Source: Back to Jerusalem, August 30, 2026
Daniel was raised to believe Christianity was evil. It was during the years of civil war, following [Tajikistan’s] independence from the Soviet Union, that Daniel learned that his brother-in-law had become a Christian. He contemplated [murdering] his brother-in-law, but the darkness inside Daniel proved to be no match for the light that had begun to shine on his family members. In the years that followed, several other in-laws became Christians. They talked to him about it and explained the gospel.
But Daniel could not accept that Jesus could be more than a prophet. One day as he was walking out in the country by himself, he heard a voice calling his name, three times over. Then the voice said, “Why don’t you want me as your Lord?”
Daniel asked, “Are you Jesus?”
The voice said, “I am Jesus Christ.”
Daniel did not see anybody but asked a question in the hope the voice would answer. “You are a man, why do they call you God?”
For more than half an hour as he walked, he heard the voice of Jesus answer his questions.
It was the beginning of a new life, but also the beginning of much suffering. He began to tell others about Jesus. His wife became a believer a year after him. When his parents heard about this, they were livid. They kicked Daniel and his wife and two small children out of their house in the middle of the night. With no place to go, they decided to go to the small house church to pray.
As they were praying for hours, the pastor came to ask what the problem was. They did not want to tell him, however, because they wanted to hear from God and see how he would take care of them. So, they told the pastor all was well. Later, because they were still praying, the pastor came again and suggested they stay in a little room in the church to get some sleep. This room became their home for the next three years.
It was still war, but God called Daniel to become an evangelist. Everyone knew he was a Christian by now. He lived in the church, along with his family and a group of 15 war orphans the church was taking care of…
Read the full story, which includes some wild stories about God delivering Daniel from those who opposed him, again and again.
See also Stolen Bible led to answered prayer for Muslim, an excerpt from Stephen Barrett’s book about ministry in Central Asia, The Unlikely Missionary. Did you realize it’s been 35 years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union?