Testimony of new believer in Iraq
I was away from the path of God, and my life revolved around my work and military service.
I am from a Christian background. However, I did not pay much attention to spiritual matters and only attended church on holidays and special occasions. The church I was a part of didn't teach much about the Word of God, and the emphasis was usually on rituals.
Originally, I was from Baghdad where I worked for a Turkish company. In 2014 when ISIS entered Iraq, some local armed forces who fought ISIS threatened me. They considered the Turkish to be supporters of ISIS, and I was working for a Turkish company. I had to leave Baghdad with my pregnant wife after one month of continued persecution, including soldiers coming to my house, hitting me and threatening me with weapons. I lost my work, my money, and all my belongings.
My wife and I arrived in Kurdistan on August 15, 2019. I felt terrible and suffered emotionally and physically for all the injustice I had encountered. I started to attend an Impact Middle East partner church. There, I started to understand the teachings of the Bible and was touched by the love I felt from the congregation and pastor. I accepted the Lord Jesus into my life. My conditions are still hard on many levels, but I feel differently in my heart. When I accepted Jesus, I had a strong feeling of someone being at my side – one who comforts me and supports me. My wife also accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and we both want to raise our daughter according to the Word of God.