A family saved by a need to remember home

Egypt (MNN) — In some Middle Eastern and European countries, the best and sometimes the only way to reach residents with the Gospel is through media. And years ago as well as today, this can mean satellite television.

SAT-7, a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa, has been positively impacting lives for twenty years. For one girl, Sara*, SAT-7 changed her life and her family.

Sara’s mother is Egyptian and her father is Greek. Early in their marriage, the couple moved their little family to Sara’s father’s homeland, Greece. But while there, Sara’s mother became homesick.

Living abroad in a country where she didn’t know the language or many people, Sara’s mother yearned for Egypt. Yet, it’s this longing for the familiar that launched the little family into so much more.

Sara explains, “[My mother] started watching those Christian TV channels when we moved abroad, because no one was speaking her language. She was in a foreign country. And the only way she felt connected to her own country, Egypt, was through Egyptian Christian TV shows and things like that.

“SAT-7 was one of the very first channels [my mother] started watching. And she started having me watch it and my younger brother, and then eventually my father as well. And that’s how she knew more about the Lord.”

But, what would life had been like without the Gospel influence of SAT-7’s programming so many years ago? Sara recounts, “I would’ve probably continued to grow up without a church. We were Christians by name, but I would follow my parents’ footsteps. If they didn’t go to church, I wouldn’t go to church. But, having that influence and impact from such a young age, I would still sit down right now and watch it.”

Today, all of Sara’s immediate family members are lovers of the Lord. Though her father passed away while she was still a child, Sara says about six months before his passing, her father accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. After his passing, Sara’s mom, herself, and her younger brother relocated back to Egypt.

Now, Sara studies abroad in the United States at a Christian university. She says the whole process of coming to the US to study has been evidence of God’s sovereignty. Sara appreciates how SAT-7 has not only impacted her life, but is also impacting others, especially in light of the current refugee situations.

“I think refugees, when they go to a different country, they miss three main things: Family and friends, the language, and then food,” Sara says. “With Christian satellites around the world… they reach people. And across the Middle East, sometimes it’s difficult for people to stand up and say, ‘I have a question,’ or stand up and say, ‘I want to find out more about the Christian God, who is He?’ Mainly media is probably the number one way of reaching people, whatever age.”

Sara’s family is a great example of the diverse age range SAT-7 is able to reach. And it’s incredible knowing her family’s salvation and Sara’s path in life were heavily influenced by the SAT-7 programming in regions where TV may be an only escape or comfort.

Please pray for Sara and her family. Pray for their continued encouragement in the Lord, their paths in life, and for Sara’s continued studies in the US.

But also, pray for the refugees Sara mentioned. Pray for SAT-7 to work in their lives the way it has worked in Sara’s, and pray for them to hear the Gospel and experience changed lives because of it.

To learn more about SAT-7’s ministry, click here! You can also read about how SAT-7 is working with refugees in the Middle East.

 

 

*Name changed for privacy.