STORIES OF HOPE
Dilara felt stuck and helpless. You helped her find the truth.
Dilara felt stuck and helpless.
Like many young women in Azerbaijan, her marriage was arranged as she turned 18 years old. With the first few years, she welcomed two beautiful children. But as time went on, her family situation grew increasingly dark and desperate.
Today you can help women like Dilara discover hope in the midst of darkness.
Her relationship with her husband was strained. And because he didn’t have a job and home of his own, the young family was forced to live with her husband’s parents. Unfortunately, Dilara’s father-in-law is an alcoholic, and her mother-in-law treats her much like a household servant. She is expected to care for the home, her extended family and her own two children.
As Dilara and her husband struggled financially, he decided to seek work in Russia. She was left to stay with her husband’s parents, making life even more difficult. She was miserable and desperately wanted out.
She asked her parents to help her. But they declined. Without a job and anyone to help or care for her, Dilara felt stuck and helpless and considered killing herself.
As much as Dilara wanted to escape, she couldn’t bring herself to leave her children in such a terrible place. Then her cousin called, telling her how Jesus had completely changed her life.
At first Dilara was hesitant to embrace what she heard. Growing up in the Muslim faith, she believed that the Bible had been changed. She was also taught that Jesus was the prophet of the Russians.
She went online looking for answers. That’s when she connected with a Global Heart Ministries’ team member who talked with her and answered her questions about faith. Dilara also received access to online biblical resources, including a Bible in her own language.
Your support helps people searching for hope learn about Jesus and access secure, faith-building resources in their own language.
As Dilara learned more about the Gospel and read the Bible for herself, her eyes were opened to the truth about Jesus and His Word. She trusted in Him, and her heart began to change.
“Jesus shows me the best way to live,” she said. “By living out God’s Word and praying, my thoughts have changed. I do not belong to myself. And my kids also do not belong only to me. Jesus will take care of us.”
Although her circumstances are still extremely difficult, Dilara has a new perspective. “My situation is not completely changed, but I have hope,” she shared.
Currently, Dilara still lives with her husband’s parents. They mock her new faith and do not allow her to read the Bible or attend church. So she practices her faith quietly, attending online Zoom meetings, hosted by a local church, where she is learning more about Jesus and growing in her understanding of the truth.
She knows God sees and helps even when we feel stuck—and she’s praying He will change her situation. In the meantime, she isn’t giving up. “I don’t lose my hope,” she said. “I believe in God’s miracles.”
Today there are many people across the Middle East and Central Asia who are stuck in difficult situations and are searching for hope. Through innovative technology and digital media, Global Heart Ministries shares the message of Jesus, provides faith-building resources and connects people to the persecuted church where they can develop relationships and grow in their faith.