Tajikistan: Muslim awoke to find Jesus in bedroom
This mountainous, landlocked country in Central Asia gained its sovereignty in 1991 after the Soviet Union fell apart.
The officially secular state is predominately made up of Sunni Muslims, but the government has taken steps to curb Islamic radicalization. In 2016, police shaved the beards of 13,000 men and shut down 160 shops selling the hijab.
Yet in their efforts “to preserve secular traditions” the Gospel grows quietly in ways that are seen and unseen.
A few years ago a Tajik man named Umut took a martial arts class. He was very surprised to hear his instructor announce one day: “Jesus Christ is the risen Lord. He wants to have a personal relationship with you,” according to a report by SAT-7.
Umut returned home and went to sleep that night, pondering the instructor’s bold declaration.
He awakened suddenly in the middle of the night to find his bedroom bathed in light.
With trepidation, Umut turned his head and saw a person clothed in brilliant white.
His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. (Mark 9:3)
The man in white told him: “I am Jesus Christ, the risen Lord.”