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No Accidental Missionary
How an enemy
of the faith
became a
Christian in
Saudi Arabia
Read how Dr. Tesfai Tesema, born in Ethiopia, grew up as an agnostic, became a Christian in Saudi Arabia, started a church planting movement in Sudan and became a missionary in San Jose, California. The hand of God is seen clearly throughout this man’s life, as God worked in and through him to affect and impact the lives of untold numbers of people in different countries.
No Accidental Missionary is foremost about the hand of God’s Spirit through the Word changing the life of a man, his relatives, friends and the lives of countless others. It is readable and relatable in a personal way. This book inspires those in Christian faith and those wishing to know how the Christian God works in His people. It combines adventure, danger and intrigue with personal expression, drama and, above all, faith.
After spending time in the impoverished country of Djibouti, Tesfai made his way to Saudi Arabia. There, another door opened – by a greater miracle than a jail door swinging open. Tesfai became a Christian – in Saudi Arabia. As a part of the Saudi underground church he used every means to tell Muslims about Jesus. Unable to contain the joy and hope and love that lived in him, he caught the attention of the wrong people. One day he came home to find a threatening note from the local police. To save his family he had to exit the country. It is a truism that when God closes one door He opens another. The only country he and his wife Abeba could legally emigrate to was Sudan.
what people are saying...
No Accidental Missionary is a fascinating and inspiring account of a man's transformation from a rebellious, wayward young person to a passionate, fully committed witness for the Lord Jesus Christ – and a dedicated husband and father as well. His story is told in a personal, conversational style that reveals how God works through people and events to accomplish His purposes. When we have faith, patience, and perseverance God can do great things in us and through us.
Tesfai was an unmotivated student turned Communist or Derg supporter in Ethiopia, a Christian convert in Saudi Arabia, a refugee in Sudan and an immigrant missionary living in the United States. He believes his journey was no accident, but God's plan. Tesfai's desire to minister to second generation Ethiopian immigrants led him to reach out to non-immigrants in his community and create a multi-generational, diverse church.
SJG
This is a great story demonstrating how steadfast one can be in doing God's work. I really liked the unrelenting drive of Dr. Tesfai in spreading the Gospel of Christ, despite the many odds he had to surmount. There are no dislikes I had for this book. It would be an aspiring read for Christians, and I highly recommend it for young ministers as there is a lot to learn from Dr. Tesfai Tesema's missionary activities.
Isaac H.
The moving and compelling account of the life of Tesfai Tesema, a refugee from Ethiopia, who was transformed from an agnostic into a courageous and zealous witness for Christ in whatever location he found himself—Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and the United States. Many of his efforts—and those of his co-workers, including his wife—to reach out to people young and old mirror the activities of the first disciples—intentional, relational, out-of-the-ordinary. His story is an important and necessary reminder that God still uses Spirit-driven “disciples” to proclaim the Good News in unconventional and non-traditional ways.