Turkish Families Are Hungry for God’s Word

In the three years that Sara* had worked at the Manhattan coffee shop not a single Christian had come through its doors. She didn’t know any Christians, as her family and friends are Muslims who grew up in Turkey or still live there.

Sara prayed for someone who could answer her questions about Christianity. She was curious and wanted to know more about the God of the Bible, but didn’t know where to turn for help.

On several occasions her son, Derek*, thought he had finally found someone to help them understand God’s Word, but they turned out to be from religious groups that didn’t teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sara’s prayers were answered when she connected with a Global Gates missionary who speaks Turkish. He began meeting weekly at the coffee shop with Sara as well as Derek, who was also eager to learn everything he could.

After about a month, the missionary arrived at the shop and was greeted with a wonderful surprise—Derek was ready to give his life to the Lord.

“I walked in and Derek said, ‘I just want you to know that I don’t understand it all, but it is clear that the Bible teaches that Jesus is God. I believe that everything in this book is true and I accept it. I believe in Jesus.’”

That same night, the missionary helped Derek write his testimony of faith and a list of people he wants to tell about Jesus. Derek’s list includes many family members, some in the U.S. and others in Turkey, who need to hear about salvation through repentance and faith in God’s Son.

Please pray for Derek to be a bold and faithful witness. Pray that Sara, who is still considering the teachings of Christ, would soon place her trust in Him.

The Global Gates missionary who witnessed to Derek and Sara lives in an enclave of about 45,000 Turkish speakers. Around the same time that God connected him with Derek he also met Bradley*, who lives only five minutes away and was desperately searching for truth.

Bradley grew up in a Turkish religious sect and learned that he should fear God’s punishments. He was also taught that prayer is a way to earn points, or favor, with the Lord.

Bradley was thrilled to receive a Bible—his first ever in his heart language—from our missionary. He began reading the book of John and quickly discovered that what he had been taught all his life was wrong. He started sharing with his Muslim friends that the Bible points to God’s love, mercy, and grace for everyone who believes in Him.

Although Bradley keeps busy with his work and also goes to school, he made time with our missionary a priority, even coming to their meetings with a long list of questions about what he was reading in the Bible.

Before long, he shared with the missionary that he believed Jesus is God’s Son and wanted to follow Him. For the first time in his life, Bradley is living with joy and peace. He said that Jesus removed the emotional pain he has carried for many years and has replaced his fear with love: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).

Bradley is the first believer from his Turkish sect that we know of. Pray for God to use him to reach many people in this group with the Gospel. Pray that he would continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a reminder that the harvest is not far off—it is already here. As we pursue our Impact 2027 goal of seeing 4,000 professions of faith, stories like Derek’s and Bradley’s reveal what God is already doing through faithful presence and gospel witness. The harvest is ready, and together, we have the privilege of being part of it.

*Names changed for security.