You might expect Nisreen to be afraid. But her bold words make it clear she isn’t.
“Let the world see that I love the Lord Jesus,” Nisreen says. “He said whoever is ashamed of Me I will be ashamed of him in front of My Father. So why would I be ashamed of Him? He is my refuge and the shelter of my children.”
Why might she be afraid? Simple: She is a Christian who converted from Islam. And she lives in Syria.
And yet, Nisreen is one of those people who seems to mirror Jesus in her face. She has a radiant face and an unforgettable smile, filled with the love of Jesus—a love that has made her bold and unafraid, even as she lives her life in such a difficult context. Nisreen is in her 40s, married and mother to three girls and one boy. As she is living in a Muslim environment in northern Syria, she still dresses like a Muslim woman.
A love for an unknown Saviour
“The love of Christ was planted in me since I was little,” she says. “I used to see how Christians’ behaviour is better than ours. I’ve always liked Christians and I used to say to my parents ‘there is something connecting me and Christians.’”
Even as a schoolgirl, her lack of interest in Islam was clear. “At school, when we had to memorise verses from the Quran, I didn’t want to do that.”
She never hid her love for Christians and for the church. “I asked my husband to take me to the church,” she says. “When my children got sick, I went to the church and prayed for them, they would get healed. I had faith in that.”
Converting to Christianity is dangerous
It’s difficult to overstate how odd this is for many families in Syria. In this part of the world, there is a daily risk for people who leave Islam for Jesus—pressure from family, community and general society can make it extremely difficult and even dangerous for converts. Nisreen’s interest in Christianity from a young age can only be the work of the Holy Spirit in her life—and in the lives of the Christians around her.
Like many Syrians during years of war, Nisreen’s family found themselves in need of food and other basics. She heard about the food distribution of the Alliance Church in Qamishli and went there for help. But when she returned to the church a second time, Abu Farid*, a volunteer of the church said they couldn’t put new names on their distribution list.
I asked him for a cup of water and if I could sit down for a while. He asked, ‘It’s Ramadan, aren’t you fasting?’ I said, ‘I am not fasting, this is not my belief.’ Abu Farid asked, ‘Don’t you believe in God?’ I said: ‘I have faith in God and I feel that He is always with me, but not in the way Islam teaches.’
Abu Farid talked to me about Jesus for an hour and a half. At the end I asked: ‘You talked about Jesus and you said that He came for all people; is it possible that I could become a Christian?’ He replied, ‘Of course; Christ came for the whole world!’
Nisreen accepted Jesus that day, and returned home, with double joy: “I met Jesus and I got a food package.”
Food … and the hope of Christ
Returning home, she happily shared what had happened. “I told my husband with much joy how the Lord used Abu Farid,” she says. “For two days I talked how the Lord did this miracle.”
Her three daughters and her son also became Christians and are faithful church attendees with their mother. Her husband still isn’t a follower of Jesus “but seems on his way,” she says. “I always read the Bible, Old and New Testament, and I often watch Christian television. I hope that one day I will give discipleship training to other people.”
Only her mother-in-law isn’t happy with her being a Christian. “She discusses with me, we’re always fighting about it: ‘You’re leading your children away from the right path.’ My son Bashar always shares with her about Christ.”
A different life
Being a Christian has made a huge difference in Nisreen’s life. “It is indescribable, millions of things have happened,” she says. “Faith gives me strength. I am not afraid of life anymore. Years ago, I even tried to commit suicide. The most important for me now is Jesus in my life. I see also the difference it makes in my son’s life. He was so nervous in the past. The Bible helped him to become calmer. Every time he gets upset, he opens the Bible and calms down.”
*Pseudonym used
Source: Open Doors
