My name is Ismail, and I am from the mountains of Northern Sudan. I spent my childhood in a conflict-filled home and, when my parents separated, was raised by a family in Dongola. There I followed all the obligatory duties of a devout Muslim, even supervising Qur’anic group studies in high school. When I went to university, I was well-schooled in four interpretations of the Qur’an and was very defensive of Islam, whether it was in the pulpits or with individuals. I really enjoyed a good debate!
Yet though I followed all the rigorous rituals which my religion demanded, there was something missing from my life. I was struggling with three problems in my personality: one was my lack of forgiveness toward others; the second was a relational issue with my parents because of being separated from them; the third issue was my anger, which was the cause of many broken relationships in my life. I could not overcome any of these problems by myself.
One of my classmates at university was a Christian. During times of intense study, we would get together and discuss the Qur’an and the Bible. I respected this fellow student, and we remained great friends even after I graduated. Our friendship ignited a curiosity in me to understand more and to search for knowledge about the Bible. Because my uncle was a Christian who had a library at his house, I would spend hours reading and studying the Christian Bible.
Initially I could only understand the literal meaning of the words, not the spiritual meaning, but the profound depth yet simplicity of the Bible’s stories kept drawing me. I wanted to know more. For example, the story of Miriam in Exodus–how she was a catalyst used by God to help Moses fulfill the redemptive plan for his people–was something that slowly began to move my heart. I began to see the whole of the Bible as one story, and it made sense. Eventually this led to my salvation.
After I accepted Jesus into my heart, he helped me deal with my three problems. I don’t raise my voice in anger anymore, I am learning to forgive, and I am rebuilding my relationship with my mother. These things seemed impossible before coming to faith in Jesus. I am so thankful for how he has changed my life.
