I am Ruth and I come from the land where My Master Jesus Christ walked. I come from an educated family that values Islam and perform its obligatory duties, such as praying and fasting. I grown up hating Christians whom I believed worship three gods. But Jesus appeared to me in a dreams that changed the whole of my life.
I want to tell you that our God is the God of miracles. I know for sure that this is true, for this is my own testimony with Him. Today, I was baptized, following the example of my Lord, my God and my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I changed my name to Ruth. All I want to do is to walk as my Lord did, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). He called us to hear His voice and be within His flock. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
Before my baptism, I was praying for many things, and my baptism was one of them. I prayed for it dearly, but I realized, as the Bible says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1).
I was in communication with some Christian denominations during this period. I always wanted to grow with and in the person of the Lord Jesus, and in the end I knew how much my God loved me and wanted me to be part of the remnant by following the Bible as my constitution for life, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119: 105), and keeping His commands and the faith of Jesus. “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). And not by following the commandments of men, “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15: 9). The Lord Jesus wanted to take me out of the darkness of Islam to His marvelous light, “that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2: 9). I passed through many stages until I was brought to this church that preserves the Bible as a constitution in everything related to our lives and the worship of God.
I thank the Lord for guiding me to be baptized in the right place. I thank Him for giving me patience and wisdom and for guiding me to the importance of choosing the church that preserves the full commandments and the faith of Jesus. Through my study of the Bible, I realized the extent of darkness in other churches and their distance from the Bible. I saw in them many things that grieve the Holy Spirit (worship of idols, not keeping the Sabbath, interceding to the saints, praying in the name of Mary, the repeated prayers, the fear of evangelism, hypocrisy in faith, and many others).
There are many nominal Christians. Their faith is far from biblical truth because they have taken strange gods, which they manufacture with their hands. My baptism into my church is the best gift given to me by the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus taught me to be faithful to Him, to be faithful in the Spirit in prayer, to read the Word and to serve, “not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Romans 12:11-12).
I will now continue my life with this community of believers, my church in which I was baptized, by prayer, perseverance and service with thanksgiving to the grace of the Lord Jesus. I have experienced how my fellow believers spend time praying for others, glorifying and thanking God in their conversation and keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Warmed by faith, they take the Bible as a constitution, and Jesus Christ is their supreme example and the head of the Church. They obey the Lord as it is written in the Bible. So they respect everyone without exception, they have no prejudice towards anyone, and they do not disbelieve and attack other denominations as others do. I found how violent the attack is on my church today after my dealings and studies with other communities. I do not say that with ignorance, and I do not say that to praise any side or any party, I say this only with a sincere and faithful heart as the Lord Jesus taught me.
I always seek knowledge and wisdom of the Lord for anything difficult I face. I want to be a faithful servant of the Lord. Since the Lord Jesus met me in a dream three years ago, and I started to believe in Christ, I was not baptized quickly, and I now realize that the Lord gave me patience because I wanted to be baptized in the true Church of which Christ is the Lord.
We are all guests of this world, as soon as we die, there is no room for praise and service, because we are in a state of sleep waiting for the coming of Christ to take the righteous with Him to fulfill His blessed promise, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).
I have waited long for the Lord to lead me to the right baptism. A group of believers kept praying for me until the Lord arranged the right time, place and person. But waiting was hard. I always cried every evening as I prayed, “Lord, help me and give me patience, wisdom and perseverance because I am truly tired and waiting for the time of my baptism to come.”
When the promised day finally came, I could not sleep the previous night because of my intense excitement and joy. Also, I was afraid that my family would learn of my plan and prevent me from achieving my wish. I got up very early and prepared myself as if I were going to my university. I could not tell my family what I was going to do. As I sat with them at the dining table, I felt a huge amount of happiness and love but also sadness. Forgive me, I thought. I will go without telling you, because you would prevent me. I will go as Fatima and return as Ruth. Nothing bad will happen because the Lord Jesus promised me that He would protect me. I really love you, but I love my Lord more. I took my bag on my back and left as if I was going to the university as usual. At the university I called a taxi to take me to meet the pastor who would baptize me. As I waited, I invited a friend to come with me. She was delayed, and I was afraid she would not come. But praise be to God, she appeared after an hour that felt to me like a century.
We started our journey to meet the pastor and his family in a place far from the baptism site so no one would know where I was heading. We finally arrived and met with the pastor and his family. Then we went to the baptism site where brothers and sisters from the church were waiting. How wonderful it was to have my new family sharing my joy on the day of my baptism! We prayed and cried together. We read the word of God and praised His name. Then I told them my story and my journey, mixed with my tears and their tears.
The moment came, and I entered the river. As the pastor prayed, I was saying, “Glory be to you, Lord. I love you, Jesus! My heart was before my lips, and I felt like shouting those words. Then I was baptized. As the servant of the Lord lowered me under the water, I truly felt that I become a new creature, and the old had gone. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). After a long journey as Fatima, I became Ruth. My eyes were filled with tears, and I glorified the Lord because He heard my voice and responded to me. The place was sacred. It was filled with an atmosphere of faith, desire and deep glorification of the Lord. It was indeed a wedding with the participation of my brothers in the Lord, His angels and the Holy Spirit.
The baptism took about two and a half hours, and then I had to leave and go home. I arrived at my house at 1 p.m. I saw my grandfather and my family at the dining table. I put the food in front of them. I sat with them and told them that the day was very beautiful. Then I went to my room and cried. Because of my love for them, I really wanted them to be baptized and to know the Lord Jesus. But I said to myself, There is no problem. Our God is merciful. In Christ, I will be strong and steadfast. I will stay with my family and pray for them. I will be an ambassador for Jesus. “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
I need your prayers, for my situation is not easy. I must hide my faith from my family and live under the protection of the Lord Jesus. “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Please pray for my family and other Muslims that they will know the Lord Jesus and become part of the remnant church. Not everyone will enter through the narrow door, only the person who gives his life to the Lord, endures the darkness facing the believer, follows the footsteps of the Lord, and keeps His commandments and His faith.
