A. was a Mohammedan but had married a woman who was a professing Christian, which is an usual thing for a Mohammedan to do. One day, in the course of his work as a “houseboy,” he had instructions to take a box containing old books, newspapers, etc., and place it where the garbage men could empty it into their van.
But among the old books he noticed a torn Bible, and having been trained as a Mohammedan never to throw a “holy” book into a place where it might be trampled on, he removed the Bible from the box. Such a “holy” book, or even loose pages of such a book, he would respectfully bury himself or take home and put into a drawer.
He accordingly took the Bible home and began to read it and, as he read it, his interest was aroused in its contents. It seemed different from the KORAN, the “holy book” of the Mohammedans. He took special interest in the parable of the prodigal son and other parables, and later on he came into contact with some earnest Christians.
God used his reading of the Bible to his conversion, and he gave up the Mohammedan religion, which refuses to recognize Christ as the Son of God. He learned more of Christianity from Christians with whom he came in contact, and from books and tracts which were given to him. But, in the first instance, it was the Bible which was intended for the dust heap that God used to do His own work in this young man.
A. became most anxious to lead others to Christ and sought to serve the Lord with others in his spare time. He had much still to learn, as we all have, but when I last met him he was still stepping heavenward.
ML 12/24/1961