Names changed for safety’s sake..
In 2006, the year after Iraq had adopted a new Constitution guaranteeing greater freedoms, an Arabic friend of mine, “Ali,” traveled to Baghdad, taking with him several Children’s Bibles that present the story of creation, the Old Testament fathers, and the Gospel in Arabic. Commissioned by my writing colleague, Dr. Terry Law, thousands of them had been distributed throughout Baghdad with the permission of—no kidding—The Ayatollah of Baghdad.
When Ali entered the Customs department at the Baghdad airport, the agent inspecting his bags held up one of the Bibles and asked what it was. “A children’s Bible in Arabic,” Ali replied forthrightly.
“Come with me,” said the agent, leading him down a hallway to a nearby room.
After checking the hallway for other personnel, the agent closed the door and spoke freely. He said he had lost his previous job, and had taken the very dangerous position of working at the airport—considered collusion by Al Qaeda because it involved working with Americans—in order to support his family.
“We live in a poor neighborhood,” the man told Ali. One day my son came home with some food, and when I asked him where he got it, he told me the Catholic church down the street.” Ali remembered the church because he and Dr. Law had left a supply of Bibles there.
“I thought I should go and thank them for giving us food, and when I got there they gave me one of these children’s Bibles,” the agent explained. “As a result I gave my life to Jesus, as did my wife and son. He has changed everything! My name is Ahmed, and you must remember from now on that you have a brother working at the airport.”
Before Ali left, Ahmed asked him for a complete Bible, which Ali quickly agreed to supply. “I want to share Jesus with my family,” Ahmed told him a little later by phone.
Ali warned Ahmed to be careful, because conversion to Christianity can be very dangerous. Sharia law requires a convert’s family to execute him if he doesn’t recant right away.
“I can’t be silent,” Ahmed replied. “I have to share Jesus. Jesus changed my life. Jesus changed my wife’s life. I send my son to Sunday school. I’m a Christian. I want to share Jesus with people.”
In the weeks that followed, Ahmed and Ali began exchanging frequent emails, and Ali was enjoying the prospect of seeing his new brother in Christ as often as possible. But in December, when he went for a period of more than a week without replies from Ahmed, Ali began to worry.
“After a couple of weeks, my telephone rang in the middle of the night. On the other end I heard a woman sobbing.”
“Ahmed is dead,” she cried. It was Ahmed’s wife, Sana. “His family killed him because He lived for Jesus.”
Some months later, Ali received a letter from Sana. Here’s is his translation, word for word:
Hi Ali. Good morning. It is me, Sana, Ahmed’s wife. Thank you very much for taking care of us.
I don’t know what to say, for only God Himself knows about us since Ahmed left. I miss him a lot, and believe me, my eyes are not drying of tears. I have no one left but you. Ahmed left me the two most important things for him: Our son and his Bible.
I miss him a lot, as we used to read that Bible together and pray in secret. I need your prayers, and I am sure that Jesus will not let us down.
Your sister,
Sana
Ahmed will receive a martyr’s crown when he stands before Christ in the resurrection. But he did not have to strap bombs to himself and blow up innocent women and children in order to earn his reward. Instead, he gave life to one woman and one child. For that he died. And for that he lives.