A Shia Muslim finds Jesus through her Christian landlord

Rae Bowdler was born and raised in an Islamic family, but she says, ’Jesus changed the trajectory of my life.’

I was born and raised as a Shia Muslim in Kenya. Praying to God became the norm. My siblings and I went to ‘madrasa’ which is a class to learn how to read Arabic. I was taught to read Arabic but I could not understand it.

As a child I sought Allah with all my heart, but as a Shia Muslim, I found myself wrestling with the rigid rules and restrictions that seemed to suffocate my spirit. I moved to the UK in 1986 to live with my mum and step dad and I rebelled in my early teens seeking solace in empty relationships and fleeting distractions.