When Aamina* walks through the streets of Newham, her face is fully veiled and her body is shielded in a niqab.
When Aamina* walks through the streets of Newham, her face is fully veiled and her body is shielded in a niqab.
For close to 20 years, since arriving from Pakistan to marry her husband, she has lived in London, embedded in her community — present yet often hidden from the public.
Back home, Aamina taught the Qur’an to primary-aged children and was respected in her community. But in London, isolated by language and culture, she found herself navigating many of life’s challenges alone: contracts, housing issues, school challenges, and trying to build connections in a city that felt impossibly large.
Until the day she met Bella, an LCM missionary working in Newham.
It began simply. Aamina needed help interpreting a complex housing contract after a dispute with her landlord. Someone pointed her to the Asian Friendship Centre — an outreach project connecting with new Asian migrants, supported by LCM and church volunteers. It was there that a connection with Bella formed.
“I didn’t finish helping Aamina with the contract, so I suggested we meet again at the local library to work through some of her challenges,” says Bella. “That’s how we struck up a friendship, and I was able to invite her to Cliff Walk Evangelical Church, where I’ve been supporting members to build bridges into the local Muslim community.”
And through Bella, Aamina met Gill.
Gill, a retired teacher, remembers how it began.
“Bella said she knew a mum who wanted her children tutored,” Gill explains. “And as I’m a trained teacher, I said I’d do it. We met the family at a local café first. All of them came, and we talked about how I could support the girls.”
Soon, the girls, Saira* in Year 6 and Nida* in Year 4, began coming every week.
“They come to my flat,” Gill says. “With Saira, we follow her homework — maths, English, whatever she brings. With Nida, we’ve been doing adjectives and simple sentences. She’s very bright.”
Aamina comes too. While Gill teaches, Aamina often rests quietly in another room. In the middle of maths questions and grammar exercises, Gill naturally mentions her faith in small ways.
“I share little things,” she says. “How Jesus helps me in everyday life — not heavy topics, just honest conversation.”
Gill says LCM’s Sharing Jesus with Muslims course, which she attended at Cliff Walk Evangelical Church, helped her enormously.
“It was fabulous,” she reflects. “We learned so much. And it gave me boldness. It helped me step back, listen, and not try to press anything — just let them talk, let the Lord work.”
“I share little things,” she says. “How Jesus helps me in everyday life — not heavy topics, just honest conversation.”
Cliff Walk Evangelical Church is 150 years old and today includes around 27 nationalities.
“Half our members are Brazilian,” says Pastor Leandro. “We worship in English and Portuguese. It’s diverse, just like Newham.”
For many at the church, including Leandro himself, living in London provided their first close contact with Muslims.
“My first ever contact with a Muslim person was here,” he says. “It was the same for many in our church. So we saw the need for Jesus to be shared, but weren’t sure how to do it.”
When two members attended an LCM Muslim engagement workshop, they returned urging the church to run the full Sharing Jesus with Muslims course.
“The video course was really good,” Leandro says. “People are still talking about it. There was a lot about Muslims we misunderstood. We learned how to not only share our lives with them but also approach them well with the gospel.”
The Sharing Jesus with Muslims course sparked deeper conversations among the leadership about evangelism, hospitality, and equipping the whole church.
“Members are now starting to put into practice what we’ve learned,” Leandro says. “We pray together monthly. We talk about our vision for the community. And people are beginning to act on it.”
"There was a lot about Muslims we misunderstood. We learned how to not only share our lives with them but also approach them well with the gospel.”
When Aamina arrived at the church for the girls’ first after-school session, Jesus for Kids, Leandro remembers the moment clearly.
“We had been praying for opportunities after the course,” he says. “Then suddenly, someone was at our door. We were overwhelmed to have them, and she was overwhelmed by the reception.”
Despite the club’s name, Aamina stayed the whole time. The girls asked to return, and they later visited the church’s youth group and have attended Sunday services when they can.
“She felt free among us,” Leandro says. “And that’s what we want. Women in the congregation played a key role. They welcomed her straight away.”
For Gill, this ministry has revived something deep.
Forty years ago, she served as a voluntary evangelist with London City Mission, full of passion and zeal. Working with Bella and this family has reminded her of a calling she thought belonged to the past.
“In my old age, I’ve changed,” she says. “I now realise the Lord is the one doing the work. My job is to listen, to care, and to share Jesus simply. It feels like my life isn’t slowing down at all. It feels like it’s beginning again.”
When asked what she thinks of Jesus after months of tutoring, church visits, and friendships, Aamina gave a short, thoughtful reply:
“They make me love Isa more.”
“Isa” is the name used for Jesus in the Qur’an and Islamic tradition. Although he is depicted very differently in the Qur’an, Leandro believes her reply is a significant step.
“Aamina hasn’t said she wants to become a Christian,” he says. “But she is open. She’s asking questions. She’s learning. And she keeps coming.”
*Names have been changed
VISIT LCM.ORG.UK/SJM TO FIND OUT MORE
LCM shares the gospel alongside the local church of London, equipping everyday Christians to lovingly bring a message of hope in Christ to those least likely to hear it.
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