Ayesha

Sister Ayesha’s father converted to Christianity when she was two years old, while living in a predominantly Muslim area in the UK. Her family endured years of persecution for their Christian faith, until an attempt on her father’s life forced them to relocate to another part of the country.

The treatment her family received from local Muslims, combined with the lack of response from local authorities and churches, led Ayesha to question God.

“My siblings and I were taken to every kind of Christian church, youth group, and camp you could imagine growing up, as a result of our parents’ newfound zeal for Christ. But looking back, I felt stuck in religion and didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus.”

“For years, I battled with feeling that I had no value and my life lacked meaning. I gave Jesus an ultimatum: I’m going to read Matthew to Revelation and if it doesn’t change my life, I’m not coming back to You - ever. After a week, He transformed my life through His scripture.”

Ayesha entered into a relationship with Jesus through the stories of His encounters with and treatment of women. “I believe God has a special place in His heart for women and minority groups, particularly those on the margins. My own life is a testament to that.”

Prior to moving to London in 2022, Ayesha lived, studied, and worked across Southeast Asia for several years, developing a heart for the nations and for people on the margins. Ayesha’s journey to LCM began in 2023, after a family friend shared a London City Mission newsletter detailing the work of the Homeless and Marginalised ministry at Weber Street, which led her to reach out to the Mission as a volunteer. However, it wasn’t until God called her out of her corporate job in 2024 that she felt deeply led to serve alongside an LCM Missionary working with vulnerable people, particularly women.

“Growing up, I had heard stories of missionaries going to countries such as China or Pakistan so I typically associated the mission field with the developing world. In 2019, I had a conversation with a Missionary in America who told me that, since the nations are already in her country, she felt no need to go abroad to further the Gospel. At the time, I didn’t fully grasp the significance of her words, so it went over my head. In the last few years, God has taken me on a real raw journey of seeing wherever I am placed as my mission field. I now recognise that my mission field is in London - for such a time as this!”

Ayesha is a Mission Associate in Barking, Dagenham and Havering, working to share practical love and the truth of the gospel with people who are homeless or on the margins of society in these boroughs.

Barking, Dagenham and Havering are home to vibrant and growing communities with great religious and cultural diversity. But these are also some of the most deprived areas in the country, with nearly half of its children living in poverty. It includes the largest council estate in the UK, and unemployment is on the rise.

“My vision for the people of Barking, Dagenham and Havering is that they come alive to the hope, joy, purpose and truth that comes from encountering Jesus. I believe the local churches in these boroughs can play a significant role in spreading the light of the Gospel, and count it a privilege to serve in frontline ministry to help make this a reality.”

Ayesha has a serious case of wanderlust and adventure - 13 plane journeys in 15 months is her personal best! She is also a keen writer in her free time.