“We don’t want to believe in a God where we can’t see love or peace. Islam can look beautiful on the surface, but when you go deeper, it feels scary,” shared “Layla” and “Norah” from Saudi Arabia.

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In December, a Steiger team of 12 young missionaries from around the world traveled to Riyadh for two weeks to boldly share the Gospel. The country has opened up dramatically—economically and culturally—and Saudi youth are feeling it. Many are stepping away from traditional practices, wrestling with the freedoms and brokenness they see in the Global Youth Culture.

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During the Soundstorm Festival, one of the largest music festivals in the region, Debora from our team sat down next to Layla and Norah at a café. After sharing her own story about losing a friend, the girls asked Debora how she had found peace. That was the perfect cue to introduce Jesus into the conversation, showing that life with Him isn’t about following a set of rules, but about finding real hope, love, and freedom. He’s the One who can truly give us a peace beyond understanding.

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Layla and Norah were deeply engaged in the conversation and expressed interest in starting to read the Bible, as they couldn’t believe in Allah in the way they longed to.

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Layla then opened up about anxiety, and Debora prayed for both of them. They hugged, exchanged Instagram handles, and Layla noticed the Matthew 6 verse in Debora’s bio. “I’m going to read this,” she said. “It looks interesting.” They’re still in contact today, exploring God’s Word together.

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“During these two weeks, I had so many amazing conversations,” Debora said. “I got to pray for a lot of people and talk with them about Jesus. For many of them, we were the first Christian they had ever met. Please keep praying for this country and its people. They have beautiful hearts. They are still God’s children, and they need to be reached with love and truth.”