Because of your faithful support, a servant of God in a persecuted country is able to share the following:
I secretly crossed the border looking for work, and after a chance meeting (God planned it!) I heard about Jesus and started to read the Bible for the first time in my life. When I returned home, I kept my Bible hidden so I could continue to read it.
But I was caught, and then sentenced to a civil service labour camp. They interrogated and tortured me about the source of the Bible. But I did not speak. My prison cell was filthy, with no light, and the smell from the toilet was horrible.
In this same cell, one day many years later, I was compelled to sing, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ It was a total surprise to find myself singing in this circumstance! Then I cried out, ‘God, please get me out of here!’ God answered my fervent prayer, and after 15 long years in this terrible place, I was released!
The world had changed. My friends were gone, my neighbours were different, and I received many cold glances.
When the harsh northern winter began, I secretly crossed the border again for work. While looking for a job, I met with a pastor. He gave me a new Bible. A passage jumped out at me during our Bible study:
‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:19 NIV)
On that day, I was baptized. I proclaimed Jesus as my Saviour. And I knew that God was telling me to go and preach His Word and change hearts in my own country, despite the risk.
I cling to this passage. As I study God’s Word and pray, I know God has called me to serve Him so I can testify to His love and preach the Gospel to my people! He has answered my prayer for training, and equipped me with Bibles to secretly bring across the border. I’ve committed my life to sharing the Gospel until the last person hears and receives the Living Word of God!
~ name withheld