| Allow me to introduce Faisal. He has a very unique testimony about how Jesus changed his life completely. This man’s story is another deserving to be added to the list of the Somali Faith Hall of Fame. His story is about how the Gospel penetrated an insane mind, overcoming the enemy and impacting globally a multitude of Muslims for Christ. |
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Faisal lived on the streets of Djibouti City. He had lost his mind because of his addiction to khat, “a shrub (Catha edulis) of the staff-tree family that is cultivated in the Middle East and Africa for its leaves and buds which are the source of a habituating stimulant when chewed or used as a tea.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). “Chewing khat is part of some social traditions in parts of the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and in Eastern Africa, such as Somalia.” (Alcohol and Drug Foundation). Somalis are reportedly the leading users of this drug on the Africa continent. Many chew this drug until their mind no longer functions properly. Little by little, Faisal began to slip from reality. He became a creature of the streets. No one would talk with him. He was completely lost until one day someone bent down and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Who would have thought he would have understood the message? Who would have expected his response? Faisal not only gave his heart to Jesus and was restored to a relationship with him, but God restored his mind right there and then.
Faisal began to tell everyone there in Djibouti City that Jesus had touched him and saved him from his pitiful lostness. He became a great witness for Jesus in this Islamic nation. This was a very dangerous thing to do, especially for a Somali. This proved to be true when one day he was walking on the street and he noticed a policeman approaching. The policeman cried out to Faisal, “Christian”? When Faisal responded, yes, the policeman raised his weapon and fired a bullet into Faisal’s forehead. He dropped to the ground with blood gushing from his head. At first, he lay there motionless, but then he slowly got to his feet and stared into the policeman’s eyes. The policeman was shocked, and he cried out, “turn around and move away”. Faisal fully expected to get another bullet in the back as he slowly moved away from the policeman, but the bullet never came. No one knows if his pistol jammed and the policeman could not fire again, or if the policeman could not shoot in his dumbfounded state, or was it Jesus refusing to let the gun fire.
It is also not known how Faisal survived such a shooting. Did the bullet ricochet off the top of Faisal’s head? For certain, Faisal knew that God had saved his life. The word spread, and others began to plot Faisal’s death. Faisal knew that the only way he could live to tell others about Jesus was to leave his country and retreat from his enemies.
I first met Faisal in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where at the time, I was leading the work of my denomination in the Horn of Africa. He was enrolled in a Bible College there and after graduating with a Bachelor of Theology Degree, we hired him to act as our Radio Ministry Coordinator in our field office. Faisal oversaw radio broadcasts with the Gospel message being proclaimed back into Djibouti and Somalia, and throughout North Africa and the Middle East. By faith Faisal overcame the enemy’s attack and impacted Muslims for Christ throughout Africa and the Middle East. |
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THE GOSPEL COMING BY CAMEL (continued from last month) |
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 | Camels Have Signicant Importance to Somalis (Mother in a Protective Stance for Her Young) |
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| In last month’s issue we told the story of Ibrahim, who grew up in a devout Muslim family in western Somalia. He spent extended time in desert areas, where he tended to his 53 camels. Life took a transformative turn for Ibrahim when he encountered a Literacy Team with their Camel Library, sponsored by the Somali Bible Society (SBS), which aims to promote literacy and to provide access to educational resources in remote areas. |
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Ibrahim began a 4-month study under SBS’s tutelage, learning to read and write Somali, his native tongue. During this time he also received the Gospel of Matthew. After a period of reflection and study of the Scriptures, Ibrahim made the life-changing decision to become a follower of Christ. His full story can be found in the February 2025 Newsletter. |
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 | SBS Taking a Mobile Library to Nomadic People Teaching the Illiterate to Read and Write |
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| The literacy rate in Somalia is only 38%. And as you would expect it is much lower for nomadic people.
There are nearly 5 million Somalis (representing 26% of the population of Somalia) who are pastoral nomads, constantly on the move with their livestock in search of water and pasture, most of whom can not read or write or have access to a Bible. |
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SBS currently has one Literacy Team actively taking a mobile library on the back of a camel to nomadic people to provide literacy training to these five million illiterate people. |
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More Literacy Teams are needed.
The cost of sponsoring a trained literacy team accompanied by a camel library is $1,500 USD. |
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IMPORTANT: On the donation page enter in the Project #/Comments field: Project #102727/Camel Team
If you can afford the full amount to sponsor a team, great! But donations of any size will make a difference for God’s Kingdom! |
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BREAKING NEWS: These local Somalis who are teaching illiterate nomads how to read and write have been so impacted with how God is using a camel ministry to change the lives of illiterate people and then to bring them to Christ that they have sacrifically raised $6,000 USD themselves to equip and release a Camel Ministry Evangelism Team (see below). Local Somalis are joining Western donors to support the ministries of the Somali Bible Society to bring Somali Muslims to Christ! As donors from the West give toward this ministry, they can know that the local people in Somalia are teaming up with them by raising funds themselves to promote this ministry. |
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See below for what these local Somalis are doing with their hard-earned donation of $6,000.
Note: This is an evangelism team and not a literacy training team.
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|  | Somali Evangelists Reaching Camel Herders |
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Three local Somalis are trained as evangelists and make up one team with a mission to camel herders. Each of these three evangelists serves in rotation for about three months at a time as a camel herder. They care for six camels (5 she camels and 1 he camel) that are purchased and owned by the SBS. As they reproduce, the offspring is also owned by the SBS. Each SBS team with their six camels joins in with a larger herd owned by other camel herders from their own tribe and clan. The congregate herd is usually around 100 camels. Our evangelists provide for themselves by selling the milk when they come into nearby towns. As these camel-herding evangelists build relationships with other camel herders, they share the Gospel in contextually-relevant ways.
Relationships are fostered and Jesus Christ is shared. These nomadic and almost impossible-to-reach, camel herders are coming to Christ. |
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More Camel Evangelism Teams are needed.
$6000 will outfit one team. (That’s six camels at $1,000 each). |
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IMPORTANT: On the donation page enter in Project #/Comments field: Project #102731/Church on a Camel Back
If you can afford the full amount to sponsor a team, great! But donations of any size will make a difference for God’s Kingdom! |
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To My Somali Muslim Friends
The Gospel came to Faisal when he was destitute on the streets of a major city, but came to Ibrahim out in the desert on the back of a camel. No matter what your location or status in life, you can encounter Jesus Christ in the Word of God. You can find the Truth yourself, if you read the Somali Bible with an open mind. Remember, the Qur’an proclaims that the Gospel and the Torah are the uncorrupted Word of God. Many Muslims believe that the Gospel that was given to Jesus has been corrupted and cannot be trusted. This belief, however, contradicts what the Qur’an teaches. Read what the Qur’an says in Surahs 3:3-4; 5:46; 18:27.
Surah 5:46 - We made Jesus, son of Mary, follow in the footsteps (of the earlier Prophets) and confirm what existed in the Torah in his time. We gave him the Gospel containing guidance and light, as a confirmation of the Torah and instruction and advice for the pious ones. And again in, Surah 3:3-4 - He has sent the Book (Quran) to you (Muhammad) in all Truth. It confirms the original Bible. He revealed the Torah and the Gospel before as a guide for the people and now He has revealed the criteria of discerning right from wrong. Those who reject the revelations of God will face the most severe torment. God is Majestic and capable to revenge.
The Qur’an proclaims that the Gospel (Injil) is the Word of God.
Surah 18:27 - Read whatever is revealed to you from the Book of your Lord. No one can change His words and you can never find any refuge other than Him.
The Qur’an verifies that the Word of God cannot be corrupted. |
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| | | Click Link to Somali Bible |
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|  | Scan Somali Bible QR Code |
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THE SBS IS SEEKING PARTNERS |
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A donation of any size will assist the SBS and their local church partners in reaching Somali Muslims for Christ.
<< Test First Name >>, to be a part of this movement, either scan QR Code or click DONATE button. Be sure to insert project number of your choice in the Project # / Comments field on the Donation Page.
Thank you for contributing to the work of the Somali Bible Society!
If you are unable to give financially, you can still be a part of this movement by becoming a prayer warrior for the Somali Bible Society? |
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IS GOD CALLING YOU TO SERVE? |
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| Is God Calling You? The Somali Bible Society is currently recruiting missionaries to serve in various countries around the globe. We need missionaries in the major cities of the USA and in most world regions outside of the USA. If you, or someone you know, would like to discuss the possibility of involvement in a mission to the Somali people in some region of the world, or even somewhere in the USA, email me:
howie@somalibiblesociety.org |
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PRAYER REQUESTS
#1) Pray for the spiritual awakening of the people of Somalia so that their hearts may be open to the Gospel message.
#2) Pray for protection and boldness for Christian missionaries, evangelists, and Church workers in Somalia as they share the message of Christ.
#3) Pray for the planting and development of underground churches that can grow and disciple new believers in safety.
4) Pray that the Somali government and leaders will seek peace and stability for their country and create an environment where the Gospel can be shared freely.
#5) Pray for the local believers in Somalia to remain strong in their faith and courageous in sharing it with others.
#6) Pray for the healing of deep-rooted cultural and religious ties that prevent people from accepting the Lord Jesus.
#7) Pray for resources, including Bibles and educational materials, to be made available to the Somali people seeking to learn about God.
#8) In January 2025 the SBS has embarked on a training program to equip evangelists, not only to make disciples, but to equip disciples in becoming effective evangelists. Pray that the finances will be available for this project so that 500 new evangelists will be equipped and deployed in the next five years.
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|  | PRAISE REPORTS
#1) More and more nomadic Somalis are coming to Christ as the Gospel is coming to them on the back of a camel. Praise Jesus for leading our Somali leaders in creative ways to confront hard-to-reach Muslims with the Gospel. #2) We continue to have more than 100 Somali Muslims come to Christ every day. Praise the Lord for the Spirit of God doing a new thing in the Islamic Somali Peninsula.
#3) Every day the SBS is putting the Word of God into the hands of Somali seekers. Although we do distribute the Bible in printed format, most seekers are receiving the Bible in digital format downloaded to smart phones, iPods, computers, and other audio options. This is extremely important in an Islamic society where people can own and use a Bible that is password protected for security reasons. Praise God that His Word is being proclaimed and that it is having its intended effect. Men and women and boys and girls are coming to Christ daily!
#4) God is causing many Somali Muslims to seek Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord for giving Muslims in the Somali Peninsula open hearts and open minds for the Gospel. |
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Somali Bible Society (SBS) Somali-registered Non-profit Making Christ-like Disciples Thru Bible Engagement |
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| Somali Bible Society Network (SBSN) US-registered 501c3 Non-profit Developing Financial & Human Resources for SBS |
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Click on links below for websites and social media platforms. |
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AVAILABLE FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS |
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Dr. Howie Shute is available to speak in Mission Conventions, Faith Promise Services, Local Church Missionary Meetings, Sunday Services, and Breakfast/Lunch Meetings to raise awareness of the exciting possibilities in the mission to Somalia. |
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If you would like to schedule Howie for a speaking engagement, email him at howie@somalibiblesociety.org or scan QR Code for Howie’s Contact Info. |
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SUBSCRIBE TO MONTHLY NEWSLETTER |
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Feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested.
To subscribe to this monthly newsletter, click the SUBSCRIBE button, or scan the QR CODE. |
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