Born in War and Reborn in Peace in Tajikistan
I gave my heart to Jesus at the age of 12, but my family fought my decision.
Tajikistan is a beautiful country, with majestic mountains, lush green valleys, and crystal-clear mountain lakes and streams. But a terrible civil war broke out in our country in 1992 and left more than 50,000 people dead. I was born during the five-year war.
My parents divorced shortly after my birth, and I lived with my mother for 10 years. When I was 11 years old, my father took me to live with him. My father is a soldier, and he fought in the war. After the war ended, he became a border guard, guarding the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
From the time that I was a small boy, I liked to read. One day my father brought me a small pile of books that someone had given him. I was only 11 years old, but I still remember these books. Three were religious books: “The Bible in Pictures,” “The Gospel of Jesus Christ,” and “The Life of Jesus Christ.”
Father opened the book, “The Bible in Pictures,” and showed me the colorful illustrations. Those books changed my life. Up until that time, I knew little about God. But as I read those books, I learned about the great and loving God who created our beautiful world. I was very sad when I read that Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. But the most surprising thing happened when I read about the life of Jesus. His words, His parables, and the Sermon on the Mount touched my heart. When I found out how Jesus suffered and gave His life on the cross for my sake, I fell in love with Him with all my heart!
I remember the night when I knelt and prayed in my room. I gave my heart and my life to Jesus and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior! I was 12 years old.
Excitement and Disappointment
That summer, my cousin Aziz invited me to visit a Christian church. We studied the Bible there, sang Christian songs, and went on an outing together to a lake. There I was given my first Bible. I eagerly devoured every word I read. You should have seen me when I first read the book of Revelation. The description of the beast, the number 666, and the prophecies about the end of this world filled me with awe. I understood that Revelation revealed the future, and I wanted to understand it.
When my father and other relatives found out that I had become a Christian, they tried to make me feel ashamed. They said, “How could you betray our family’s faith? You have disgraced us. What will people say?” I did not know how to answer. All I could do was bow my head and be silent.
I was born during a war, and now another kind of war had broken out in my family when they learned that I had given my heart to Jesus. My relatives took away my Bible and other books. I asked them to return my books, but they said they didn’t have them.
I went to a Christian church and asked for another Bible, but my relatives took away this Bible, too. After that I hid the Bible and read it secretly. But somehow my relatives knew that I was still reading the Bible. My father beat me and told me to stop. My uncle even threatened to kill me.
I was scared, and I didn’t know what to do. But I was comforted by the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:11-12, where He says: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (NKJV).
Finding God’s People
I read in the Bible that Christians need to be baptized. I wanted to be baptized, but I didn’t know which church to join. I wondered which church is the true church. I studied the Bible intensely for two months. I felt desperate to know what God wanted me to do. One day I fell on my knees and with pain in my heart cried out to God, “I do not know where to be baptized. Where can I find Your true Christians?”
I heard a small voice inside me say, “A true Christian is someone who keeps the commandments.” I knew God was leading me. I needed to find a church that kept the Ten Commandments. That made sense to me. I knew the commandments — Do not kill. Do not steal. Honor your father and your mother. Many Christian churches obey these commandments. But the Fourth Commandment bothered me. It says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” But I didn’t know any Christian church that worshipped on Saturday.
One day, while I was searching the Internet, I found an article about the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I read that Adventists keep all of the commandments — including the Fourth Commandment. So, I searched online for the address of an Adventist church in my home city. I found a church and went to talk with the pastor. I told him of my journey to Jesus, and we studied the Bible together. At last I was baptized into God’s true church.
I cannot tell you my real name because it is dangerous to live as a Christian in my country. Many people would threaten to kill me if they knew I had converted to Christianity from my family’s religion. Even though it is dangerous to be a Christian, even though I could be beaten or threatened, even if I am killed, I will not change my mind. I love Jesus, and I will obey Him always. Jesus gives me peace.