Testimonies

I was born in a small village in Afghanistan and raised in a family with traditional religious beliefs. As a child, I accepted what I was taught about God and religion without questioning it. But when I moved to Kabul at the age of fifteen to continue my education, my life began to change.

Meeting people with different perspectives and reading philosophy books raised many questions in my mind. Gradually, I lost my belief in God and became convinced that human beings should rely only on their own reason and strength. At times, I even treated people with religious beliefs with anger and disrespect.

During those years, a friend introduced me to an Afghan Christian. I was curious to understand why he had become a Christian. We began meeting regularly, studying the Bible, and discussing the Christian faith.

What touched me most was his kindness and genuine love. Contrary to everything I had heard about Christians growing up, I found neither judgment nor condemnation in his behavior, but rather love and acceptance.

One day, I shared with him the difficulties my family was facing and my father's illness. He asked if he could pray for us. As he prayed, I could not hold back my tears. For the first time, I felt that someone truly understood the pain I carried inside.

That day, a question began to grow in my heart: Could there really be a living God who hears my voice?

From then on, I began studying the Bible more seriously. The life of Jesus Christ, His love for sinners and those rejected by society, and His teachings about forgiveness deeply touched my heart.

Gradually, I came to understand that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead so that through Him we might receive forgiveness and salvation.

I still had questions and doubts, but I wanted to follow Jesus. Eventually, I decided to be baptized. In a small gathering of believers at my Christian friend's home, I was secretly baptized.

Faith in the Darkest Days of My Life

After Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021, I decided to leave the country. But before I could escape, I was stopped at a Taliban checkpoint one night.

They searched my phone and discovered my Bible app and Christian messages. When they realized I had become a Christian, they arrested me.

I spent approximately ninety days in prison. During that time, I was repeatedly interrogated and tortured. They beat me with electrical wires, kept me under freezing water, and left me in outdoor cages during the bitter winter cold.

There were days when I had completely lost hope of surviving. I believed my life was coming to an end.

One day, I knelt in the prison bathroom and began praying with all my heart. I cried out to Jesus:

"Lord, I have chosen this path, but I confess that I still have doubts in my heart. If You are truly the living God I have read about, if You died on the cross for our salvation and rose from the dead, today I surrender my life into Your hands. If You hear my voice, please rescue me from this place."

I prayed through tears and returned to my cell.

About a week later, a Taliban official came to see me and told me that efforts were being made to secure my release.

I could hardly believe it. In a place where I had lost all hope of freedom, suddenly there was a glimmer of hope.

Some time later, I was released from prison.

I believe my freedom was God's answer to that prayer. In the darkest days of my life, when I had no hope left, I came to believe that Jesus Christ had heard my voice and had not abandoned me.

That experience deepened my trust in Him.

A New Life in Christ

But the greatest change Jesus Christ brought into my life was not simply my release from prison. He transformed my heart and the way I see other people.

In the past, I was an angry and revengeful person. If someone hurt me, I looked for an opportunity to get even.

But as I began learning the teachings of Jesus, I discovered what it means to forgive and even love those who have wronged me.

When news of my conversion spread through my village, some people rejected my family and mistreated them. Forgiving those people was not easy, but through my faith, I found the strength to forgive.

Later, when some of those same people faced difficulties, I even helped them.

For me, this transformation is one of the greatest signs of God's work in my life. Someone who once took pleasure in revenge now desires to live with love and forgiveness.

Today, I live in the United States, where I worship God alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ. Every day, I seek to grow closer to Jesus and reflect His love through my actions and the way I live.

When I look back, I see how God led me step by step toward knowing Him through the kindness of a friend, the study of Scripture, prayer, and even the most painful days of imprisonment.

Today, I testify with all my heart that Jesus Christ is alive. He is my Savior, and I believe He heard my voice in the darkest moments of my life.

The story of Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4:35–41 always reminds me of my days in prison. The disciples were terrified in the middle of the storm, but Jesus was with them.

I have learned that faith does not mean living without fear or hardship. It means trusting in God's presence even in the middle of life's storms.

"As long as Jesus Christ is in the boat of my life, my boat will never sink."

All glory belongs to God.