when school reopen. Some holidays are long and last several months. This has had serious implications on my disciples. Discipleship especially during the initial stages requires close contact and frequent interactions. Especially in this case where my disciples are from Muslim backgrounds, with lots of questions, fears and battles. When my disciples go home for long holidays, some come back disoriented. Some home environments corrupt the seeds of the gospel already sprouting on them.
Today, I will share real story of one of my disciples to highlight this specific challenge. I have been on a discipleship journey with some girls. And there is this girl who we will call “Guyatu” for now. She is from this region which is Muslim dominated. Her family is deep is in Islam. She is 17years now and had studied in another school located in a Christian majority community before coming here. There she had interacted with Christians and had followed them to church. She had started associating with Christians and as soon as her parents discovered this, they sent her to come school here. With a hope that this being a “Muslim school” and with a Muslim administration, her daughter will follow in the ways of her parents and remain in Islam. When the transfer was complete, the girl landed in my arms. She started cautiously appearing in our Christian gatherings and at some point, became very active.
I noted many things were off with her and called her for talks like I usually do. I called her to my office which serves as my discipleship and ministry space. She wouldn’t talk about anything initially and I let her go. A few days later I called her since her case kept bothering me. This time she opened up. She told me everything about her family, how she is the reason her family is disintegrating and how she was contemplating killing her dad for causing her mum to suffer.
Eventually, after several sessions, she had managed to completely eliminate the suicidal thoughts she had and for a while we seemed to be making some progress in terms of her spiritual transformation journey. This was until the schools closed for a two-month holiday. She went to be with her mum and when she returned to school everything had changed. She was completely different, not the Guyatu I had known. The first week she associated with the Christians and attended our Sunday fellowship. The next Sunday, I passed by the mosque in the school, and I heard all the Muslims inside celebrating. They were receiving and welcoming back this girl who had been “lost” but now had returned “home”.
Learning that she had converted back to Islam was devastating to me. The first thing I did was to check with myself if I had done everything right. And I was convinced that I had given my very best. I had done everything I should have done. But it still happened. This was the first time a close disciple had turned against me. It did hurt but I had to gather myself together and move on. I felt betrayed but there was still more work to be done. Since then, I have continued to be more intentional about disciplying the girls that I teach. I have continued to pray for Guyatu. We also meet to talk and are still friends. I have remained committed to seeing her come back to the faith she once identified with. We still talk even after the betrayal since I’m very convinced that she knows the Truth. She has heard the gospel and I have done my part. And I believe that she will come back to Jesus someday.
Guyatu’s case is not an isolated one. It is a clear picture of what is happening in Northern Kenya. But, yes, the gospel is advancing despite such challenges. This case is demonstrating how far parents and family members are willing to go to beat back those who are dissecting from Islam. And how home environment could be a hinderance in disciple making.