Daran (pseudonym for security reasons) is a Kurdish young man from the Middle East. His religious background was a mix of Islam and sorcery. In that spiritual darkness, Daran started to have strange dreams.
“I saw a man with a shining face, strong like the sun,” he remembers. “It was as if I had known Him for years. He spoke to me, but in a language I couldn’t understand. Yet, I felt strength and comfort.”
Daran was 13 when he began to search for that man; his search lasted until he was 19, when an uncle visited his family.
“He brought a Christian booklet,” Daran continues. “He gave it to me and after I had read it several times, I contacted the publisher. On my request, they sent me more books and the Jesus Movie.”
Through reading and praying, Daran became convinced Jesus was the man he had dreamt of. He shed tears of regret for not believing in Him. Determined to serve God, he joined a local church and became the pastor’s assistant. His activities caught the attention of a group of Islamists.
“One day, Muslim militants kidnapped me. They said I had insulted the prophet of Islam and beat me heavily. They even put burning coals on my head. I remembered Matthew 5:11, ‘People will insult you and hurt you. (…) But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you.’”
The militants dropped Daran on the street. Barely able to walk, he finally reached home. It took a month to recover from all his wounds. His pastor advised him to seek refuge in a neighboring country, where he started to minister among Kurdish people. It was here that he heard about Bible League’s Project Philip Bible studies.
“Even then, I knew just a few basics about the Bible,” he admits. “I always wanted to deepen my knowledge of God and His Word but didn’t know how to do that. When I joined the Project Philip training, I knew I had found what I had been searching for.”
Daran uses the Arabic easy-to-read Bible translation. “It is so useful for non-Christians because it is written in our contemporary language, without losing the meaning,” he points out. “I want to say, ‘Thank you!’ to the donors who support the powerful ministry of Bible League. God bless you!”
Today, Daran even leads a Bible study group with radical Muslims. “They all insist to finish the course,” he notes with gratitude.
