“For over 20 years I have felt called to reach my people for Jesus, but I didn’t know how, because it was only me,” said Musa, who is one of only dozens of Wassoulou people living New York City’s Harlem neighborhood.

The Wassoulou people group’s homeland spans Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, and Guinea in West Africa. Decades ago, Jesus appeared to Musa in dramatic dreams, healed him from a terminal disease, and promised him eternal life if Musa followed Him.

Musa followed Jesus from then on, but the people in his Muslim village felt ashamed and violently forced him to leave the village. He never lived in his home again.

Over time, however, tempers cooled, and American and Malian Christians visited Musa’s village to teach it about Jesus. Dozens of Muslim men and women decided to follow Christ in the village, including Musa’s brother, which opened the door for him to return and share the love of Christ with his people.

“It’s amazing!” Musa said. “All of the suffering I have experienced all these years is worth it. If I had to go through these struggles so my people would have opportunities to know Jesus, it’s worth it!”

When he moved to New York, Musa found himself in a city with few Wassoulou people, no Wassoulou churches, and no real efforts from the community to reach them.

He continues to share the message of Jesus with people he meets, but he often grows frustrated with the fruits of his labors.

Pray that more of the Wassoulou people will find Christ.

• Pray that God would multiply disciples and churches among the Wassoulou, fulfilling God’s Revelation’s prophecy of “a great multitude…from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne” (Revelation 7:9).
• Pray for the gospel to spread through the connection and influence Muslim-background immigrants have in their homeland.
• As Christians from Muslim-backgrounds migrate to North America to escape persecution, pray that what man intended for evil, God would use for good (Gen 50:20).