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Paul's Story
202 Plays1 year ago
Learn more about Afghans in North America
Link to books mentioned:
Wind in the House of Islam by David Garrison
When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett
How to pray for "Paul"
- Pray for his wife to become a dentist. (again)
- Online courses and license for employment opportunity.
- Wisdom
Want to connect to Paul and support the work among Afghans in DFW? Email Bud at [email protected]
Recommended
Transcript
Doubt and Disconnection with Faith
00:00:00
Speaker
I was very upset or depressed, I can say, because why I'm hating these peoples from rest of the world? Why we hate them? And what if I am going to a wrong way? Make it short. I start doubting about everything I was believing. I say, what? There is no Allah. Leave it. And I just give up on everything concerning God, Allah, or anything else.
00:00:30
Speaker
And because in that time in Iran, I didn't have much connection with the believers. So I just got lost.
Introduction to Episode Four
00:00:42
Speaker
Hello, this is episode four of Let's Talk Diaspora. Please join our conversation as we share experiences and resources and stories that shine light on what God is doing among the diaspora and with you to be a light to the unreached near you.
00:01:01
Speaker
Yeah, thanks for joining us. We have a special guest on with us this week. And so I want to introduce you to a dear brother that goes by the name Paul, who is, we've been talking about diaspora and he is, he's part of this stream of people who are in the diaspora and just seeing how God has used him and continue to use him and his country of origin and then
00:01:29
Speaker
also in the city he's living in now.
Paul's Background and Personal Struggles
00:01:31
Speaker
So Paul, welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much. That's a great pleasure for me today to be with you guys. Yeah. Paul's begin to just tell us a little bit about yourself, about your family, where you're from. And then what we really want to get to is I would love to hear about your journey from where you started to where you are now and how God's been working in and through you during that time.
00:01:54
Speaker
Basically, I'm from Afghanistan, from the mountainside of Afghanistan. There's a state named Bamiyan. And it's been almost from 2009, God, Jesus Christ came to my life. My background is from Shia Muslim in Iran because I born in Iran. And in my childhood, I grew up, I grew up with so many lies.
00:02:23
Speaker
and so many problems from my family side, from my society. Maybe you people are familiar about the lifestyle in Iran especially. But if we make it short, the main thing always I was praying when I was in mosque that I want a personal experience with God. I want to feel it. I want to see because
00:02:49
Speaker
They keep telling us that, yeah, you should go for many things to serve Allah, but you are not worthy enough to experience Allah or all these things. And I was doing my best, like keep going every five times of praying, the mask, cleaning the mask, every single part, but I never have the experience to fill God personally.
00:03:19
Speaker
These things make my life very hard because always doubting that what can happen if I die? Am I perfect enough that God will love me or not? And it was through some of the Christian brothers in Iran that they opened my eyes through some of the lies I got learned in my life, like
00:03:45
Speaker
They said, Jesus crucified in this place.
Questioning Hatred and Beliefs
00:03:49
Speaker
And this is the place that they bury him. And it was very crazy shocking for me that my teachers, my Islamic teachers, my parents, they teach us something different. And I went to Iraq for a holy visit. You know, the Shia people, they go to Iraq for some pilgrimage.
00:04:14
Speaker
And we went there, you know, we were taught that the Western people are the great Satan. And it was my first time I see some American soldiers there and wow, oh, I can see the great Satan peoples. I was scared, but they were very friendly with us, like just joking, laughing, and even some pants, candy. When I get back home,
00:04:45
Speaker
I was very upset or depressed, I can say, because why I'm hating these peoples from rest of the world? Why we hate them? And what if I am going to a wrong way? Make it short. I start doubting about everything I was believing. I say, what? There is no Allah. Leave it. And I just give up on everything concerning God, Allah, or anything else.
00:05:15
Speaker
And because in that time in Iran, I didn't have much connection with the believers. So I just got lost. I came to Afghanistan for the first time and there I gave my body, my soul to everything you could imagine. Track, addiction, corruption in my job. I was a part of the government and anything you think
00:05:44
Speaker
I said, there is no gap, there is no guarantee we go to heaven. I just end up hating rest of the world for nothing. Why? Because my Allah was saying many things. And I said, I have to break all those pain out of my hearts. And in 2009, I met some brothers from a country, maybe it's not good to mention the names, but
00:06:12
Speaker
Yeah, it was very strange.
Encounter with a Farsi Bible
00:06:14
Speaker
They invited us just to their home. We went there, a very nice meal. After the meal, they did the most surprising thing in my life. And it was like putting a Farsi Bible in front of me. For one moment, what if we take these two guys to the mullah? They will pay us money. But I just said, wait, these guys look nice.
00:06:41
Speaker
why we shouldn't do that. And the first thing he opened and read from that Bible was, we have to love our enemy. Like I got friezed. I said, what are you talking about? In Islam, we have 10,000 type of punishment for one small single sin. And still you will not be worthy enough to be loved personally by Allah, maybe by Mullah. And he keeps saying that, no, no, we have to love our enemy.
00:07:11
Speaker
help everyone if we should love those people that they just love you it's not true love because that's a business style of love and that's not what God's saying God love everyone no matter how you are and that breaks something in my heart I said I told to my friend believe me if there be any way to heal all the pain in this world that's this book
00:07:41
Speaker
that this Jesus, because He's saying we have to love our enemy. If all the countries love their enemies, I don't think so. There will be any more war, any more problems. And the second thing attached to my heart was saying that if your faith is enough and the size of a master's seat, you can move the mountain. And that was like a challenging to me from Jesus that I can make my life right again.
00:08:12
Speaker
separate from my parents for so many years because of my dark childhood. So I said, I'm going to make my life again. I want to start a new life. I will stop my addiction. That time even I didn't know about 12 steps or other things. I said, I will stop my addiction. Because Jesus said, if I believe in myself, I can move the mountain. My mountain in my life was the addiction.
00:08:42
Speaker
the hatred towards my teacher, my family, the hatred towards so many people, like so much pain. And yes, and this was a long process, long process from 2009 to 2015, so many up and down challenges.
New Perspectives and Exploration of Christianity
00:09:02
Speaker
Wow.
00:09:03
Speaker
Paul, one of the things that I heard, I maybe just want to unpack just a little bit, is we've been talking about how God is using the movement of people to draw people to Himself. And what I heard you say really early on was there was this interaction with believers in Iran
00:09:28
Speaker
There was this interaction with Americans who may or may not have been believers in Iraq, but it was just exposure to different people and different worldviews that, am I right in saying that God initially used that word really to insert doubt into what you had been taught? Did I hear that correctly? Yeah. I can say it like a sport.
00:09:55
Speaker
Like my mind, my heart was in the full darkness and I was insisting to somehow experience Allah or God personally in my life. And those two incidents in Iran and Iraq was like a spark for me in my mind, bringing a light to start thinking from a different direction, from different side that why we hating two thirds of the world for no reason.
00:10:24
Speaker
Even we don't know, we don't see them. And why we're believing on something we listen from our mullahs, despite that the picture on that magazine that Arab Christians show me, that's the place that Jesus got crucified. And when I'm thinking about that, okay, my teacher said, Jesus never crucified.
00:10:48
Speaker
But this book is showing the place. And when I went to study, what's the meaning of crucifixion? Wow, that's crazy type of torture. And why this thing happened? For what reason? But as I told you, because we had a very limited, you know, the lifestyle in Iran,
00:11:11
Speaker
If you try to open your mouth so much, you will end up in troubles. That's why I came to Afghanistan for so many years. And when I meet those brothers and sisters from other countries, they start answering many of the questions that I have time. But the spark start. That small spark happened to me when I was 17 years old.
00:11:36
Speaker
And the spark final goal was in 2009. So many years, yeah, but the spark started. You don't know when you plant that seed, how much time it takes to grow. Some of the seeds like take more time, but they become so big. So that's the main
God's Work Among Afghans in Dallas
00:11:58
Speaker
thing. I can say it was like a spark in my mind.
00:12:01
Speaker
I love how you say that, you know, it is a number of people that spoke into your life. God used situations and experiences and just truly a number of people to speak into your life. I love hearing that. And because it's just, it reminds me of the big picture, you know, of the kingdom and it's about him at work and not us. So thank you for just that reminder and that encouragement.
00:12:28
Speaker
So you mentioned, Paul, that you're in the Dallas Fort Worth area now.
00:12:36
Speaker
What is God doing among Afghans in Dallas, Fort Worth? How has God been working among the brothers and sisters, but also has God been bringing new family members into the family of God? Is there any stories you can share of what God is doing as a result of all the ferocious things that happen? How is God still working?
00:13:01
Speaker
It's happened to many people here in Dallas, Fort Worth. I just, you know, usually sit with some of the Afghan refugees and even some of the Afghan refugees that they came maybe five years ago. They are much familiar with the American lifestyle. But they say the way, you know, some of them, they learn that we have different group of Americans. Yeah. You know, we have Christian group Americans. We have non-Christian Americans. Even we have the people that they worship Satan. Yeah.
00:13:31
Speaker
But they start learning that, oh, the people from the church, we can trust them. They love us. So, you know, the seed is planting. So now they are reading the book. They are so open. They say, we're feeling that our past life was going to a very bad, wrong direction. Now we can make our new value in our lifestyle. We can laugh.
00:14:00
Speaker
And they are starting the English book. I just say, okay, it's good for you. At least you can improve your English, but if you want, I can get your far revival too.
00:14:13
Speaker
God has brought millions of unreached people groups to North America. But who are the people, where do they live, what are they like, and how can they be reached with the gospel?
Introduction to UPG North America
00:14:21
Speaker
What if there was a resource to answer those questions and more? There is. UPG North America was developed to be a voice to and a resource for the body of Christ.
00:14:32
Speaker
UPGNorthAmerica.com is an organizational neutral website where we have contributors from various individuals, churches, and organizations. And perhaps you have a part to play in contributing content, research, or your technical expertise to see all UPG communities seen, prayed for, and engaged with gospel workers. Go to UPGNorthAmerica.com for more information.
00:14:58
Speaker
Just thinking about what we've been talking about on the podcast, and one of the statements I said early on, and I'm just so convinced of this, is that when we see people on the move, God is at work. And what I'm hearing even with these guys, that they were on the move, they were escaping something.
00:15:19
Speaker
And God put people in their path, one, to be just a very practical help in meeting a need and loving them. But then that was coupled with the Bible, right? So it wasn't just doing good works.
00:15:39
Speaker
good works was part of that, but it was along with a conversation, a resource. And so then now they have the Bible, they're reading it, and then now they're connected to you. And so now they have this connection where as they're reading, if they have questions, they're like, hey, Paul, help me understand this. And like that is God at work, God orchestrating all of this.
00:16:06
Speaker
And I'm just so convinced that when we see people on the move, God is putting people in their path. And then what we have to recognize is God wants to use us. Meaning, I mean, people like me and Rebecca, people who are maybe along this refugee highway where people are migrating.
00:16:29
Speaker
Like you mentioned in Texas. There are people coming from the southern border from Afghanistan because they came in through Brazil or they came went to Canada and they're coming in from the northern border and We just have to open our eyes and say Where is God at work? And I've just seen over and over again in the word and in real life that when people are moving God is at work and then just saying like you said earlier asking the Holy Spirit. What what do I do? I
00:16:59
Speaker
Yeah.
Christian Humanitarian Aid in Crisis Areas
00:17:00
Speaker
When Taliban start this crazy situation, when the Iranian government regime, they do this crazy situation in Iran, thousands and millions of people now looking for Bibles in Afghanistan and Iran. Why? Because in the hardest time, they see that the help is coming from Christians. What happened in Turkey, the earthquake, many of the Muslim country, like
00:17:29
Speaker
They were delaying. Ah, should we help or no? But the first was the Christian countries. Like the first one was the Christian NGOs, charity. Many people in Turkey, you know, they are Osmani Muslims. They are understanding, you know, that spark, that seed I'm telling you is planting in the heart of peoples in Middle East and Afghan peoples here.
00:17:59
Speaker
not just the Afghan like what happened in Afghanistan start making some changes in the heart of Arabs and the Persians too not just in America and every part of the world that why all this thing happened one single Muslim country didn't help why all these refugees coming to US why not any of them going to Saudi Arabia or any other other rich Arab countries
00:18:30
Speaker
That's the question that start making some direction in the heart of the peoples in Afghanistan, in Iran. When I was in Afghanistan, I knew about the story of how fast whole underground churches growing in Iran, for example, because of the seed of love, because of that they were tired of hating peoples. And that's happening.
00:19:00
Speaker
That's not joking like it's happening in Dallas. It's happening everywhere. I know the Muslim peoples here that they are super hard Muslims. But again, he put his hand on my shoulder. Hey, you guys better than us. But still they are not able to break those chain. I'm Afghan Christians. I have two friends.
00:19:29
Speaker
that they are mullah from Afghanistan. Even in Afghanistan, they knew that I'm a Christian. They never go crazy, do anything action. Why? They say, you are different. But because of their old chain, they were not able to break those chain from their heart. But they accept that Afghanistan should have an Afghan Christian too. So the changes start.
00:19:59
Speaker
But see what God's blood can do. Wow. Wow. That's so good.
Muslim Conversions to Christianity
00:20:06
Speaker
And I just want to concur with you that God is working among Muslims across the world in a way that He hasn't done.
00:20:17
Speaker
before, our friend David Garrison wrote a book called Wind in the House of Islam, where he researched people movements to Christ in different rooms of Islam. And in the last 100 years, there have been more Muslims come to faith than in the previous 1400 years. And in the last decade, we've just seen that increase. And it is instances like the fall of Kabul, like the war in Iraq,
00:20:45
Speaker
like the earthquake in Turkey where Christians are responding and the key word is in love, but it's in love and truth. And God is using that to draw Muslims to himself. And so we're just so grateful for you to be with us and to share your experiences and be an encouragement to the body of Christ in North America and Europe to respond to people who are on the move because you don't know
00:21:14
Speaker
what spark has already started in that moolah in your city and they just they they are just dying on the inside to meet a real born-again believer and start to have conversations because they may not actually know too many being isolated so we're just so grateful to know you and
00:21:38
Speaker
get to hear your story and be an advocate for the Afghan church.
Assisting Refugees Wisely
00:21:44
Speaker
God is doing amazing things in and through the Afghan church. And so we want to advocate for you and be a helpmate and understand too, like you were saying, there's another book that we'll put in the show notes, When Helping Hurts.
00:22:05
Speaker
You can hurt refugees by helping them in incorrect ways. And I also believe that Americans can hurt our brothers and sisters like in the Afghan church if we don't help in the right ways. And so we want to be wise in how we come alongside you. And so that would be my kind of closing encouragement to everyone is as we are engaging
00:22:27
Speaker
with both the believers or brothers and sisters, but also those who are far from God and just need some assistance physically who've come as refugees or asylees. Let's be wise. Let's ask the Holy Spirit what our role is.
Personal Prayer Requests and Life Goals
00:22:43
Speaker
And let's also take the moment to listen to the people that we want to help and dig down and what they're asking on the surface may not be what's best.
00:22:56
Speaker
and just finding out what is the key thing that I can do as an individual or as a church to serve a family that, like you said, puts them one step ahead, not two steps back. And so thank you so much. We want to pray for you, brother, and your family. So how can we right now, but how can our listeners continue to be praying for you and your family in this season?
00:23:26
Speaker
The personal praying is like, as I told you, my wife, she was a dentist in Afghanistan. Her goal and her only hope is to become a dentist here because you study six years of your life in Kabul University, you become a dentist for a couple of years, then everything gone. And here I think she has to study two more years again in the university. Sometime I'm telling her,
00:23:55
Speaker
half of your life gone in university. So that's the main prayer request for that that she become a dentist here. And but always I'm telling her too that sometimes God's plan is different. So we shouldn't insist in our own personal plan. Maybe God's plan is you should change your direction.
00:24:20
Speaker
Many dentists change, yeah? But the main thing God's plan is being our life. The second thing that I'm trying to do some online courses to finish and get some of my licensing, that's the main things. Again, if it's based on God's plan, and I need more wisdom than what God's planning in my life, if it's something else, so why I should insist on that my own way.
00:24:48
Speaker
So always the best prayer request I'm asking from people is wisdom. You know, when I have enough wisdom from father, I can choose the right way. When I choose the right way, I will get what I need. Amen. Rebecca, would you pray for Paul now? And then if you're listening, we just encourage you to be praying with us and just remember Paul's story and continue to be praying for him.
00:25:16
Speaker
And if you're in the DFW area, you can reach out to us through the podcast and we wanna be a filter for those reaching out to Paul. But if you're in the area and you want to come alongside the Afghan church in any way, we wanna steward that opportunity and make those connections if it would be the Lord's will. Let's pray.
00:25:43
Speaker
Dear father, I thank you so much for my brother and his, and my sister, um, and even their son, Lord. And I, um, I just thank you for their story. I thank you for how we've watched and heard, um, you at work in their lives, Lord. And, um, may we each have wisdom, may we each have wisdom and how we love one another and encourage one another.
00:26:10
Speaker
and share your truths with one another, Lord. I pray that you would just give us wisdom in our daily steps. Lord, we just come with our hands open and our hearts open and just ask for your direction. You know the desire of my dear sister's heart is to be a dentist, Lord. So I pray, Lord, that you would just strengthen and encourage her in that, Lord. But if that not be the best for her, Lord, I pray that you would show that to her very clearly.
00:26:40
Speaker
I pray that you provide for license and work that our brother Paul is doing, Lord, and I pray that he would be able to complete those things and just continue to give him wisdom in each of his steps, Lord, and just continue to use their testimony, continue to use your, I just pray your spirit would just continue to work.
00:27:02
Speaker
in and through them as they speak into others lives Lord and thank you for them and thank you for the opportunity to get to know them a little bit today Lord and just to be encouraged by your story in and through their lives Lord. May we all go with your wisdom in your direction and guidance and we just pray all these things in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you so much for this opportunity.
00:27:28
Speaker
This season is sponsored by UPG North America. Go to UPGNorthAmerica.com for more information.