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On Sunday, February 25, my traveling companion Joan Bennett, and I returned from the fourth trip to Kurdistan. Like each one before it, this one was different. Things I had thought we would do, didn’t work out, and things I hadn’t planned on, did! Proverbs 19:21 says: You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. His plans are always best!
I want to share with you the inspiring stories of 2 people – one Syrian refugee and one Iraqi man. I will change their names for security reasons, but I think their stories will touch your heart, and illustrate how challenging living in that part of the world is.
Diane at The gate at Almedy
Aisha
Looking way beyond her 46 years, I met Aisha on our trip last September. She and her two sons left Syria about 2 years ago. An instant heart connection occurred when she shared that she had lost her husband 2 years before, and I shared that I, too, had lost my husband. We visited her home on this trip, and she was overjoyed to see me. She lives with her two sons – one who is 19, the other in his twenties. The older son has kidney disease that prevents him from working. The younger is a new believer in Jesus. She has 7 daughters living in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.
This is her story:
She heard a testimony about Jesus from a Christian man. At the time, her life was in shambles: she had lost her husband soon after she arrived in Kurdistan, had financial difficulties, and was in such a state that she barely recognized her sons. After hearing the testimony, that night she prayed, asked God to save her life, and fell asleep. She had a dream. Jesus visited her and placed his hand on her head, and on her younger son’s head. Interestingly, He didn’t place his hand on her older son’s head. He is not a believer…in Christianity, Islam, or any other religion. After the dream, she “woke up happy.” I am praying that her older son will come to know Jesus as well.
When I was with her on this trip, she shared that she recently had another dream about Jesus. She was with Him, and she laid her head on His shoulder. I have such love in my heart for Aisha. I enjoyed sitting with her, her son, and other women, catching what I could through a man who was translating with limited English.
Her story of dreams about Jesus are not uncommon in Iraq and in other parts of the Middle East. The Father loves them so much that He reveals Himself in dreams and visions. Often, they don’t understand who the Person is until they meet a Christian who explains the meaning of their dream.
I met Salim after a Syrian church service we attended. My contact had preached the message in Kurdish, and I was invited to share a brief message at the close of the service. I was chatting with a journalist in his limited English and practiced one of the Kurdish phrases I had learned when Salim came over and joined the conversation. Before long he shared with me his story.
He was in the Iraqi army in 2004 fighting alongside the U.S. against Saddam Hussein. An explosion took off the lower half of his right arm, and split open his chest and thigh. He should have died. While recovering in the hospital, he had a vision of a man standing on his left holding a book. It was as if the man was communicating with him without talking. This happened on December 25, 2004.
A Christian man visited him again and again, inviting him to church. He finally went to church because he wanted the Bible “to be in his heart and not just his head.” He told me that most men would be angry about losing an arm, but he is not because it is how he met Jesus. So inspiring!
Teaching opportunities
We held a one-day seminar, and I taught on Forgiveness and Renewing the Mind. Often, their concept of forgiveness is skewed by the belief system they have come out of. They are very receptive and open to the truth but have wrong beliefs to overcome, which is why I was asked to teach forgiveness again. Each trip I gain more insight into the differences between my Western mindset and their Eastern mindset, so I am learning as well!
That evening, I was invited by the Pastor’s wife to speak at the women’s meeting. It, too, went well.
The week before I shared at a small women’s Bible study at a different church. Joan and I had the opportunity to pray and prophesy over each woman. One lady we prayed for had been suffering pain from fibromyalgia for some time. After I returned home, I received a text from the pastor’s wife saying that she has been “pain free from her fibromyalgia since the moment you prayed for her.” She also said the woman “was now walking all over Mosul preaching the Gospel and she would never have been about to take all those steps if she hadn’t been healed.” Thank you, Jesus!
The city of Almedy
We had the opportunity to visit a pre-Islamic city built on a mountain top. It was the center of training for the magi (priests) who would study the stars and the heavens. Visiting the ruins of an ancient fortress perched on the mountain’s edge, we saw the only remaining gate of the original four (pictured below). The U.S. Embassy paid to partially restore it. The gate faced west – toward Jerusalem. The Three Wise Men (Magi) that sought the Messiah would have left through that gate.
The area is also believed to house the tombs of Daniel and Ezekiel. Kurdistan is so rich in Biblical history. Called the “cradle of civilization,” it is where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are located, and where the Garden of Eden would have been. We’ve driven through the fields of Nineveh and visited the tomb of the prophet Nahum. It is exciting to see places we read about in the Bible.
I hope that you find it interesting and inspiring to read the stories of people who have sacrificed much to become Christians.
Thank you, Sonrise family, for covering us with your prayers on this trip. There were some challenges and I know your prayers got us through.
Diane Fink Author. Ordained as minister and commissioned as prophet by her church. She equips people throughout the United States and has spoken in more than 20 nations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Her desire is to bring Spirit-empowered change to others through her speaking, writing, and prophetic ministry, by imparting practical wisdom, spiritual insight, and sound Biblical teaching. She currently serves as Director of the School of the Prophets for Seattle Bible College. Her two new books: Faceless and Treasure are available in the Sonrise Bookstore. Reach Diane at dianefink.com to learn more.
CLICK THIS LINK Diane M. Fink (dianefink.com)
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