Kahdil's Story


Kahdil (*name has been changed) and all his siblings live together with their old grandmother in a small, square hut with only a bed. Kahdil’s grandmother moves slowly, with a hunched back, around their compound each day- gathering coconut leaves to make in to broomsticks to sell. This miniscule income is all the family has to live on. Kahdil’s father is a tricycle* driver, who left the family to move to a nearby city with his second wife, where he thought he would make more money. Unfortunately, because of new traffic regulations, Kahdil’s father was prohibited from driving his tricycle on the city highway, severely limiting the trips he could make.

Daily Challenges

With no extra support from his father and his grandmother's tiny income, Kahdil and his siblings do not have enough money for their daily needs or school allowance. They often walk long distances to school on empty stomachs. However, Kahdil has never allowed these conditions to quench his ambition. He is currently enrolled in his second year as a Mathematics Major at the local university. He gets good grades, receives Team Hope’s monthly scholarship allowance to help cover tuition and fees, and is determined to graduate.

A Relationship Restored

During our weekly scholar meetings- in which we share a Bible story and discuss application questions- Kahdil vented feelings of hurt and resentment towards his father for abandoning their family. We encouraged him to focus on being a responsible older brother to his siblings, and to ask God for courage to talk with his father openly about his feelings of anger and resentment.

In a recent meeting we asked, “What are you rejoicing in this week?” Kahdil broke into tears and shared that he is now on speaking terms with his father. When he had finally been honest with his father about his feelings, they cried together and Kahdil was able to extend forgiveness. Kahdil’s father is now doing his very best to support his son's education.

A New Hope

Through Team Hope’s scholarship program, we have an exciting opportunity to impact students- not just on an educational level, but also on a deeply personal, emotional, and spiritual level. The monthly financial stipend, provided by outside donors, helps poor, tribal minority Muslim students remain in classes in order to graduate university. More importantly, monthly scholar workshops and weekly meetings with scholars in the community, build relationships of trust in which Bible stories are shared and Jesus is introduced to students without hope.

*a common local form of public transportation; a motorcycle with a small passenger car attached

Pray for the SEND Hope & Light Campaign to mobilize more Christian workers into the Muslim World.
Give toward the expansion of Team Hope's Work in Southeast Asia.
Explore opportunities to go and partner with SEND Muslim ministry teams.

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March 7, 2025 Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution only to break it in less than a week? On March 1, 1.8 billion Muslims began their annual fasting month called Ramadan. They are supposed to fast completely—no water or food—during daylight hours from March 1–Mar 29. It begins with much fanfare, promises, and declarations, as fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims believe that faithfully keeping the fast ensures one’s place of favor with God. But many Muslims won’t be able to keep the fast through the whole 30 days. The reasons and excuses are myriad. Sometimes they will continue to claim to be fasting, but in reality, they are eating behind closed doors. To gain God’s favor, they must fast through the whole month, not just part of it. So, they live with the guilt and shame of not fulfilling the requirements of Islam. What was supposed to help gain their salvation now stands in condemnation. A Feast Within the Fast To complicate matters even more, Persian New Year’s Day is March 20, right in the middle of the fasting month. Persian New Year is one of the most important cultural holidays for most Iranian and Afghans, as well as many others with a Persian background scattered throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. In fact, many people with Persian heritage don’t just celebrate on one day. Their New Year’s celebrations extend over two weeks! How do they reconcile these two weeks of festivities within Ramadan? For Arab Muslims, it is a non-issue. But for the Persian world, it IS a struggle. The hard-core Taliban will try to push people to keep the fast. However, many will lean more towards keeping their more ancient pre-Islamic traditions of New Year’s. I would encourage you to take time to explore with your Muslim neighbors and colleagues why they fast. Then share why Christians fast. Perhaps read Isaiah 58 with them, summarize it, and ask for their thoughts on this passage. One more thing to note during Ramadan is the Night of Power. Each year, during Ramadan, on or about the 27th day of the month, there is a special time called the Night of Power. This year it will happen on or around March 26. Muslims believe the Night of Power is when Mohammad first received the revelations of the Quran from the Angel Gabriel. Prayers offered up by Muslims during Ramadan—especially prayers in a mosque—are believed to be weightier than prayers at any other time. However, prayers on this special Night of Power, prayed in a mosque, are considered infinitely more valuable than any other prayer. Many Muslims will stay up all night praying on the Night of Power to earn extra points with God. There is a small problem in all of this, though—Muslims can’t agree on which night is actually the Night of Power. It is sometime during the last ten days of Ramadan, with tradition stating that it is on the 26th or 27th night. There are several resources to help Christians and churches pray for the Muslim world through this month of Ramadan. I would encourage you to connect with some or all of them. Please make others in your church aware of these resources. Perhaps you could even host a special prayer time at your church, utilizing these resources. Ramadan 30-Day Prayer Guide Booklet – This can be purchased as a hard copy or PDF. Prayercast – A wonderful website with many videos on the Muslim world. If you sign up, you can receive daily prayer videos that also work great during a Sunday worship service to help raise awareness of the need for prayer for the Muslim world.
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