By Cameo Kerr
I saw Ali standing on the far side of the crowd: he looked as though he was just stopping for a moment but, before long, I noticed that he was studying the drama intently. I walked over to him and asked him how he was doing and offered to answer any questions that he might have about the dramas. Right away, he started telling me how Allah was the only true god and that Jesus did not die, and how he believed that Christians are all liars trying to bring people away from the truth. He was so aggressive as he was talking to me about his faith that I was unsure how to continue talking to him. I listened carefully, allowing him to share his opinions and beliefs with me. Before long, he calmed down enough that I could tell him that I am not a member of the religion he described and labelled “Christianity.” As I said this, he immediately turned to me and I was able to continue.
I told him that I do not believe in a distant God that judges and condemns. I believe in a God of love, mercy, relationship and compassion. I believe in a God that loves people even when they turn their backs on Him. I believe in a God who I can know personally- one that I can talk to at any point during the day using my own words. I believe in a God that cares about my daily struggles and will speak to me whenever I take the time to listen.
As I told this man about the God that I know, he began to soften his stance physically and intellectually. When I finished describing God, he told me, “That’s the God I want to know. I had no idea that there was a God like that.” We continued talking in a more relaxed way, comparing and contrasting Islam to Christianity in an open way. He was still unsure about the importance of Jesus and how He fits into God and Christianity, so I told him a story about a judge whose former best friend ended up in his court room and was found guilty for several crimes. The judge handed down the stiffest sentence possible then got up, took off his robe so that he was wearing civilian clothing, and paid the bail for his friend. I explained that Jesus did the same thing for us. He came to us in “civilian clothing” to pay for our wrongdoings and make us blameless before God.
The man’s eyes lit up and he told me that he understood. He said, “I’m not ready to become a Christian today, but I think that I will soon. I understand that you have told me the truth and that Islam cannot also be the truth so, from this moment on, I am not a follower of Allah or Mohammad.” I was amazed! God is clearly working in this man’s heart. I’m waiting to see if he will email me so that we can continue this conversation, but in the meantime, I’m praying that a friend will come into Ali’s life and show him just how incredible a relationship with Jesus can be. This night on the streets reminded me that God can bring incredible change in someone’s life through just one conversation.
This is Cameo’s first year in DRIME. Please keep her and the other DRIME Vancouver members in your prayers as they continue to speak to people of many different religions on the streets.
