Today was great! Steven brought a girl from Tajikistan, named Gulizor, to stay with us at Alma for the week. She came up and gave her testimony to the class, and was it powerful!
She grew up in Muslim home, with no access to the Word of God. At 16, she was tired of carrying the financial burden of her family and working in a mans position, so she tried to commit suicide by jumping off of the bridge. Each time she tried to leap off, there were invisible-yet very physical- hands pushing her back off the ledge unto the ground. This happened 3 times before she realized there was a reason she couldn't. All the time, she had been crying out to any god out there to save her. That same day, upon arriving home, her best friend had come back from South Africa with an important message for her: the gospel. Her friend told her about Jesus and left a notebook containing a few scriptures to help lead her.
She grew up in Muslim home, with no access to the Word of God. At 16, she was tired of carrying the financial burden of her family and working in a mans position, so she tried to commit suicide by jumping off of the bridge. Each time she tried to leap off, there were invisible-yet very physical- hands pushing her back off the ledge unto the ground. This happened 3 times before she realized there was a reason she couldn't. All the time, she had been crying out to any god out there to save her. That same day, upon arriving home, her best friend had come back from South Africa with an important message for her: the gospel. Her friend told her about Jesus and left a notebook containing a few scriptures to help lead her.
After 3 years, she saved all her salary and went out searching town to town to look for a Bible. She couldn't find one. She knew she needed more, and had to learn more about this Jesus she learned briefly about from her friend that she believed in. The Lord led her to a stranger and she asked the stranger if she knew where she could buy a Bible from. Silently the woman gave her her phone number and fled. She called the woman and the woman gave her the address to her home. Come to find out, she was a German missionary. She gave her a Bible and sent her on her way. This all had to be done very secretly because at this time, Christians were murdered. They were completely not allowed.
She returned home but suffered severe persecution. Her parents thought she was crazy, and wanted her to stop her evil ways and return to the Muslim faith. The leaders of the local mosque began physically torturing both of her parents upon end to try and get her to denounce her faith. She knew she had no choice, she couldn't do it. So her parents suffered and she cried endlessly begging the leaders to take her instead- to torture and kill her instead (because she knew she had eternal life anyway). Some time later, she apologized to her father with her entire heart. And her father silently told her "Do not apologize. I know your way is the right way". He told her that he believed what she did, but had to in secret out of fear.
After that, she was forced to move away out of fear for her life. She has now been serving the Lord 8 years in ministry. Praise the Lord. All from a quick afternoon with an old friend who told her the gospel. She has changed the lives of many Muslim girls, and is changing Tajikistan. How inspiring!!!
Please pray for Gulizor and her ministry!
After class, I went with Bliss and Jenn to read the Bible at the coffee shop. I love reading the Word with them and bouncing ideas back and forth. We are reading the entire story of David. So interesting. When we all read it, we each pick up on different pieces the others never saw. I love learning so much this way!
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