Displaying items by tag: Conversion

Joo Min (not her real name) once risked her life leaving North Korea to escape starvation and oppression. But then she encountered Christ in a secret safe house run by Open Doors. Raised to believe Christians were dangerous, she was initially resistant, but the love and kindness of believers transformed her. She accepted Jesus, was baptised, and underwent biblical and persecution survival training. Feeling a divine calling, she bravely reentered North Korea to spread the Gospel, knowing the immense risks. Now a leader in the underground church, she continues to share the light of Christ despite the threat of imprisonment or death. She asks for prayers for protection and courage as she serves in a land overshadowed by darkness. For other stories about Christians facing danger for their faith, order or download the Open Doors World Watch List here.

Andrew Bustamante, a former atheist and CIA agent, was raised to dismiss faith. His mother rejected Catholicism, and his father’s violent death hardened his stance against religion. At 18, he entered the Air Force Academy, staunchly anti-religion, often mocking his Christian roommate Meredithe. Yet Meredithe’s daily kindness and resilience planted seeds of doubt in Andrew’s atheism. Another Christian, Ian, invited Andrew to his wedding. Struggling to find a gift, Andrew felt compelled to journal his reflections while reading the Bible cover-to-cover. By Isaiah, he surrendered to Jesus as Lord. He gifted the journal to Ian, who insisted Andrew keep it, recognising its spiritual significance. After joining the CIA, Andrew met his wife, Jihi, a Buddhist inspired by his faith. They later settled in Tampa Bay, where Andrew launched 'Every Day Spy’, a consulting firm sharing CIA skills in business. His testimony reflects God’s pursuit and transformation, beginning with the unwavering witness of Christian friends.

As a mischievous fourth-grader, Jennifer Fulwiler moved all the Bibles in her school library to the fiction section. Raised on science and Carl Sagan, atheism was her belief system. However, everything changed when she had a baby. Holding her newborn, she realised profound flaws in atheism and felt a transcendent love that contradicted her materialist worldview. The atheist worldview, she found, could justify immoral behaviour from a survival perspective. When she questioned this, fellow atheists dismissed her concerns. After marrying and having a baby, she marvelled at the miracle of life, sensing that her love for her child was more than just a chemical reaction. This realisation eroded her atheism. Seven months later, drawn to a book in a store, she discovered Lee Strobel's 'The Case for Christ'. Expecting to refute it, she was instead convinced by his arguments. Jennifer accepted Jesus and now plants seeds for the Gospel as a Catholic comedian, transformed by her journey from atheism to faith.

Abdul Ezedi, the Clapham chemical attacker, received a Muslim funeral and burial in London, despite previously claiming to have converted to Christianity. Ezedi, who was granted asylum in the UK based on his supposed Christian faith, was found dead in the Thames following the attack on his ex-girlfriend and her children. He had been a controversial figure, with doubts cast over his religious conversion. Court documents revealed he failed to correctly answer Home Office queries about his faith. However, an immigration judge granted him asylum, influenced by testimony from Rev Roy Merrin, who believed in his genuine conversion. Ezedi, who had a criminal history including sexual assault, had been placed on the sex offender register and needed to be escorted during church services. His case has stirred debate on the process of deciding asylum claims, with concerns raised about potential exploitation of religious conversion. Justin Welby recently addressed these concerns, stating there was no evidence of the Church of England facilitating fraudulent conversions.

When Riaan Swiegelaar, co-founder of the South African Satanic Church, told a Christian radio interviewer he'd never been shown unconditional love, she came and hugged him. He said he’d never had anyone do that and didn’t know a Christian could accept him unconditionally. After interviews affirming that satanism is growing, he did a ritual by himself to see what was the next step. ‘How do I get more power and influence? I opened myself up, and Jesus appeared. I was extremely cocky and said, “If You are Jesus, prove it”. He flooded me with the most beautiful love and energy, and I recognised it immediately because of what the lady at the radio station did for me.’ As a baby Christian, Swiegelaar says he isn't sure what's next for him, but he knows he will continue to learn more about Jesus and grow in his love.

Richard Sandland was ordained on 4 July and will serve in the parish of Bromsgrove, ten years after watching a play that changed his life. In his previous job at the Royal Shakespeare Company, they did a play called Written on the Heart, about the writing of the King James Version of the Bible. In one scene, Lancelot Andrewes and William Tyndale debated translations of the Beatitudes. He recalls, ‘As I watched and listened these words came alive for me. Gradually, I realised that I had been wrong all my life about God.’ As a direct result, Richard bought a copy of the Bible and began attending church in Kidderminster. Reflecting on his journey to ordination, Richard says, ‘God has drawn me on, step by step, until I reached a place where I knew the call was right.’

Seth Mahiga, the former secretary of a society called Atheists In Kenya, has resigned from his role after becoming a Christian. A video has emerged showing Seth accepting Jesus in church. He said he had been experiencing ‘difficulties in life’ prior to his resignation. A pastor in the video can be heard saying ‘Amen’ at the end of Mr Mahiga's words, and he then added, ‘Can we give the Lord some praise in this house. Hallelujah!’ Atheists in Kenya posted the footage on its Twitter page, describing the conversion as ‘surreal’.

Sejun’s parents sent him to an Indian Buddhist monastery when he was 4 years old. For nine years, he studied Buddhist texts eight hours a day in the hope of becoming a monk. When he grew tired of being beaten for not perfectly memorising the texts, he went home to Nepal and enrolled in school. Whilst there, he heard about Jesus and started attending church. He said, ‘I found the Christians to be loving, kind and caring. I saw how if people love Jesus they learn to love and care for others.’ Two years later, he placed his faith in Christ and received a Bible from someone at school. He learned what Scripture teaches about sin and forgiveness. He had learned a similar concept of sin from Buddhist texts, but the idea of forgiveness was new to him. ‘In the Bible, I found that our sins are forgiven by the blood of Christ.’

When Iranian authorities arrested and executed his 18-year-old brother for a minor political crime. Hormoz wanted revenge. But God spoke to his heart: ‘Those people who killed your brother are not your enemies. They are victims in the hands of your enemies. When you see Muslims killing others they are victims.’ Today house churches in Iran celebrate with satellite broadcasts of Hormoz. He is now an evangelist in the tsunami of salvation washing over Iran. While Iran’s regional ambitions and nuclear programme dominate the news, widespread underground unseen revival is occurring.

After their son experienced a miraculous healing at the hands of Jesus, Bassam and his wife turned from their fundamentalist Muslim background and placed their trust in Christ. However, as a result Bassam and his family began receiving death threats, prompting them to flee from their home. In response, International Christian Concern stepped in to provide Bassam with a taxi business so that he could continue providing for his family with dignity. He expressed, ‘We prayed to God, but the answer exceeded our expectations. I wasn’t prepared for such a big blessing.’