Word of Gulzhan’s traitorous decision spread quickly through the village.
She’d been studying the Word of God with a Frontiers field worker when Jesus met her in a dream. Since that day, Gulzhan had devoted herself to following Him.
But she faced stiff resistance in her village, where Islam is deeply embedded in the people’s hearts and minds. She felt happy when winter rolled in. The cold weather drove everyone off the streets and into their warm homes. Now Gulzhan could avoid the disapproval of her neighbors.
But the worst of the persecution came from her husband, Elemes. Shamed by his wife’s new faith, he became violent . Whenever he saw her reading the Word, he pulled her by the hair across the floor, cursing her and insulting her Savior. That entire winter, Elemes’ anger towards his wife burned.
One day, as Gulzhan was reading her Bible and singing songs of praise, Elemes drug her from the house and threw her into the snow. He left her in the cold with no shoes and no coat.
But this didn’t stop Gulzhan from praising her Lord. “God had so filled my heart with His Spirit and joy,” Gulzhan said. “I simply continued singing and didn’t feel the cold as I searched for a warm place to stay.”
Elemes eventually let her return home, but his anger and the beatings continued. But Gulzhan refused to stop following Jesus. She read from the Word every day and experienced renewed strength and courage.
Almost a year had passed like this when Elemes woke up in a panic one night. “I can’t move!” he screamed. Paralysis had claimed his body and filled his mind with fear.
After several days of paralysis, Elemes had a dream in which God revealed he was being disciplined for speaking against Jesus. When he woke up, Elemes repented and asked Gulzhan to pray for his healing.
The healing of Elemes’ body wasn’t immediate. But God gradually restored feeling in his upper body and gave him full use of his arms.
Now he’s a steadfast disciple of Jesus Christ. His anger towards Gulzhan and hatred of Jesus have been transformed into joy and peace, and he’s his wife’s strongest ally in the Gospel.
- Pray for Elemes and Gulzhan, that their radical faith in Jesus will draw many in their village to Him.
- Ask the Lord to give Muslim-background believers faith, joy, and endurance in the face of persecution.
- Pray that their witness will win family members to the Lord, just as Elemes encountered Jesus Christ through his believing wife.
**This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.**
Original article: https://www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/a-traitorous-decision
