GRO Changed My Life...
GRO Changed My Life, But What God Gave Me Was Something Greater
“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
There was a time when I thought finding purpose meant discovering something extraordinary. Something big. Something that would make my life meaningful.
Today, I realize that sometimes God hides our purpose inside the ordinary things we already love.
My name is Gabriel. I am a former Muslim who found faith in Jesus Christ. I work with Global Radio Outreach (GRO), sharing the Gospel with Muslims living in a Muslim-majority country. And I want to tell you something that has been growing in my heart.
GRO changed my life. But perhaps not in the way you might expect.
More Than Financial Support
Let me begin with gratitude. GRO supports me financially. That support helps me survive, take care of my health, receive medical treatment, and continue the work God has placed before me. For someone in my circumstances, that is not a small thing.
But if I wrote this letter only to explain how GRO's financial support helps me, I would be missing the most beautiful part of the story. Because GRO has given me something money cannot buy. The freedom to discover what God created me to do.
Before, I understood ministry mainly as something we intentionally organize: preaching, teaching, answering questions, reaching Muslims, and helping people understand who Jesus is. I still believe deeply in that mission. But recently, God showed me that ministry can happen somewhere completely unexpected. Even in a hostel common room, surrounded by strangers, laughter, cigarettes, and conversations about everything except God.
What Happened in Thailand
Recently, I traveled to Thailand for medical treatment. Whenever I travel, I usually stay in hostels. Not because I have some grand missionary strategy, but simply because hostels are cheap. And I love traveling. Hostels are fascinating places. You meet people from everywhere. Backpackers, hippies, digital nomads, young travelers, people searching for freedom, people escaping their ordinary lives, and people who simply want to enjoy the moment. Many are interested in parties, weed, drugs, relationships, and adventures.
God? Religion? Jesus? Usually, those are not the subjects they are excited to discuss.
But I love sitting with people. Listening to their stories. Laughing together. Understanding how they see the world.
During that trip, I had meaningful conversations with more than twenty people.
I wasn't standing on a stage. I wasn't holding a microphone. I wasn't distributing religious materials. I was simply Gabriel, another traveler staying in a cheap hostel.
And somewhere between conversations about life, pain, happiness, freedom, and the meaning of existence, we started talking about God. I shared what Jesus means to me.
I shared how my faith changed my life. And then something happened that I still struggle to describe.
Six Messages I Will Never Forget
After the trip, six people wrote back to me. Six.
They told me our conversations had changed the way they thought. They wanted to know more about Jesus. Think about that. Some of these were the same people who, just a month earlier, had little interest in God. Their lives revolved around traveling, parties, or simply enjoying whatever came next. And now they were asking questions about Jesus.
I don't know where their journeys will lead. I cannot claim they have all become Christians. Faith is a journey, and only God knows what is happening inside a person's heart.
But I know this: Something changed. A door opened. A seed was planted.
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” — 1 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV)
Those words were written by Paul. And they describe exactly how I feel.
I did not change those people. God did something through our conversations. And perhaps someone else will continue what began in that hostel.
What If This Is Also Ministry?
This experience made me ask a question I cannot stop thinking about. What if traveling itself could become a ministry? I have always loved traveling. But I never imagined that something I enjoy so much could also become part of my calling.
Imagine ten Gabriels. Or twenty. Or fifty. Young Christians traveling across countries, staying in affordable hostels, sitting in common areas, sharing meals, making friends, listening without judgment, and naturally sharing the Gospel. Not approaching people as projects.
Not forcing religion into conversations. Just genuinely loving people and being ready to explain the hope we have in Christ.
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” — 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
Imagine someone who has spent years searching for happiness through drugs, parties, or endless movement discovering that perhaps the peace they are searching for has a name.
Jesus.
I don't know whether ministries like this already exist. Maybe they do, and I simply haven't heard about them. But I cannot ignore what I experienced. What if God is opening another door?
GRO Bangladesh, and Something Beyond
GRO Bangladesh is already part of my life and calling. But now another thought has entered my heart.
What if there could be GRO on the Way? A ministry without a traditional building. A ministry that travels. A ministry that meets people where they already are. In hostels. On buses. Around dinner tables. In conversations that begin with absolutely nothing religious.
Jesus Himself traveled, met strangers, ate with people others rejected, and brought hope into ordinary places. Perhaps we can follow that example in our own generation. I am not presenting a finished plan. I am sharing a possibility God has placed in my heart.
And I believe it deserves prayer.
To Everyone Who Supports GRO
This is why I am writing to you. You may think your support simply helps someone like me pay rent, buy food, receive treatment, or continue ministry in Bangladesh. And yes, it does.
But you have no idea how far your generosity may travel. Because you supported me, I could continue living, healing, working, and discovering new opportunities to share Christ.
You helped make conversations possible with people you may never meet. Six people are now asking about Jesus. And perhaps, one day, those six will touch other lives. Only God knows.
I pray your support continues, not simply for Gabriel, but because GRO should exist. This mission is bigger than one person.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
The end is near. Our time is precious. And there are still so many people who have never truly encountered the love of Christ.
GRO changed my life in many ways. But helping me discover God's purpose in something I already love? That is a gift. And I believe that gift came from God.
Thank you for believing in this mission. Thank you for standing beside us. Thank you for serving God in ways you may never fully see.
May God bless you all.
With love, gratitude, and hope,
Gabriel
Global Radio Outreach (GRO), Bangladesh
“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
There was a time when I thought finding purpose meant discovering something extraordinary. Something big. Something that would make my life meaningful.
Today, I realize that sometimes God hides our purpose inside the ordinary things we already love.
My name is Gabriel. I am a former Muslim who found faith in Jesus Christ. I work with Global Radio Outreach (GRO), sharing the Gospel with Muslims living in a Muslim-majority country. And I want to tell you something that has been growing in my heart.
GRO changed my life. But perhaps not in the way you might expect.
More Than Financial Support
Let me begin with gratitude. GRO supports me financially. That support helps me survive, take care of my health, receive medical treatment, and continue the work God has placed before me. For someone in my circumstances, that is not a small thing.
But if I wrote this letter only to explain how GRO's financial support helps me, I would be missing the most beautiful part of the story. Because GRO has given me something money cannot buy. The freedom to discover what God created me to do.
Before, I understood ministry mainly as something we intentionally organize: preaching, teaching, answering questions, reaching Muslims, and helping people understand who Jesus is. I still believe deeply in that mission. But recently, God showed me that ministry can happen somewhere completely unexpected. Even in a hostel common room, surrounded by strangers, laughter, cigarettes, and conversations about everything except God.
What Happened in Thailand
Recently, I traveled to Thailand for medical treatment. Whenever I travel, I usually stay in hostels. Not because I have some grand missionary strategy, but simply because hostels are cheap. And I love traveling. Hostels are fascinating places. You meet people from everywhere. Backpackers, hippies, digital nomads, young travelers, people searching for freedom, people escaping their ordinary lives, and people who simply want to enjoy the moment. Many are interested in parties, weed, drugs, relationships, and adventures.
God? Religion? Jesus? Usually, those are not the subjects they are excited to discuss.
But I love sitting with people. Listening to their stories. Laughing together. Understanding how they see the world.
During that trip, I had meaningful conversations with more than twenty people.
I wasn't standing on a stage. I wasn't holding a microphone. I wasn't distributing religious materials. I was simply Gabriel, another traveler staying in a cheap hostel.
And somewhere between conversations about life, pain, happiness, freedom, and the meaning of existence, we started talking about God. I shared what Jesus means to me.
I shared how my faith changed my life. And then something happened that I still struggle to describe.
Six Messages I Will Never Forget
After the trip, six people wrote back to me. Six.
They told me our conversations had changed the way they thought. They wanted to know more about Jesus. Think about that. Some of these were the same people who, just a month earlier, had little interest in God. Their lives revolved around traveling, parties, or simply enjoying whatever came next. And now they were asking questions about Jesus.
I don't know where their journeys will lead. I cannot claim they have all become Christians. Faith is a journey, and only God knows what is happening inside a person's heart.
But I know this: Something changed. A door opened. A seed was planted.
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” — 1 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV)
Those words were written by Paul. And they describe exactly how I feel.
I did not change those people. God did something through our conversations. And perhaps someone else will continue what began in that hostel.
What If This Is Also Ministry?
This experience made me ask a question I cannot stop thinking about. What if traveling itself could become a ministry? I have always loved traveling. But I never imagined that something I enjoy so much could also become part of my calling.
Imagine ten Gabriels. Or twenty. Or fifty. Young Christians traveling across countries, staying in affordable hostels, sitting in common areas, sharing meals, making friends, listening without judgment, and naturally sharing the Gospel. Not approaching people as projects.
Not forcing religion into conversations. Just genuinely loving people and being ready to explain the hope we have in Christ.
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” — 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
Imagine someone who has spent years searching for happiness through drugs, parties, or endless movement discovering that perhaps the peace they are searching for has a name.
Jesus.
I don't know whether ministries like this already exist. Maybe they do, and I simply haven't heard about them. But I cannot ignore what I experienced. What if God is opening another door?
GRO Bangladesh, and Something Beyond
GRO Bangladesh is already part of my life and calling. But now another thought has entered my heart.
What if there could be GRO on the Way? A ministry without a traditional building. A ministry that travels. A ministry that meets people where they already are. In hostels. On buses. Around dinner tables. In conversations that begin with absolutely nothing religious.
Jesus Himself traveled, met strangers, ate with people others rejected, and brought hope into ordinary places. Perhaps we can follow that example in our own generation. I am not presenting a finished plan. I am sharing a possibility God has placed in my heart.
And I believe it deserves prayer.
To Everyone Who Supports GRO
This is why I am writing to you. You may think your support simply helps someone like me pay rent, buy food, receive treatment, or continue ministry in Bangladesh. And yes, it does.
But you have no idea how far your generosity may travel. Because you supported me, I could continue living, healing, working, and discovering new opportunities to share Christ.
You helped make conversations possible with people you may never meet. Six people are now asking about Jesus. And perhaps, one day, those six will touch other lives. Only God knows.
I pray your support continues, not simply for Gabriel, but because GRO should exist. This mission is bigger than one person.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
The end is near. Our time is precious. And there are still so many people who have never truly encountered the love of Christ.
GRO changed my life in many ways. But helping me discover God's purpose in something I already love? That is a gift. And I believe that gift came from God.
Thank you for believing in this mission. Thank you for standing beside us. Thank you for serving God in ways you may never fully see.
May God bless you all.
With love, gratitude, and hope,
Gabriel
Global Radio Outreach (GRO), Bangladesh
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