From the Heart of Morocco to the Heart of God
Names, locations, and images have been changed to protect the identity of individuals in sensitive regions.
Ahmed grew up surrounded by tradition—devout in culture, disciplined in religion, and yet drawn to something deeper. What began as a boy’s curiosity in a Catholic school led to a bold faith in Christ and a vision for his nation.
An Unexpected Curiosity
Ahmed was born into an Amazigh Muslim family in southern Morocco in the 1960s. Though deeply rooted in Islamic tradition, his parents also valued education and openness. When the family relocated for work and school, Ahmed was enrolled in an academic program led by Catholic nuns. There, he encountered something unexpected—grace.
The sisters’ compassion, dignity, and love left a deep impression. “They didn’t just teach with words,” he remembers, “they lived what they believed.” It was a stark contrast to his summers in the South, where his grandfather pressured the children to attend Qur’anic school by withholding privileges.
“I couldn’t explain it at the time,” Ahmed recalls, “but something in me resisted the idea of forced religion. I knew faith had to come from the heart.”
“I knew faith had to come from the heart.”
A Bible at the Border
In his university years, Ahmed—like many Moroccans—worked summer jobs in Europe. While passing through a Spanish transit island, he encountered a group of missionaries handing out Bibles. He took one.
“It felt as if God had been seeking me—and now, He had found me,” he says. “He didn’t appear in a dream or send a preacher. He simply spoke directly to my heart.”
That summer, Ahmed devoured Scripture. John 3:16 pierced him: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” It was a truth he had never known—and it changed everything.
“That Word transformed me. It cleansed me. It filled my deep hunger to know God.”
Returning home, he knew bringing a Bible back into Morocco was risky. But he chose obedience over fear—and he still has that Bible today.
A New Vision for Morocco
Ahmed came to faith in Christ in the late 1970s, at a time when Moroccan believers were nearly invisible. Christianity was seen as a foreign faith—an expatriate religion. But slowly, through satellite television and the internet, isolated believers found one another. Small, quiet gatherings began to spring up.
Now in his 60s, Ahmed continues to meet regularly with groups of seekers and new believers. He leads conversations centered on Scripture, helping others discover who Jesus is for themselves—just as he once did.
“We have a vision for our country, that Morocco would come to know Jesus.”
Today, Compel International is walking alongside Ahmed—mentoring him and other North African believers as they start home fellowships, disciple new believers, and raise up leaders who will multiply the movement. This quiet investment is helping everyday followers of Jesus become bold, faithful catalysts for transformation in their communities.
Multiplying Disciples, Multiplying Hope
Through this partnership, Ahmed has embraced a model of making disciples that is rooted in Scripture, local culture, and personal obedience. Rather than preach, he facilitates. Rather than control, he multiplies.
He describes the future he prays for this way:
“We dream of a day when the soil of Morocco is filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea.”