December 22, 1999
Expressions of love aren't lost
on otherwise ignored Bedouins
___By Robert O'Brien
___Standard Correspondent
___Bedouins know how a shepherd feels when he seeks a lost sheep.
___They have seen a fig tree that doesn't bear fruit.
___Bedouins also have thrown seeds on rocky ground without results.
___Bible stories with themes like these--that originated in their culture--have a tremendous impact and need little explanation.
___So says a Baptist missions representative who has sat in their tents, eaten their food,shown them kindness, treated them and their
THE BEDOUINS, often viewed as "stupid and lazy" by their more settled Arab neighbors, are responding to expressions of concern by Baptist workers.
culture and religion with respect, and told them about Jesus Christ.
___He and others have seen some of the mainly Sunni Muslims make personal commitments to Jesus or open up to the possibility Jesus is the Savior, not just a prophet.
___A Texas Baptist volunteer reports seeing the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship mission worker start embryonic worship groups--the seedbed of churches--in caves and tents.
___One group of Bedouins largely resistant to the gospel includes Arabic-speaking desert-dwellers in the Middle East and North Africa.
___"Ministry to Bedouins has been sparse because access to them is limited by governments, and they live in a harsh environment," said a CBF missions representative. "It usually takes years before ministry bears fruit."
___"Arabs frequently ask what I do for a living," said another Christian worker in the region. "When I explain that I help Bedouins in remote places through agricultural projects, I usually get a look of disbelief or a belly laugh. They can't believe someone from America would 'waste their time' working for people they view as 'stubborn and lazy.'
___"I tell them my work is from God. As Muslims, they understand that. What they find hard to comprehend is the grace, acceptance and love represented by the work."
___But love isn't lost on those who experience it.
___"Most people say a witness is sharing John 3:16," said a Baptist representative of the Network for Strategic Missions, which has eight regional offices to focus on different areas of the unreached world. This umbrella organization cooperates with a variety of "Great Commission" Christians--including the Southern Baptist Convention and CBF.
___"I had one Bedouin say the most significant thing I did to open his heart was our kindness to his children," the Baptist worker said.
___He quoted this Bedouin as saying, "If you'll come to my village and love them the same way you've loved me, you will win everyone."
___Bedouins are known as much today for hospitality and willingness to share with passersby as in biblical days when Abraham showed hospitality to the three men who promised him a son (Genesis 18:1-14).
___"They're very perceptive," says a close observer, "and will size you up as you sit and talk with them and share their food."
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