By the Danish European Mission Field Coordinator
On my trip to a country in Central Asia, I came to a small town in the middle of the desert. The trip here was along potholed roads, with rolled down windows, in an old dilapidated car that had long since been scrapped back home in Denmark!
We pull into the courtyard in front of an old house and I am welcomed inside with smiles by the local converted Christians.
As we sit on blankets in a circle drinking tea together, the convert pastor Barzin tells us about their house church: "There are more than 50 convert Christians in town now, the rest are Muslims. But that's 50 more than when I was a child, because there was only my mother, Zenel Mādar, a Christian in this town!"
I look at Zenel Mādar (Mādar means older woman and is a respectful way to address an older woman) and say:
"Can you tell us a little bit about yourself Zenel Mādar and what you've experienced in your life?"
"Yes, I would love to, and it's to the glory of God!" she smiles.
"I came to this city because my Christian husband got a job in the city. But just a few weeks after we came to the city, he died suddenly and I was left with 5 children as a single mother.
It was a difficult time, but God was with me.
Yes, today all my children are Christians and they serve God. I couldn't be happier in my old age!" she smiles happily.
I was the first and only Christian in my city
"I was the first and only Christian in my town. Sometimes Christian friends came to visit, but otherwise it was just me, and sometimes it was difficult. But little by little, people came to faith and the church grew."
"At one point we actually wanted to buy a building for the church, but we didn't succeed. Now the building has been demolished and they are building a new mosque where the house was. Muslims are building mosques everywhere, as you can see, but we didn't have the funds, and without a building we couldn't register as a legal church, and we felt that a few years later."
A wave of persecution
"One day there was a terrorist attack not far from here. It was Islamists setting off bombs. This scared the authorities and they cracked down on all those they thought were religious extremists and didn't have a legal registration. In particular, they targeted house groups, including Christian house churches like ours, and we experienced a wave of persecution from both the authorities and many Muslims in the city."
"But I don't judge those who fell away under persecution. I know how hard it is to keep the faith under pressure, and I've prayed for them a lot since."
- Zenel Mādar
I do not judge those who fell from persecution
During the persecution, many Christians left the church. It was a difficult time for me and it was very hard for me to understand that my Christian friends not only fell away from the faith, but eventually became Muslim again. But they were under tremendous pressure from both the authorities and from their Muslim family and relatives, I would say almost everyone in town!" Zenel says and sighs deeply.
"But I don't judge those who fell away under persecution. I know how hard it is to keep the faith under pressure, and I've prayed for them a lot since."
The chief of police said to Zenel: "I don't think we can touch you!"
"I was also arrested, interrogated, and put in the local jail several times, but I didn't leave the church and Jesus," says Zenel in a serious voice.
"One day, when I was called to the police office again, the chief of police suddenly asked me: "Do you know the 10 Commandments?"
"I was somewhat surprised by the question, but answered: "Yes, I do" I said, thinking that now he's probably saying that it says "thou shalt not lie" or something like that. But actually I couldn't memorize the 10 Commandments at that moment, so I told him about God instead, and suddenly I remembered them, and then I quoted all 10 Commandments by heart as if I had just read them. It was the Holy Spirit that helped me in that moment, I think!"
"The chief of police looked at me a little surprised and then said: "I see that you have read the Bible as well as we read the Koran in the mosque. I don't think we can touch you!".
"But I forbid you to preach about your form of Isa (Jesus, ed.) in this city, do you understand?" he said in a harsh voice.
"Yes, I understand that" I said. "But you see Mr. Director, there's something I just have to tell you before I go," and then I started telling him about my experience with God.
"Yes, I did," Zenel laughs. "Then the chief of police didn't know what to do with me and just asked me to leave, and then he didn't call me to the police station again."
The judge shouted at me: Who do you think you are? Do you think I can give you special status in this city?
During the years of persecution, Zenel was fined many times for holding meetings in her home. These fines were of a size that she could not pay.
"Who do you think you are? Do you think I can give you special status in this city?"
- Referee
"A judge once got very angry with me because I kept holding services in my home and angrily shouted at me "who do you think you are? Do you think I can give you special status in this city?". I stood before this judge seven times and was fined, but each time the fines were waived after some time. God was with me," says Zenel with a smile, "but I didn't have the money either," she laughs.
But then Zenel says with seriousness in his voice: "Yes, it was a very difficult time during the persecutions, but Jesus was with me through it all".
