Just Say “Hello!”

It was probably in 2012 that I had a conversation with my sweet mother-in-law. Our family was visiting home for a short time while living in a predominantly Muslim former Soviet country. “Say Hello” ministries had recently launched, and I was excited about it. 

Because we were living in a Muslim country, my mother-in-law, Rachel would learn what she could about Muslim people. She had read books, watched 700 Club, and picked up any information she could to understand the people we loved and served. 

Rachel discovered a book about a Muslim woman who became a Christian and who happened to live in our state. She even started receiving newsletters from this woman and was eager to tell me all about her. She mentioned how she would see Muslim women while shopping but didn’t know how to speak to them.  I then told her about “Say Hello.” She listened intently as I shared how many Muslim women who are in America feel isolated and not welcomed because they are far from family and in a new culture, and many Americans are fearful of them. Rachel looked sad. I encouraged her to just “say hello” with a smile whenever she saw a Muslim woman in a store, and that at least the woman would feel seen. 

My mother-in-law was not really the most outgoing person. She was kind of stoic, yet she loved Jesus. It wasn’t natural for her to just speak to a random stranger, which is opposite from her son, my husband, who took after his dad and never met a stranger. 

Rachel was not someone who I thought would step across unknown boundaries to speak to someone who was from another country, probably wouldn’t know English, and was Muslim. Yet, she did! 

Probably a year or so later, we came back to the states again. Rachel was so excited to tell me, “I did what you suggested! I kept seeing this Muslim woman in a store. She looked sad, and I finally smiled and said hello! The Muslim lady lit up with a smile!” From then on, my sweet mother-in-law said “hello” to many Muslim women. She helped them feel seen and welcomed by a little old American lady who stepped across boundaries to love them like Jesus loved her!