Who Is That?
Insights From Vacation Bible School
Loving Beyond Borders
The Stranger in the Room
“Who’s that guy with you and Miss Marla?” Buck whispered to Ryan.
“Oh, that’s Abdul,” Ryan said. “He’s staying with us this week. He’s a missionary.”
Bubba frowned. “Ain’t he one of those people from the news?”
Ryan shook his head. “He’s from Afghanistan. He helps kids there—brings them food and tells them Jesus loves them.”
Eric chimed in, “Then why’s he here instead of helping them?”
Ryan thought for a moment. “He said he came to tell us about how much they love Jesus, too.”
And when Abdul spoke to our little VBS class, we sat still for once. He told us about the children he cared for—the hungry, the hurting, the ones who had lost their families. He spoke gently, but with a fire that glowed from someplace deeper than safety.
He said he had lost his wife and sons because he chose to follow Jesus.
And then, unbelievably, he smiled.
Losing Everything to Gain What Matters
Abdul said something I’ve never forgotten:
“They tried to take my life. But I already gave it to Jesus. They cannot take what I no longer own.”
We were too young to grasp the full weight of those words, but even then, they landed like truth wrapped in peace.
It’s easy to love God when it costs little. But in places where faith is costly, believers discover what we often forget—Jesus is worth everything.
As Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Abdul hadn’t lost everything; he’d found what can’t be stolen—God’s love.
Total Dependence
Hearing him speak shifted something in me.
I realized how much I depend on comfort—and how rarely I depend on Christ.
Abdul’s peace came from a life anchored in daily dependence. He wasn’t rich, but he was full. He wasn’t safe, but he was secure.
He reminded us that faith isn’t about where you live; it’s about Who lives in you.
Whether in a church classroom or a war-torn country, the same Spirit sustains the children of God everywhere.
And when you see life through that lens, everyone becomes your neighbor—and every stranger becomes a brother or sister.
Reflection
What have you been depending on more than Christ Himself?
How does Abdul’s story challenge your idea of comfort and calling?
What would it look like to love beyond the borders of culture, fear, or convenience?
Prayer