Testimony of God’s Healing: Amina Asir and Her Son
19 July 2023
Tajikistan
*Names have been changed for security purposes.
Dear Friends,
I have a story to share that broke my heart at first and then filled me with joy. In April 2023 an FBR team went on a follow-up relief mission to Tajikistan to help Afghan refugees living in and around Dushanbe. We have great friends already in Tajikistan from our previous mission to help during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
We met with several families and ladies, all with stories of fleeing, death threats from the Taliban, murder of family members, rape, suffering from illnesses, and the loss of all their possessions. One of these courageous women is Amina Asir and she wants us to share her story with the world.
“Hello to everyone. I am Amina Asir, from Panjshir Province of Afghanistan. I am 33 years old. I married a 50-year-old man when I was 15 years old. I have five children, two girls and three boys. In 2021, my husband was kidnapped by the Taliban and was murdered. I had to bear a lot of suffering alone. I was a single mother and had to fight for my five children. I tried to protect and take care of my children but was weak against Taliban.
“The cousin of my murdered husband worked with Taliban and tried to force me to marry him. I refused him, saying that ‘I was not looking for the husband.’ He threatened me and said that he will get my children from me and I will never see them again. He wanted to give my daughters, 13 and eight years old, as wives to old men from the Taliban. After two days, they kidnapped my son, R., and I went to pay a ransom to get him to back. They took me into a room where my son was. They raped me and my son in front of his eyes.
“It was a great shame to us, especially to my son, R. After that horrible incident, my son R. began to stutter and most of the time was silent. I was very weak and couldn’t resist them. We fled to a refugee town, Vahdat, Tajikistan. Life for refugees was and is unbearable in Tajikistan. There is no money, no food, no place to stay. We lost hope and felt abandoned. My son, after that incident, felt shame and cut his veins and wanted to commit suicide. I wished death to myself also. My son many time closed himself in the toilet and tried to kill himself. Many times, I found him in the toilet, laying on the ground, crying. I decided to poison myself, then all my children, so that we would all die.
“One day, I met two men who came and helped me and my starving family with food and clothing, showing love and care. They said that they have ‘Good News’ for me. They told us that Jesus loves us and gives new life, eternal life. These brothers continued to come to us, and helped us with food and a place to stay. They prayed for us, demonstrated the love of God, invited us to meetings where we met other believers. I started believing in Jesus, seeing his love through these simple, God-loving Christians.
“The men came to my house and invited us to Bible classes. I went to Bible School with my children. I really enjoyed Bible classes and my children felt safe in the Bible school. One day, two of the men from the school came to our house. They prayed for me and my five children. We started visiting school and during the school time my son R said that he gave his life to Jesus and doesn’t want to go back to the horrible old life. My son R. started changing and I saw smiles on my son R. He stopped his attempts of suicides.
“It is a blessing to me as a mother to see how happy my children are and how they rejoice when we have Sunday meetings or Bible classes. Our faith is growing and getting stronger from day to day. In the future, after I finish Bible school, I want to travel and share about Jesus to people who lost hope, giving them hope which could be found only in Jesus our Savior. I want to serve my Afghan people, sharing with them about the salvation of Jesus Christ.”
I watched her son dance, laugh and smile with a joy the world says he should not have after the abuse he experienced, but there he was, the most joyful teenager in the room. Praise God for his servants sent to share the Gospel with Amina and her family. They now have a new hope and are growing in discipleship with other new Afghan Christians.
Here is a video of her testimony:
Thank you for giving towards our work to help those in and from Afghanistan. Thank you to Tajikistan for their great help to their neighbors in need. It was an honor to sit with each person and family, to laugh, cry, and learn from one another.
God bless you,
Free Burma Rangers
Please see our mission report at the link below: