Samuel Zwemer, called by historians the "Apostle to Islam", is the inspiration of Hope for the Nations. Samuel responded to the call of the Student Volunteer Movement to give his life to foreign missions in 1886 when Princeton student Robert Wilder junior came to Hope's campus recruiting students for the greatest force in missions the world has ever seen. 100,000 college students signed the pledge card to foriegn missions. The next year, Samuel and another Student Volunteer Movement recruit James Cantini met at New Brunswick Seminary and together with their Hebrew professor dedicated themselves to reaching the hardest to reach people in the world, Muslims. The RCA would not send them at that time, so they formed their own mission board, the Arabian Mission. They raised support for each other and set out to the Muslim world. Samuel began his work in Bahrain starting a school, hospital , chapel and Bible store. He established the foundations for today's Muslim evangelism and mission by studying the culture, writing  and translating and praying. He later became a great recruiter for the Student Volunteer Movement envisioning  thousands of students and churches to reach Muslims The prayer of the Arabian Mission and Zwemer is Abraham's prayer for his other son "Oh the Ismael may live before you"...The Samuel Zwemer Muslim Missions Conference grew out this legacy during Hope's great revival of the 90's. It is held annually in Dearborn Michigan during Arab festival. Hope students are encouraged to attend and reclaim this great Hope College legacy...dearbornlegacyconference.org or barbara@svm2.org..Additionally the second student volunteer movement was partially ignited form this legacy and the Hope revival of the 90's. Be part of Hope for the Nations if this stirs your heart!