Then a severe motorcycle accident left Adam unable to work, forcing him to seek assistance from Sheikh Shareef, head of the village's largest mosque. Sure enough, the Sheikh intervened on Adam’s behalf and paid these debts in an act of apparent kindness.
From Empty Religion to Fullness in Christ
Adam carried the label "Christian" but had never truly known Christ. Though born into a Christian family, he lived in spiritual darkness—entangled with the Muslim Brotherhood, his life bore no fruit of faith. He was lost, a stranger to the Gospel despite his familiar Christian name.
But one day, a divine appointment interrupted his wayward path. A Christian ministry put on an event, and there, a pastor named Malik met Adam and did something no one had done before—he presented the gospel with crystal clarity. As he spoke, scales fell from Adam's eyes.
“For the first time, I understood the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice.”
He suddenly saw that Jesus's blood wasn't just a religious concept but the payment for his sins—every compromise with the Brotherhood, every year of empty faith, every moment of spiritual rebellion. In that holy moment, Adam surrendered his life to Christ. Peace flooded his heart—not the temporary relief the Brotherhood offered through material provision but eternal peace from becoming God's child.
“Joy replaced decades of spiritual emptiness,” Adam said. He realized God had loved him his entire life and was ready to forgive his years of ignorance, ready to justify him through Christ.
Soon after, Adam committed to weekly discipleship with Malik, hungry to grow in this newfound faith. Though the nearest evangelical church was 25 kilometers away, nothing could stop him from pursuing the God who had pursued him for 54 years.
An Inescapable Ultimatum
When Adam rejected the Muslim Brotherhood to follow Jesus, the cost was immediate, and the stakes were high…and Adam's debt had become a weapon.
The Sheikh who had once rescued him—paying off everything after the accident—now demanded repayment with interest. He wanted more than monetary interest: He wanted Adam's spiritual surrender. The ultimatum was brutal: repayment of the large debt, conversion to Islam, or destruction.
The pressure campaign started at home. The Sheikh's wife cornered Adam's family day after day, focusing her threats on his wife and daughters. Become Muslim or become homeless.The message never wavered, only intensified.
Pastor Malik refused to let it stand.
“No Christian should abandon their faith, even under the threat of death,” he declared when confronting the Sheikh, the most powerful man in the community.
The Sheikh's response? A deadline. Adam had six months to decide: Repay the debt, convert…or be murdered.
Adam faced a mathematical impossibility—his daily wages as a laborer could never meet the Sheikh's demand before the deadline. The local church had exhausted their resources helping multiple persecuted families, and no lender would support a Christian who once had connections to the Brotherhood. The Sheik’s strategy was clear: make faith so costly that abandoning Christ would be Adam's only option.
Breaking the Chains
When persecutors weaponize poverty against believers, the global Church has the opportunity to respond with tangible intervention—not just prayers, but practical protection that declares, "Your faith is worth defending."
Because of your faithful generosity, when Adam met with our Field Minister Rami, we were able to give him a few months of essential living expenses, breaking the chains that threatened to force this family away from their faith and their home.
“I have been waiting on the Lord with all my heart!” Adam said as tears rolled down his eyes. He fell to his knees with a heart of gratitude to his Lord and Savior. “This—I was not expecting! The Lord has delivered me and my family!”
"Your assistance became God's lifeline to me, pulling me up from the abyss where pressure and helplessness had dragged me—God's mercy and your generosity have lifted me from the depths of desperation.”
Recognizing Adam's desire to build a sustainable future, Rami worked with Adam through our Enduring Livelihood Ministry to help him map out a plan for a small business. Soon, he purchased a tricycle to start a fruit-selling business—helping him become an independent entrepreneur who can support his wife Ragaa and their children!
A Thriving Survivor
Today, Adam remains committed to his Church, attending weekly discipleship meetings. His daughter Maria also works and contributes to supporting the family while his other children pursue their education—dreams that nearly died under the weight of religious persecution.
Adam's story reveals a harsh reality: In some corners of the world, following Christ means risking everything. Economic manipulation becomes a weapon of forced conversion.
Yet it also reveals something greater: No brother or sister stands alone when the global Church stands together. Because of our Field Ministers and your faithful generosity, what the enemy meant for evil—using poverty and debt to force apostasy—God turned for good.
Adam traded the Muslim Brotherhood for the brotherhood of Christ. And when persecution came knocking, his new family answered the door. He would be a debtor...to Christ alone!