To ask the question is to answer it—nothing is too hard for God! And yet, as we consider the darkness of Islam and the seeming impossibility of penetrating the Arab culture it engenders, it certainly does seem hard. Yet it was no different 70 years ago when an English couple, Charles and Pearl Marsh, married just two days previously, ventured out into the hinterland of what is now Algeria to bring the gospel of Christ to the Berber people. Their life’s service of over 40 years in that hostile land answers a resounding “No” to the title’s question.
The Marshes made a regular circuit of hundreds of mountain villages, gradually gaining the respect of these proud people by talking with them, eating with them, providing primitive medical and dental care, and by whatever other means they could. On many occasions they were threatened, forced to leave a village, and nearly murdered on several occasions. Yet the Lord always protected them.
Marsh enumerates many incidents when the Lord provided for his family in miraculous ways, of open doors just when the opposition seemed strongest, and of marvelous conversions of some of the most unlikely people.
In his closing chapter, Marsh recounts a conversation with a young Muslim. After hearing the gospel message for the first time, he commented: “What wonderful words! Are there many others who believe this?” Marsh replied: “Indeed there are, for there are millions in the world who have believed in Jesus Christ.”
“Then if you really believe it, why has no one ever been to tell us? No, you Christians do not really believe your message. If you did really believe, you would have come to us before!”
Marsh comments: “This ignorant Muslim youth pinpointed the reason for the non-evangelization of Muslims. Unbelief. The paucity of spiritual results in Muslim work must in large measure be placed at the door of unbelieving [Western] Christians. Muslims are hard. They are too hard, too hard for man, really tough, but they are not too hard for God.”
• Publisher: OM Publishing © 2000 (this is a reissue)
• ISBN: 185-078-3624 • Price: $8.99
• Binding: Paper, 222 pages, many photos
Some incidents from the lives of Charles Marsh’s co-workers in Algeria:
This village [Tabarouth] is situated in the wildest part of the mountains of Kabylia. The rough peasants were ignorant, fanatical Muslims and in the early years, they bitterly opposed the work in every possible way, not only boycotting the meetings but imposing heavy fines on all who went near the mission premises. On one occasion they attempted to burn down the house, which was built partly of wood. They piled straw and wood around it on every side, while the missionaries watched from within, realizing that any attempt to escape would be met by the combined brutal force of the entire Muslim population. They were obviously doomed, and committed themselves to the Lord. But God miraculously intervened and a totally unexpected sub-tropical downpour of rain made it impossible for their tormentors to ignite the straw.
On a later occasion,…a plan was set afoot to kidnap…one of the missionaries…and then to kill him, but the ringleader was suddenly afflicted with a raging toothache and was forced to come and plead for the tooth to be extracted….
Another time, a forest fire threatened to burn down the whole station; the flames devoured the tinder-dry cork-oak trees and rushed on at an alarming rate to engulf all the buildings. It seemed clear that the whole of the buildings were doomed. But Mr. Lamb stood on a stone pillar and cried out confidently, “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” The wind suddenly changed direction and the property was miraculously saved.
—The Muslim World, p. 84