Shania grew up in Somalia, was married and had two children. One evening, a family member emailed her a video clip. Words would not come as she fought to describe what was in the video. Her tears flowed freely. Shania witnessed the beheading of a man while people she knew celebrated, singing praises to Allah. She became furious.
She cried out to Allah and said that if this pleased him she was done with him and Islam. If there was a God, she could not accept that this brought him pleasure. She demanded to know if God existed and said she would close her heart to him if he did not reveal himself to her by morning.
As Shania slept, she had a vision of a man in white who came to her. He was a man of peace filled with love. She ran to tell her parents about this. They were about to harm her when the man in white lovingly lifted Shania up with love and tenderness. He assured her that he would give his protection, and he loved her so much that He died for her. She could find eternal peace with Him and did not need to be afraid. He was her salvation from sin. When she woke, questions raced through her mind.
She asked herself, “I have sinned?” And she found herself reply, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” She asked, “What happens if I sin?” Again, she immediately answered her question. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” She had no idea where these words came from so she Googled them and found they were verses from the Bible, a book she had never read. Shania went on to read about the salvation found in Jesus Christ and accepted Him as her Savior.
After she told her parents, they approached her husband and told him it was his duty to kill her. He asked for time to bring her back to Islam. Tough years for Shania followed, but eventually her children and husband also received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. She can no longer set foot on Somalia’s soil, but she and her husband have a vibrant ministry and boldly share the hope found in Jesus Christ.
Their testimony is part of our Love Muslims project.