‍“Do you dream of having a family someday?” our team asked.

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‍“No,” “Aisha” replied.‍

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‍When asked why, her sister answered, “Because she is gay.”

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In December, a Steiger team of 12 young people from around the world traveled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for two weeks to boldly share the Gospel. In recent years, the country has opened up drastically—both economically and culturally. This shift has influenced Saudi youth, many distancing themselves from traditional Islamic practices and embracing the values and worldviews of the Global Youth Culture. Seduced by the false freedoms of secularism, many are experiencing the same sexual brokenness we hear about from young people all over the world.

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One night, part of our team met a group of four young women wearing piercings and abayas and quickly struck up a conversation. As they talked about life and dreams, most of the girls shared familiar hopes like success, marriage, and family, but Aisha’s story was different. Living as a gay woman in a country where religion and culture are tightly intertwined, some of her dreams felt impossible.

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Sensing the weight she was carrying, Krista from our team shared her own story with Aisha and acknowledged how difficult it must be for her to navigate between religion and feelings. Krista also shared Jesus as someone who truly loves Aisha and demonstrated that love through the cross. As Aisha listened, tears streamed down her face. It was clear that God was at work.

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The night didn’t end there. Some of our team spent hours together with the girls and followed up the next week, sharing a picnic and continuing the friendship. They’re still in contact today, praying and trusting that God is pursuing their hearts.

God also opened doors in some of the city’s more secular spaces. Steiger missionary Lucas played guitar at a café in front of a curious audience and had opportunities to pray for people on the spot.

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While there, he and Steiger missionary Herman talked to “Ali,” a young man from the LGBTQ community who quickly grew close to them and began asking sincere questions about spirituality. As their conversation deepened, they explained what it means to have a relationship with God.

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Ali shared that this was how he longed to see God: not merely as a set of rules, but as a friend; he opened up about the deep pain he had been carrying since his father’s death last year. Through tears, he described a version of faith that had taught him to suppress his grief—that men shouldn’t cry. Yet as they sat together, something different unfolded. Ali said he had never been treated with such kindness by men before, and that he could see a different kind of love in their eyes and hear it in their words.

Soundstorm Festival, one of the largest music festivals in the region, was a key moment for our team. At the festival, Jozef from our team started a conversation with “Jaafar,” who said he was an atheist. After wrestling with doubts in his teenage years, he concluded that there is no God and religion is a system of manipulation. He had never told his family; around them, he continued to participate in all the rituals and practices of Islam.

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Jozef shared how he personally encountered God—not as a distant institution, but as a living Savior. The conversation was long and deeply personal. Jaafar was visibly moved, and Jozef was able to pray for him before they parted ways. They have kept in touch since.

During this pioneering trip our team:

• engaged in 291 spiritual conversations
• proclaimed the Gospel to 233 people
• prayed for 203 people

This is just a glimpse of what God did in Saudi Arabia. Check out this recap video for more:

We’ve prayerfully set the goal of establishing a Steiger City Team in Riyadh by 2034, led by local believers who will reach their own generation. Saudi youth are spiritually hungry, and we believe a Jesus revolution is about to happen!