Alb Crop)Alketa comes from a Muslim family. As a student, she moved from her small rural town to Tirana, Albania’s capital. The hustle and bustle of the big city confused her and made her feel alone. “Tirana scared me, and I struggled to make new friends,” she recalls. “I was also concerned about the success of my studies.” The painful emotions made her cry out to Allah, but she didn’t receive any answer.

One day, a fellow student invited Alketa to visit a Bible study group in a church. Out of curiosity, she accepted the invitation and found 15 girls studying Bible League booklets. “They reflected love, kindness, and hospitality,” she remembers. As the girls shared Bible stories with her, Alketa’s interest was roused. She loved what she heard but felt she couldn’t accept it. “I told them I didn’t belong to their religion,” she says. “My family was Muslim, so I was a Muslim, too.”

Alketa expected rejection, but much to her surprise, the girls encouraged her to stay. Alketa asked a lot of questions, and they answered them all. “They told me my life could change because of the love of Christ,” Alketa remembers. “I was ready to open my heart for Jesus Christ.” She joined a Project Philip Bible study group and soon accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

After finishing her studies, Alketa returned to her hometown and married. Unfortunately, her husband didn’t want to accept her faith. Years of struggle with him and his parents followed. “My in-laws interfered in our marriage,” she sighs. “They were totally against me being a Christian.” Eventually, the couple divorced when Alketa was 32.

“Again, I was sad, alone, and scared about my future,” she says. “However, I found hope, comfort, and safety in the Word of God. The Bible is now my friend that strengthens and comforts me!”

Now, five years later, Alketa dreams of leading a small Bible study group with women at her workplace. “I want all my colleagues to accept Jesus and be saved,” she states. “Jesus gave me hope, and I want them to experience the same.”