Photos by Josh Larson
* Names changed to protect identities

“Even in some of the [spiritually] darkest places on the planet, Jesus is still moving. The Holy Spirit is literally coming to people in dreams, coming to people to reveal Himself in such amazing ways in these Middle East and Eastern European countries,” marveled Edward Amaya, director of Ghost Operations for Far Reaching Ministries (FRM). “Now they are sending out missionaries in the midst of their persecution, just like in the first century.”

Ghost Operations is an arm of FRM, a Calvary Chapel ministry that supports missionaries in closed countries. It recently hosted a conference in an undisclosed Middle East location for its frontline workers serving the Lord in highly persecuted areas—to bless them and hear their stories of what they endure as a result of their joy-filled faith. Edward states that these stories of faith under fire should encourage Christians in the United States and inspire believers to pray for our brothers and sisters who boldly shine their light in dark and dangerous places.

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:5

Salvation & Healing

Hawa* came to faith in Jesus in a dream. She described, “He showed me He was the creator of my soul, and that night I accepted Jesus as my God.” When she and her husband, Adem*, walked away from Islam to follow Jesus, not only did they lose their privileges as citizens of their country but their family and community disowned them. They were imprisoned for their faith, enduring six to seven hours of interrogation a day, and threatened physically with execution and permanent separation from their child.

“Even if they send us to prison or kill us, I have faith that Jesus will save my son and protect him.” 

— Hawa*

Hawa shared, “What I have in my life, like my husband and son, I put on the altar for Jesus. If you love your mother, father, husband more than Jesus, you are not qualified to follow Him. When I was separated from my son, my heart was in pain, but my first love is Jesus. Even if they send us to prison or kill us, I have faith that Jesus will save my son and protect him.”

Heal me, O Lord and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise. Jeremiah 17:14

As a result of that imprisonment and Hawa’s steadfast faith, her mother became a believer. She recounts, “After they released us, I asked the Lord to guide me to pray for my mother’s healing.” Her mother’s hands were broken, and she had a mouth wound that prevented her from eating.

“My mother believed Islam is the most perfect religion in the world,” Hawa recalled. “But we started praying for her and after two days, [Jesus] healed her. She saw this miracle and now she tells us, ‘I love Jesus.’ She saw and accepted.”

Hawa’s message for the American Church is that the people of her country deeply love American people. “On [our] television, they show people shouting: ‘Death to America!’ but that is the regime—it is not true of the heart of the people. We [Christians] are praying for you.”

Rejoicing in Sufferings

Reflecting glory back to Jesus, these disciples are reluctant to describe the persecution and torture they have endured over the years, but instead affirm great love for their fellow countrymen.

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“... we have Jesus in our life. In this fire and hardship, He shows up.”

— Adem*
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Adem stated, “The [difficult] time we pass through, doesn’t matter because we have full trust on the Lord. We searched many years to find something—we found it in Jesus. He put love in our hearts. I’m not here to tell what has happened to us in jail, because it’s not important for me.” Adem repeated his wife Hawa’s wisdom: To obtain anything that has value, there is a cost. “We took a lot of pain. The beautiful thing is, we have Jesus in our life. In this fire and hardship, He shows up. He builds us up to build the other person.”

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth. Psalm 115:1

Adem passionately described his journey toward Jesus: “I was a person full of anger, depression, nothing in the world to inspire me. No one was able to take my problems. Many years, I sought the true God—a God who can save me. I read about other religions and followed them, but I didn’t see anything in them. But when Jesus came into my body, He changed me to a new person—once a proud, angry person—now changed in Jesus. I accept other people now, don’t fight with them, and have peace with myself.”

As an evangelizer, Adem proclaims, “I got that [spiritual] food. I was dying. Now, I’m alive. My heart changed, and I take the love of the Lord to people who struggle with alcohol and drugs. I share my experience, and by the authority the Lord gave me, I lay hands on them. I don’t have anything in my hands. I don’t have any high education, not a place in society. But [the] Lord gives me this permission to pray. They come [back] after my prayer and say, ‘All the things in our life are changed.’ We shared [the] Gospel to the person who was [spiritually] dead, and he is now alive. I am not telling you this to point to myself but to glorify my Lord, the true God. Jesus is alive! He is the First and the End—He is forever.”

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2:1

Adem and Hawa remain in their country taking great care while serving their people—mindful they are being watched by the government.

Crazy for Jesus

Astir* told how she and her husband were warned through a vision that authorities were seeking to persecute and arrest them. “He showed us clearly … to hide our hard disks and baptismal certificates, and what He said, we did.”

The secret police invaded their home in the middle of the night armed with lights, cameras, and guns. Astir still suffers from the trauma of her interrogation while they searched the house, seized everything, and ripped her son from her arms. “They took us out of the home, with handcuffs and blindfolded like criminals or murderers,” she explained.

Initially reluctant to share her experience, she was encouraged that her story would help the worldwide Church see the power of God in the lives of those under severe persecution. Astir faced great cruelty from her captors: threatened with physical harm, death, rape, and abduction of her son—even intimidating her with promises of executing her husband unless she recanted her Christian faith. Astir remembered, “They told me, ‘All these things, [your] life, your kid waiting for you. Forget all of these [Christian] things and say, “I was wrong. I’m Muslim,” and you can go out there. Just deny Jesus and go out.’”

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“[They] told me I was crazy, and I said, ‘Yes, crazy for Jesus!’ ”

— Astir*
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She continued, “But I told my interrogator that Jesus is my heart, you can’t take that out. He said, ‘We will execute your husband … and we can put your son in a place to get adopted.’ But I told him it’s not important. The Person I have faith in is more powerful than you. He told me I was crazy, and I said, ‘Yes, crazy for Jesus!’ He cursed me and threw me in solitary for two days. I thought they would kill me, but at that moment, to be honest, nothing was important for me. I said, ‘Jesus can do anything He wants. He would do everything for me.’”

“Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3

Astir was eventually reunited with her son and husband. She is not angry with her captors; instead, she reckoned, “If they are doing all those things to me, they are a slave to Satan. Islam is a tool in the hand of Satan. I’m here to be a light, not curse people—to be light and fight all places of darkness.”

In her closed country, Christian Americans are not welcomed, but Astir sees an opening for faith to flourish through believers whom God is raising up there. She stated, “Christianity is growing because of all the pressure from our government. They lie to us. We must stand on our feet before them because there is not a chance America can help our people. Together we know we can help ourselves.”

Astir prays that her people would know the Truth. “My people are wounded, depressed, and destroyed—they need healing. Jesus can do this, not the government. If the government goes and another comes, there is no difference. It’s not important how much you have or which nation you are. With Jesus, you have all things.”

They no longer remain in their country and feel the Lord has called them to evangelize a wide block of Islamic countries surrounding Jerusalem. “We prayed and the Lord told us to go out. He gave us a vision,” she explained. “Satan has a belt around Jerusalem—this belt is Islam. Believers have to pray to break down this belt.”

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that … there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10

All around the world, Satan uses his weapons of fear and disunity to try to silence and disarm the Church. In areas where there is unrelenting persecution, prayer is powerful. Astir encourages the Church, “My biggest request is, keep us in prayer but also keep the unity. When disciples gather in unity, you can taste the Holy Spirit. If we have faith and unity, great things will happen.” 

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Far Reaching Ministries operates in many dangerous nations, click here to read more about this ministry or visit their webpage: frmusa.org

© 2023 Calvary Chapel Magazine (CCM). All rights reserved. Articles or photographs may not be reproduced without the written permission of CCM. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.® Used by permission.