Ishmael – Building Relationships Strong Enough to Hold the Gospel

Submitted by Kelly J. Huenink

Ishmael was 86 years old when I met him. He was a practicing Muslim and the person in his village who prepared and slaughtered animals for Islamic rituals. He came to a free vision clinic I was conducting. Typically, I would never begin a relationship by talking about Jesus to a Muslim. I passionately believe that you must build relationships strong enough to hold the gospel. But Ishmael advanced age, and the fact that Uganda's life expectancy is less than 60 years, I felt I had an obligation to say something. So, I asked him, "Who is Jesus to you?" He replied...