Azerbaijan
I started to join all the meetings and gatherings of the church and got so touched by the sincerity, openness and love that was in these people.
I grew up in a Muslim household and suffered from anger issues, causing me to be overly irritable and often act out in violence.
To express myself, I practiced martial arts, raced cars, and ended up evading police a few times.
Although growing up around Muslim practice, I found no solace in their prayers or rituals. Once I became a young adult, I did not adhere to any religion at all.
I fell into a season of deep uncertainty, confusion, and struggle.
In the spring, Azerbaijanis faced strict COVID-19 lockdowns that lasted for months.
By the end of 2020, several thousand people across the small country had died from COVID-19 and hundreds of thousands more had lost their jobs and businesses.
Azerbaijan was also involved in a war where over 5,000 soldiers from both sides died, and more than 130,000 civilians were displaced by the fighting.
In the midst of the turmoil, I became very depressed and wanted to end my life. I put a loop on my neck and kicked off a chair… but the rope broke and I fell on the floor weeping. On December 7 I decided to give myself a chance as God had given me one.
I went on the net and searched for hope and saw an ad online about God’s plan for my life. I connected with a host named Kamran and shared my story with him. Kamran encouraged me with the love of the Lord, shared the Gospel and prayed for me to receive Jesus as my Savior.
My whole life was transformed by the power of Jesus and I told my family all about him.
I got connected to a church on December 10 and right away started Bible classes. I started to join all the meetings and gatherings of the church and got so touched by the sincerity, openness and love that was in these people.
My whole life was transformed by the power of Jesus and I told my family all about him. On February 7 my sister Sevinc became a believer as well and I have led both of my parents, my aunt, and my cousin to know the Lord. These pictures are from our baptisms.
I am deeply connected to my local fellowship along with my family and continue to whole-heartedly pursue the Lord.
(Due to the sensitive nature of global ministry work, some individual photos and names have been protected.)
