A Christian ministry that delivers Bibles to underground Christian organizations throughout the Middle East has a new evangelist working on its projects now, known only as Sameer.
And his stunning personal story is grabbing attention.
The group Bibles For Mideast works in about 17 countries in the region, where the population totals about 500 million and Islam is the dominant religion.
There are millions of Christian, but because of official repression and restrictions, many must keep their faith secret.
“They need Bibles, but most of these locations are in highly restrictive [societies],” the organization reports.
So Bibles For Mideast mobilizes teams of gospel teachers, voluntary ministers and others to deliver Bibles.
Sameer is one of the evangelists whose work is to reach out to those who must hide their faith to survive.
But he’s only been in that position a short time, with Bibles For Mideast recently telling his story.
He was raised in a “fanatic Muslim family” and “strictly” followed Islam, the report said.
He faced a variety of personal troubles and pleaded during Islam’s ritual prayers for help, saying, “Please hear my prayer, answer me and help me to come out from all my troubles.”
But he sensed nothing and slipped into depression. He hated life, lost friends and sleep, and ended up on drugs.
“Drugs were the name of the game and it seemed to help until the tolerance built up and he was looking for the next fix,” the ministry reported. “A life of drugs, alcohol, and girls was covering the problem of depression. Although it masked the feelings of emptiness, deep inside it was still there. Wherever he went or whatever he did depression was following closely.”
Finally, a “bad relationship” with a woman pushed him over the edge, and “he decided to commit suicide.”
He climbed on a tree with a rope for hanging himself.
However, from the tree, his attention was drawn to a gospel meeting going on nearby.
Pastor Paul of the Bibles For Mideast was preaching on the topic: “O the man who are going to commit suicide, you don’t have to die, for our Lord Jesus Christ [was] crucified and died for you and granted you peace and life. He died as a ransom for your sins and raised from dead to glorify you as His child. If you believe in Jesus you will be saved from sin, iniquities and all of your problems.”
The words touched him, and he came down and joined the meeting.
“People [were] afraid,” the ministry said, because of his Islamic fanaticism, reputation for using alcohol and drugs and the fact he also was “holding a rope in one of his hands.”
“Sameer explained what [had] happened and asked for prayers. Pastor [Paul] told him more about Jesus and Sameer knelt down before the Lord,” the report said.
During the prayers, Sameer related later, he had a vision that he was like a sheep attacked by wild animals, and Jesus came to save him.
He said he decided at that point to become a witness for Jesus, and he was baptized shortly later.
Ministry staff members say they have several gospel teams in the Middle East as well as in other countries in Asia and Africa. Many of the team members started their lives as Muslims and since have become Christian.
