A New Song for the Nations in Nashville

Dear Friend,

As we enter the final quarter of 2022, it’s easy to sit back and reflect over what’s happened this year, but I’m excited about the fresh tune of gospel hope reaching the ears of the nations in the Music City. Psalm 96:1-3 says, “1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” This month, I’m delighted to have one of your Global Gates missionaries share about how the good news of Jesus Christ is spreading to the world’s least-reached peoples in Nashville:

*Ali was lost, broken, and relied on alcohol to numb the pain of his past. He arrived in the United States, hoping that the American Dream was true. But it turned out to be a lie, and he was left empty and disappointed. His path to Nashville was a winding journey of grief and anguish. At 13 years old, Ali was separated from his parents while fleeing Somalia, and was forced to grow up without them in a country where no one spoke his language.

Jesus had a plan of redemption for Ali that began in Nashville not long after his family resettled there. Ali and his wife met a Christian woman, who entered their world and shared the gospel with them. After many months of friendship and hearing stories from the Bible, Ali and his wife chose to trust in Jesus Christ and be baptized.

Their home became a place for Global Gates missionaries and neighbors from Egypt, Gambia, Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethiopia to meet and explore how to follow Jesus together. While studying Acts 2 and learning about how to gather as a church, Ali said, “I want to start a church like this for my people back home in Somalia.” 

Nashville, like other global gateway cities, is home to unreached people groups. Each person comes from a different background, but many can relate to Ali’s story of trauma and emptiness. Redemption began with an ordinary Christian who obeyed Christ’s command to go and make disciples. Is God calling you to enter someone’s story with the hope and message of Jesus?

Thank you, dear friend, for helping us share the new song of Christ’s love with the nations in Nashville, global gateway cities throughout North America, and to the ends of the earth.

Grateful for you,

David Garrison

Executive Director, Global Gates

*Name changed for security reasons.