After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Zafar and Nadia noticed a spiritual curiosity within their homeland of Tajikistan.
“The economy collapsed, the nation was in deep poverty; it was a really difficult time resulting in people thinking about God,” said Zafar.
Zafar and Nadia both sought solace in their Muslim faith; 98% of the Tajik population identifies as Muslim.
Over time both husband and wife separately had deep encounters with Jesus through dreams, books, and loving friendships resulting in choosing a new Christian belief, independently of each other.
Through the love that took place in my heart, I found what I was searching for,” said Nadia.
The couple went to a school in Moscow to study the Bible before moving back to a small town in Tajikistan.
“There God made lots of miracles, there was a vivid presence of the Holy Spirit in our town,” said Zafar.
Conversely, a deep sense of intimidation happened to their family; photos of them flashed on the news as a warning of false teachers, stones were thrown through their windows, teachers bullied their children.
They used to threaten us telling us they were going to burn our house. Police Officers used to beat us up for our faith, but we loved God, we loved Jesus…
“God told us to spread his name to other places, so we moved to a larger city and opened a church,” said Zafar.
Zafar and Nadia worked translating Bibles and hosting secret church services; but neighbors frequently reported these activities resulting in regular raids to destroy Christian materials. Zafar once was imprisoned for a week and tortured by State Security.
Zafar said he had accepted his likely fate of being killed in Tajikistan, but when his adult daughter married a Ukrainian missionary, the increase in persecution took a severe toll on their extended family members’ health. The couple decided to seek refuge elsewhere in the world.
Once their son-in-law and daughter received legal entry into the United States as a part of a program for persecuted members of the former Soviet Union, Zafar, Nadia and their young daughter applied to join them in Minnesota.
In December of 2022, Zafar, Nadia and their 11-year-old daughter flew to Minneapolis and for the first time since their faith conversion, found their freedom to choose their beliefs was protected by the law of the land.
We are so grateful to the people of the United States that they accept us, and receive us so well. The people are free. It is a very good place. God bless America,” said Zafar.
After their long-anticipated family reunion with their adult children and grandchildren, the family was in for a pleasant surprise at the airport.
“We were welcomed with banners and flowers from Arrive Ministries staff and volunteers. We were happy to have people there to welcome us, and who were happy to see us,” said Zafar.
Two of those volunteers, Dave and Linda from The Grove Church, committed to walking alongside the family in support and friendship.
“Dave and Linda have been helping us a lot and introduced us to a really good church that we love. We feel like we belong at The Grove Church since we know Dave and Linda,” said Zafar.
Zafar was also deeply touched by the personal support his family received from his Arrive Ministries Case Manager, Zach. When the two men said their goodbyes at the closure of case management, Zafar exclaimed, “Losing Zach is like losing a son!”
Zafar found a good job and now, on his 305th day in Minnesota, Zafar is setting his sights on global faith sharing opportunities.
One of my hopes and dreams for being in America is to find ways to spread the gospel through media or other communication channels. We have the capability, and we have not lost our vision for serving God.”
