I have been so blessed over the years by the dear brothers and sisters whom I have met in countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith. They have such joy in the midst of trying circumstances. They have learned to trust God for all their needs, both physical and spiritual. 

Many Believers I spend time with have come from a Muslim background. They often give up everything to follow Christ. Muslim governments routinely pass laws forbidding anyone from leaving Islam. Families of those who want to become Christian often feel betrayed and turn against them.

While in the Middle East a few months ago, I was privileged to spend time with Albin and his family. They live in a small village in a mountainous area, with forests and cultivated fields alongside the rubble of bombed out homes, a consequence of war several years ago.

I had been traveling throughout the area all day, but as day turned to night only a few lights from the houses scattered on the hillsides shone to light our way. The November chill penetrated the stone houses. Most families were heating their homes with kerosene stoves situated right in the middle of their living rooms. 

Albin and his children greeted us at the doorway of their home with handshakes and hugs. The young boys were the most enthusiastic. I felt like I had known them for years. We tramped up the stairway; they stoked up the stove and, as is customary, served hot tea, coffee, fruit juice, and freshly made cookies.

Albin was a Muslim from the Shiite sect of Islam. Today, his entire family ardently follows Jesus Christ. They say they are now walking in the Light rather than the darkness. And, they recognize that God uses people, like David, whose story follows, as His instruments to help people like them come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

Albin said he first met David when he and a rescue team were clearing debris after the war. They said they needed a small truck to take all this rubble and throw it away. Albin said, “You found it, it’s me! I can do this thing.” So he left and came back with his truck. His wife Dana came along with him and brought coffee and sandwiches for all the workers there. So Dave gave thanks and started to read out of the Bible.

David asked Albin what he knew about the Bible reading. Albin replied, “We know a little bit. Sometimes we watch movies on TV but we don’t know much about this thing.”  So David began visiting Albin every few days to answer questions. “We began to meet at night to read the Bible. Our lives were beginning to change,” Albin explained.

Albin continued, “Our son, Amil, who is 3 years old, went to the hospital for a routine surgery but there were complications. The surgery that should have been completed in an hour, was taking 6 hours and Amil was not waking up from the anesthesia. We were praying the way we knew how to pray, the Muslim way, but our prayers were not being answered.” 

“David heard about the situation. He came to the hospital, knelt down, and prayed. Immediately we heard that Amil was awake and on his way to his room. This led us to believe totally in the God of the Christians. Jesus healed while He walked this earth and He is healing Amil today. We are ready for the ministry in the Lord Jesus Christ at anytime,” exclaimed Albin.

“God used people to encourage us and without those ambassadors we wouldn’t be where we are today. We were, spiritually speaking, blind and needed somebody to lead us. We would spend virtually all day reading scripture together until quite late at night and that laid a foundation from which our spiritual lives were built,” Albin went on to say.

David added, “They actually have been very open with guests coming to their home.  They will get out Bibles and pass them around to people who come to visit. They do this at great risk to themselves.”

Dana said, “We want to continue this progression. We have been 3 years or so in the faith now and we want to continue by being baptized.” Albin added, “We want to be an encouragement to others who have a similar situation of having a Muslim background. We know there are people who are in similar circumstances, maybe even more difficult than ours, because they have left Islam for Christ.” 

“Compared to the U.S. or Europe, we don’t have the freedom like you have freedom.  We face some pressures from people who don’t want us to believe as we choose. Something happened here yesterday for example. I won’t go into detail but somebody became pretty belligerent against us. In spite of all of these difficulties, we are thankful for the way of salvation and we will move on in it,” said Albin.

As David put it, “They live in an area where they have family and they have friends who are very closely connected with the majority political party [Islamic] in the country. Pressures confront people when it is perceived they have left one political party for another [Christian]. This is similar to what happened in the first century when Jews decided to follow Jesus. They were ostracized and faced many difficulties, including torture.”

When I asked them what they thought God has planned for them in the future, Albin said, “We are convinced that God has a plan. We are praying always that God will give our children and us a future. We pray He will increase and strengthen our faith. Moreover, we want to be an example to others.  There are always people who will pick on you or complain about you but in the long run we want people to look at us and see our spiritual transformation, and compare it to where they are in Islam and what God can do to change their lives for the better.”

"A person who has faith in Jesus Christ shouldn’t hide it!  It is a treasure! And you should give it to other people.  Jesus Christ redeemed us with the most expensive treasure and those of us who have faith in Jesus need to bless the One who redeemed us by extending that gift to others,” said Albin passionately.

Albin went on to say, “We long for all people to come to faith in Jesus Christ, not only us. That is what we always pray.  We go visit people and ask what is happening in their lives. That’s good!”

Albin explained, “We are from the Shiite Muslim background and now we have been brought into the body of Christ. We want to be a light like a candlestick or sort of a lighthouse to the believers outside our country, like Minnesota or Chicago or wherever. A person doesn’t know the end of his or her life, or how it will come about.  God has given us an opportunity, an open door; we want to be in submission to his plan and purpose. This isn’t a difficult thing if a person keeps his or her mind on Christ and is committed to God’s purposes.”

Finally, it was time to leave this loving and inspiring family. Daughter, Nora, and I felt a real connection so I asked her to give a greeting to all of you.  This is from her heart, “My name is Nora, I am 12 years old, I say hello to everybody and I wish that God would bless you all. Thank you.”

   Please pray for Albin and his family as they grow in faith and minister to their community and the world.

A Ministry to Persecuted Christians