”I was born into a practicing Muslim family in northern Yemen. I was very devout myself and did everything my religion required of me. I joined the Houthi army at an early age, so when the war broke out in 2015, I was promoted to a higher position. I fought, killed, and had a hard heart.”
So says Adnan, whom we call him here for security reasons. He has told his story to the Danish European Mission's partner organization regarding Yemen, which has known him for many years and trained him in the Christian faith.
Adnan continues: ”But as the war went on, I began to become disillusioned with all the fighting and killing. How could Muslims keep killing each other? Muslims were killing each other simply because they were either Shia or Sunni Muslims. I decided to leave the battlefield and open a grocery store instead, so I could make a living other than fighting. At that time, I was married and had a child.”
Heard about the Bible through the internet
”One day I overheard someone say that Christians were the ones closest to Muslims. That made me start searching for information about Christianity on the internet. I also got in touch with Christians on social media, and we had many conversations.
One man in particular helped me a lot and explained many things to me. The Sermon on the Mount also touched my heart in a very special way. I took steps toward the light.”
Adnan meets Jesus in a dream
”Then I had a dream that confirmed I had found the truth. I gave my life to Jesus, and when I did, I was convinced that I had to share the truth with others. I immediately began sharing my new faith with the men who worked for me in the shop I owned. The men were eager to listen, and two of them also gave their lives to Jesus.”
Adnan's wife filed for divorce, and Adnan lost everything
”But my wife listened to us when we spoke and prayed, and she decided to inform her family about it. One morning she disappeared with my phone and my laptop, and the next thing that happened was that the police showed up at my workplace and put me in prison. With that, everything changed. My wife demanded a divorce, so I lost my wife and my son, whom I haven't seen since, as well as my car, my house, my shop, and my inheritance. The weeks in prison were full of psychological and physical torture. When I felt I couldn't take it anymore, I was suddenly allowed to leave prison, and I knew that God's hand was in it.”
”When I got out of prison and my family and neighbors realized that I would not leave the Christian faith, they tried to kill me. The only way out now was to flee, and I managed to get to another country in the Middle East.”
“I don't know if life will ever be easy, or if I will ever see my son and my family again. But the Lord has given me a spiritual family, and He is my heavenly Father. I have eternal life, and a home is waiting for me in heaven”
”I have lived in this country for a few years now. My faith is growing, and my behavior is also improving. It takes time to get rid of old bad habits, but the Lord is patient and gracious with me. These years have not been easy either, but there is no turning back for me. I still miss my son very much and hope he is doing well.”
”I don't know if life will ever be easy, or if I will ever see my son and my family again. But the Lord has given me a spiritual family, and He is my heavenly Father. I have eternal life, and a home is waiting for me in heaven,” Adnan concludes his story.
