Grace,* married at age 14 and a mother of two soon after, suffered physical abuse, endured the humiliation of an unfaithful husband, and finally fled to save her life. Divorce forced her to the fringes of her Islamic society, cleaning houses, begging on the streets, and doing anything to earn a living. *Pseudonyms used for security.

 

Finally, she met and married Barad,* who loved her and agreed to be a father to her children. But Grace’s soul was still empty. That is until the day she first heard the name Jesus. Barad had become involved with some extended family members translating unfoldingWord® Open Bible Stories. Worried that she might accidentally betray their work, Barad wouldn’t allow her into the room when he met with other translators. But Grace was not going to be so quickly stifled. She sat by the closed door, crying because she was excluded but listening with every inch of her being.

 

That’s when she heard the name. “The first time I heard the name of Jesus, my soul became calm. I heard the name of Jesus, and I was filled with joy!” Soon, it was impossible to keep Grace out of the translation project. Whenever she heard the team struggling with the right word for the translation, she would shout it through the door! Finally, the team leader said, “Just let her in. She needs to be part of this.”

 

“It wasn’t a particular verse or story,” says Grace. “It was the message I kept hearing, that Jesus Christ is love, that he is purity, that he loves the sinner, and he takes away sins. This was new to me, and I wanted it! I always wanted to get clean from the inside out, but I didn’t know how. That’s what touched me.”

 

Grace prayed the prayer of salvation with the pastor who leads the translation team. She’s been following Jesus and helping with the Bible translation since 2023. Twice a day, she shares the story of Jesus and his transforming love with whoever God leads her to. She’s told her story to more than 600 people in twelve months. Eighty of them have joined Grace in following Christ.