I’ve always been pretty good at goodbyes. As someone who has moved several times, I have grown used to the heartfelt farewell hugs and the feeling of driving away from places that felt like home. Sure, it was sad, but I always had the hope of visiting on a school break, of FaceTime catch-up sessions, and of new friends to come. As the final week of my MTW summer internship in the Middle East approached, I expected that parting with my new friends would be no different from the goodbyes at the end of summer camp.

Much to my surprise, when it came time to hug my Arab friend, Jane*, for the last time, I felt my heart drop in my stomach. The moment I turned to walk away, tears began to stream down my cheeks. This goodbye was different. Before we parted, she had given me a hopeful smile, saying, “I have a feeling that we will see each other again someday.” These words lingered in my mind and weighed on my heart the whole way home.

For one thing, I knew that there was a possibility that I would never see her again; after all, we do live on opposite sides of the world. As much as I wanted to reunite with Jane on this earth, I wanted infinitely more to know that I would see her again in eternity. This heartsick feeling was the residue of a yearning for my friend to know Christ and to have life in Him. As painful as it is, I never want to lose this feeling; in fact, I want more followers of Christ to know this grief because it has changed my heart, and I am convinced that the Lord uses it for His kingdom purposes.

In all honesty, I doubted whether I would be able to build meaningful relationships or share the gospel in a place that sounded so closed off to God’s Word.

I applied to MTW’s Middle East internship with an inkling that I wanted to serve in a Muslim area, but in all honesty, I doubted whether I would be able to build meaningful relationships or share the gospel in a place that sounded so closed off to God’s Word. I hoped that at least I would learn from the local missionaries and enjoy the cultural experience, but I had no idea what to expect beyond that. Anyone who heard about my summer plans typically responded with “Wow, you’re so brave. I could never do that,” or asked me “Aren’t you scared to go to that part of the world?” By God’s grace, my experience of the Middle East was nothing like I (or anyone else) could have imagined. It would fill a whole book to describe all that I learned over the summer, so I’ll narrow my reflections to three simple lessons from the Lord.

Lesson one: I am finite, and God doesn’t need me.

As dismal as it sounds, learning the basic truth that I am finite, and God doesn’t need me was one of the greatest blessings of my summer. Though the internship also consisted of training, discipleship, and daily language classes, our main assignment was to build relationships with locals in the city. Initially, I could not fathom that anyone would want to talk to me, a foreign stranger visiting on a six-week stint, however, I was soon blown away by the hospitality and kindness of the people.

From my first week in the country, many locals were willing and eager to get to know me, and in a bustling city like this one, the possibilities for meeting people were endless. I went on regular 4:30 a.m. runs with a local run club, got coffee with a club that gathered to practice English, chatted with ladies on public transportation, and even went on a 12-mile night hike. Within the first week, I already began to form individual friendships with women I had met.

I felt increasingly guilty about missing any potential opportunity to meet locals, which meant waking up early in the morning and staying out late at night. While undeniably effective for building relationships, this lifestyle was not at all sustainable.

I was so excited about how the Lord was working, but I started to believe that the Lord needed me to do the work for Him. I felt increasingly guilty about missing any potential opportunity to meet locals, which meant waking up early in the morning and staying out late at night. While undeniably effective for building relationships, this lifestyle was not at all sustainable. By week two I was physically, emotionally, and spiritually burned out. God used my utter weakness to impress upon me the fact that He is God, and I am not. My failed attempt at superseding my creaturely limitations revealed my prideful lack of trust in God’s saving power. Praise Him that through prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit, I found comfort in the fact that God is capable of saving people with or without me. It is a privilege to participate in the Lord’s work, knowing that glory and power belong to Him, not to us.

Lesson two: God’s plan is better, and His ways are higher.

The story of a local friend, Rebecca,* is a prime example of God’s power to work regardless of my plans and efforts. We met at the running club just a few days after my arrival in the city. The following morning, we went on a walk, and in conversation she shared her struggles, hopes, and joys with me. At the end of the week, we met up for ice cream. To my shock, the conversation quickly turned to spiritual things, and the more I asked her about Islam, the more she asked me about my own faith. I shared the gospel with her, and by the end of our meeting, she had downloaded the Bible app on her phone. I was so excited about this incredible opportunity that the Lord had provided, so I made plans to meet again with the hopes of studying God’s Word together.

To my shock, the conversation quickly turned to spiritual things, and the more I asked her about Islam, the more she asked me about my own faith.

The following week, Rebecca forgot to get back to me about our meeting, so we decided to reschedule. The next weekend, however, my internship team went on a trip to another city. “Surely next week, we’ll finally be able to meet,” I thought, but week after week, something always came up, from my bad case of food poisoning to her last-minute flight to see her family, and before I knew it, nearly five weeks had gone by. I found myself asking God, “Why aren’t you allowing Rebecca and I to meet? You know how open she is to the gospel.  What is your plan for her life?”

God answered this prayer loud and clear. On the morning of my flight out of the country, Rebecca and I were finally able to meet again. This time, I brought my local missionary friend along. By God’s grace, Rebecca and my friend quickly connected, and they made plans to keep meeting together after I left. The Lord knew that Rebecca didn’t need me or my plan for her life. Instead, He provided exactly the right person to share with her in exactly the right time, someone who could continue to share with her long after I was gone. Praise God that His ways are higher than mine!

Lesson three: God’s Word is powerful.

Sharing the hope of Christ in a totally foreign culture seems intimidating, but I found that pointing to the Word of God was far more effective than relying on my own words. Frequently, this meant applying biblical stories to the lives and struggles of my Arab friends.

For example, when a girl was complaining about religious hypocrites in her life, I took the opportunity to share Jesus’ parable about the pharisee and the tax collector, emphasizing Jesus’ teaching that God values a humble and contrite heart rather than religious show. The Bible is amazing because it has significance for all of life, whether in the Middle East or in my small town in the States.

While I could have attempted to explain every detail of the passage, I saw the value in allowing her to encounter God’s Word for herself.

On rare occasions, the Lord even provided opportunities to read Scripture with local friends. The most significant of these opportunities took place at a meeting with my friend, Jane, whom I mentioned at the beginning of this article. It was her first time reading the Bible, and there was so much she did not yet understand about its meaning and significance. While I could have attempted to explain every detail of the passage, I saw the value in allowing her to encounter God’s Word for herself. Jane didn’t put her hope in Christ that night, but she continues to learn about the God of the Bible as she seeks answers to life’s biggest questions. Many Arab men and women like Jane regularly read Scripture with their Christian friends, drawn to the power and presence of God in His words. In some cases, God allows this power and presence to penetrate to their hearts. I pray that this would be true of Jane, as well.

I traveled thousands of miles to spend my summer in the desert. In the face of scorching heat, dry and lifeless land, and spiritual darkness, my hope was in the God who “turns a desert into pools of water, and a parched land into springs of water” (Psalm 107:35). God could simply snap His fingers and make this reality in an instant; but instead, He chooses to use ordinary people like you and me to bring his kingdom to earth. He is powerful to save, wise in His plans, and He works powerfully to change hearts through His Word. I look forward to the day when every knee will bow to the name of Jesus. Until then, I’m praying that God would break my heart for the lost, day after day, as He did on my final day with Jane. Insha’Allah (if God wills it), I might just see her again one day.

*Names have been changed for security reasons.

Interested in serving on an MTW internship? Apply now at mtw.org/internships.