Prayer for the Muslim world: Connecting as celebrations mark Ramadan's end
By a former missionary in the Middle East —
Ramadan—the Muslim month of fasting—comes to an end with a big celebration called Eid al-Fitr
(Arab world) or Eid e Ramazan
(Persian world). This celebration is long-awaited, and for many Muslim men it continues for at least three or four days. Celebrations for Muslim women, who usually cook for and host the male guests for the first three days, generally start on the fourth day and then can continue for several more days. Friends and relatives visit each other, give gifts, and eat lots and lots of food!
If you ever wondered when would be a good time to make a first visit to a Muslim family, this is that time. Everyone in the community gets swept up in the celebrations, whether they were able to keep the fast or not, and they will be much more relaxed than during the previous 30 days!
‘Eid-Mubarak’
Greet your friends with “ Eid-Mubarak
” which means “Happy Holiday” or “Blessed Holiday,” and perhaps bring a small bag of candy or a small cake. Be careful on bringing more than a small gift, as that could make your host feel that they need to reciprocate with a gift back to you!
Maybe you could try reciting or reading a few of these verses to stimulate a spiritual conversation. Ask your friends what it means to be merciful. And who will show them mercy? What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? And who will fill them? Let them try to wrestle with and answer some of these questions before you jump in to answer them. Let the questions and the answers lead to Jesus, but don’t feel that you have to answer everything in one visit. Perhaps ask them to think about some of the questions and ask their friends, and then you could come back to have another conversation later.
Just the beginning
Expect to drink lots of tea or coffee during your visit, depending on where your host is from, and feel free to ask questions about their family and their traditions and why they fasted for the previous month. Talk about times you have fasted and prayed and how and why it was important to you.
In the course of conversation, consider asking if they have had a recent dream about Jesus and ask if there is anything that you can pray for them about, because you believe that God hears and answers prayer. And then take a few minutes to pray with them right there and tell them that you will continue to pray for these requests in the days to come.
Before you leave, ask if you can come back and see how they are doing in a week or so. You might want to keep a journal at home and later write down the topics you talked about after the visit. We want to be intentional in our interactions with our friends; otherwise we can end up being sidetracked and just always having polite but general conversations.
Prayer requests
As part of the 10/10 Prayer Initiative, 180 agencies have come together to ask God to draw to himself 10 percent of the world’s Muslims in the next 10 years. 10/10. Easy to remember, yet such an amazingly big task that only God can do it.
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Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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