(Jan. 15, 2016 - by Harold Goerzen)  Born in Central Asia, *Hamid was full of troubling questions: Why am I here? Does God exist? If so, where is He? Why doesn’t He speak?

Following his family’s advice, at the age of 12 Hamid began reading the Quran and the Hadith (a collection of Muhammad’s sayings), searching for life’s meaning.

But he only became more confused when he came across the prophet Isa (Jesus) while studying the Muslim holy book. “I was very intrigued,” confided Hamid, according to a report from Reach Beyond’s media partner in the region.

Hamid had heard about Jesus from a Christian friend, telling him that Jesus was the Messiah, offering forgiveness of sins. Curious, Hamid persuaded the friend to give him a Bible so he could learn more about Jesus. His friend agreed reluctantly on the condition that Hamid wouldn’t tell anyone.

“[Despite being cautious] one day my father found out that I was reading the Bible, and he became furious,” Hamid said as reported by the media partner. “Knowing I only had one Christian friend, he took me to my friend’s house and threatened him.”

Afraid to get his friend in further trouble, Hamid stopped reading the Bible and decided to follow the counsel of his father and uncle. He began reciting the namaz (Muslim prayer) five times daily as he knelt facedown, preferably in a mosque, facing toward Mecca.

While Hamid followed the Islamic practices religiously, he couldn’t get Jesus out of his mind. “Every time I was alone in the mosque, I cried out to God to show Himself to me,” Hamid said.

God answered the boy’s cries. One day while praying, in his mind’s eye Hamid envisioned a “very beautiful person…. Then a voice in my heart told me that it was Jesus.”

“Oh, Lord, can it be true?” he asked. “The Quran says that Allah is the one true God. But Christians say Jesus is God’s Son” Sensing that he was on the “right path,” Hamid began to put his faith in Jesus “even though this is a great sin, according to the Quran.”

Hamid’s testimony is just one of many that are received on a Central Asian website established by local media partners with Reach Beyond’s help, presenting a clear gospel message and urging listeners in this remote region to put their faith in Jesus.

The site brings encouragement to Central Asians who have limited access to Christian broadcasts, enabling them to build a virtual community of isolated believers.

*Pseudonym used due to security concerns.

Source: Reach Beyond