Morocco is home to approximately 37 million – meaning there are almost the same number of Moroccans as there are Canadians.  Yet a mere 0.2% identify as Christian, and over 99.6% identify as Muslim.

Fellow Canadians and Pioneers workers, *James and *Amanda, live in this beautiful country and have graciously agreed to “take us there”.

Let’s go!

Al Maghreb – Morocco in Arabic – translates to “the place the sun sets”.

What a beautiful word-picture of buildings awash in golden light as the sun dips below the horizon.

What is something you love about the place you live?

Amanda: As an artist and designer, I love how beautiful the country is. It gives me inspiration every day to continue to grow and develop my art. The country is diverse with desert lands and lush green pastures that rise up from the ocean. I would trade this for snow anytime - I’m probably one of the only few Canadians who doesn’t miss seeing snow!

Another thing I love as an artist is working and knowing different artisans around the country and seeing them do their art. My home is filled with their furniture, rugs, shelves, pottery etc. I love how I can work together with them to create something. My living room is 100% hand made by local artists and I got to collaborate with them to create what I wanted.

What is your favourite Moroccan food?

Amanda: My favourite Moroccan food is called Rafisa. The base is lentils and hand-made Moroccan crepes shredded and in the centre of it is a whole chicken. It’s all soaked in a sauce and cooked in a large clay pot over a fire for a couple of hours. This dish isn’t usually served in restaurants, so it impresses Moroccans when I say I like this dish and that it’s my favourite. It really shows that I live here. Lastly it is a dish served to new and expecting moms because they believe that the spices inside can help with breast milk production. 

What is one striking difference between Moroccan and Canadian culture?

Amanda: I think one frustrating thing for a westerner could be the value of time. Efficiency is not a value in this country. We always have to add a few hours to our day if there are things we need to do. For the most part it doesn’t bother us, and we love how Moroccans value relationship over time. It has really taught us to slow down in life, enjoy and be excited for the simple things, and of course, patience. We're learning how to not be bothered by the lack of efficiency at places you would think would be efficient - like the bank.  

How can we pray for you and your ministry?

Amanda: Please pray for our language study, even though are two years of dedicated language study is over, we still feel like we’re in the midst of it. We are still taking classes in both Arabic and French in the midst of our busy lives. Pray for fruit and confidence in speaking and sharing because that’s our ultimate goal and motivation to learn.

Please pray for fruit in our jobs. Our everyday jobs are what keep us here. Pray that we would work hard for God’s glory as this is also a gift from him. May we be an example too in our work in front of locals and local believers.

Please pray for the local believers we know. There aren’t many in the place we live. For most of their Christian walk, they have lived it in isolation. We’re thankful that we’re in constant contact with them. Pray that we could and meet more local believers so that we could see a church planted here.

Please pray for our family. We’re new parents. Pray that we would even at a young age always point our son to Jesus and that he would know him as his Lord and saviour. 

How is God calling YOU to share the hope of Jesus with the Moroccan people?

"There are thousands of different bridges you can build - thousands of different needs you can help and serve and fill a gap - so I think any gift or talent or skill that the Lord has blessed you with could be used here.” - *Chloe

Watch *Chloe’s story.