Featured Stories
Mauritania: Tea Parties and Desert Worship

A small group of men sit on a mat outside. Someone heats ingredients for mint tea on a small burner. The tea is poured into small glasses from high above the glasses, but nothing is spilled. Pouring the tea in that way makes it foamy and frothy.

 

According to Mauritanian custom, the tea is poured from glass to glass before it is served in three rounds. The glasses are washed after each round. Preparing and drinking the tea can take an hour or longer.

 

Mauritanians drink tea every day. No one thinks it is strange to see a group of men or women having tea together.

 

But this group is unusual. Someone listening closely might notice that they are not talking about the weather or their jobs. They are praying and talking softly about Jesus.

 

Pastor Adam has tea with his Christian friends as often as three times a week. Their “tea parties” are secret Christian meetings. Anyone passing by thinks they are just drinking tea.

 

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Spotlight Articles
Mauritania: Not Easy for Christians to Get Married

Ethan and Kalila loved each other and wanted to get married, have children, and teach their children about Jesus.  But their parents did not want them to marry each other. Their families went to extremes to keep them apart.

 

Ethan

Ethan grew up in a Muslim family in Mauritania. His father was a Muslim religious official.

 

Muslims believe that Jesus was a good man, but not the Son of God. They worship Allah, who they believe lets people into heaven if they have done enough good works. But no one knows how many good works are “enough.” Christians know that people can be saved only by the grace of God through faith in His Son Jesus.

 

While Ethan was visiting another country, he learned the truth about Jesus. By the time he returned home to Mauritania, his family had already heard the news that he had become a Christian. “Is it true?” they asked him.


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