OUR STORY
MEET JEREMY SCOTT
Hello, my name is Jeremy Scott. I am the executive director of Light of Life International, a ministry dedicated to reaching the Middle East by supporting and training indigenous church planters to build local churches.
As impossible as this sounds, we really do this!
The sensitive nature of our work in the Middle East prevents me from publicly telling you about our specific workers. It’s simply too dangerous. However, I can tell you about two of our most special workers: our former executive director (my best friend) and his father.
My best friend, Irfan Abdullatif, was born in Iraq, a country that is almost completely Muslim. His father, Monthir, had come from a long line of strict Muslims. Like them, his father was very devout. He followed the five pillars of Islam and would often read the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Yet his intense study of the Quran and Islam stirred up a swelling curiosity about a figure he met in the Quran: Jesus Christ.
You may not know this, but Jesus is mentioned in the Quran. Monthir read of His virgin birth and the many miracles He performed. Jesus seemed different than all the other prophets he read about.
Eventually, he stumbled upon a verse in the Quran which said, “And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. And be not thou of those who deny the revelations of Allah, for then wert thou of the losers.” (Surah. 10:94-95)
Knowing that the Quran was referring to Christians and Jews, Monthir went to his local mosque and asked for Jewish and Christian writings. He was told he could find them all in one book: the Bible. It seems so obvious to us Christians, but there are still people who have never heard of the Bible!
Upon studying the Scriptures, Monthir accepted Christ as Lord. But this decision came with a steep price: he was abandoned by his family, fired from his job, and imprisoned by his country.
Eventually, Monthir escaped (details cannot be shared) to the Metro Detroit area in the United States. Detroit has a significant Arabic population, and he was burdened by the need to reach them. He started planting churches in the area. He was mocked by his own people, labeled an “infidel”, and even spit upon by other Muslims.
However, the most discouraging thing Irfan saw was what his father often faced from other Christians. One pastor said he avoided Monthir because he was a missionary, and all missionaries were beggars. That scarred Irfan. He decided he would never go into ministry, let alone any kind of missionary work. No one would ever call me a beggar!
In 2011, Monthir passed away suddenly of a heart attack. Irfan was in shock and disbelief. A few days later he gave his father’s eulogy – in front of hundreds of people. There were so many people that not everyone could fit into the building. Some stood outside and waited to pay their respects.
Irfan said, it was the first time in his life that he saw the fruit of his father’s ministry and life.
Upon Monthir’s death, Irfan was approached about continuing his father’s work. His answer was a flat no – he literally laughed at the idea!
He already had a plan for his life: complete his Master of Divinity Degree, pursue a PhD in apologetics, and teach in a Christian University. He had always known he wanted to serve Christ, but he wanted to do it on his own terms. Church planting – especially in the Middle East – was not on his agenda.
As most Christians do, however, he responded with the typical “I’ll pray about it.” After much back-and-forth, soul-searching, and wrestling with God, he decided to take on the mantle of the ministry on one condition:
Take the Bible back to the Middle East.
He wanted to plant churches in the same part of the world that had rejected his father, his family, and their faith.
Today that is what we do.
Our ministry trains and supports born-again Middle Easterners to plant churches. We also work with Refugees, sharing the Gospel and providing food. Finally, we help persecuted Christians by meeting their physical needs and also sending trained men to start Bible studies in Christian villages. These Bible studies are often the only opportunity these people have to hear the Word of God taught to them.
We invite you to join us on this incredible mission.