It was a great joy to be able to see Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev alive. He was wrongfully sentenced to four years in prison in Turkmenistan, but was released after about 1½ years. The Danish European Mission supported the pastor with food and clothing, and gave readers of the magazine and e-newsletter the opportunity to write encouraging letters to him.
He said: "I thank my Lord because I can praise Him and testify to His name. Thank you for praying for me and my family. Thank you to the international organizations that prayed and supported us and those who sent letters when I was in prison.
The prayers filled my heart and I could testify about Jesus.
I used my training as a hairdresser in prison and had the opportunity to talk to my fellow inmates. One of them was a hardened criminal with great power in the prison. I didn't know how to start the conversation with him, so I said that the Father had sent me. In the criminal world, it's a name for a mafia boss.
I quoted Isaiah 61 to him. He did not become a Christian, but others listened and became Christians, even a mullah." He sang Christian songs of praise with the mullah. The mullah learned the songs and asked if Ilmurad would pray for him. In prison, he spent time in prayer and God led him to the people he should tell about Jesus.
Pastor Ilmurad was sentenced to four years in prison for "causing significant losses to the citizen". What the authorities thus called fraud, however, is what the church perceives as tithing, i.e. the voluntary payment of ten percent of personal income to the congregation, which is a biblical principle. Several witness statements against Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev also turned out to be fabricated.
Pastor Ilmurad's exemplary behavior was noticed in prison. Unlike others, he did not drink or take drugs.
