The Kurdish people have not known peace in centuries. They are a people with no land to call their own since four countries dispute the land they came from as their own property.
There are estimated to be 30-45 million Kurds, and those have faced all kinds of discrimination, torture, and killing. Their lands were stolen and they were pushed out in myriads.
Many of them came to Lebanon, and now, around 150,000 live here. One of the unique things about the Kurdish people is how receptive they are to the word of God. The Lord is working among them—it is as if there is a revival. One of them is Badriyyah and her family. They used to live in the city of Aleppo, until ISIS came in and started killing the Kurds. In an attempt to stay alive, they decided to flee to the city with the largest Kurdish population, Afrin. Not even there were they safe from terrorism. War found them there, and they had to flee once again.
This time, through many perils, they made it to the Eastern boarder of Lebanon. She entered in Lebanon with her husband and three little daughters. Some friends of theirs helped them find a house in a town next to Zahle, and helped her husband find a job. Badriyyah built many relationships with the ladies around her, but none of those gave her the fulfilment she needed. She felt empty and actively started seeking answers. She tried various books in order to check if the answer was amongst their pages. Days went on, and they seemed purposeless. The struggle to make ends meet kept her occupied, but the void only seemed to get bigger.
In the hustle of surviving, the family was in true trouble trying to provide bread for the next meal. During this time of emptiness and hardship, a friend of Badriyyah invited her to attend the Kurdish group Bible study.
“I decided to go. As I prepared to go, everything within me wanted to stay home; yet somehow, everything within me wanted to go. I entered Heart for Lebanon’s Bekaa center and what feeling flooded my being! I sat, listened, and felt peaceful. I wanted to stay there forever. That moment, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. Truly, it did not take coaxing. It was simple; I embraced His salvation. I wanted Him and He wanted me! I was saved. I was a new creation in Jesus. That burden fell off, and that void was filled,” Badriyyah continued.
It did not take long for Badriyyah to join the Bible study group, and soon after, she completed it. She was encouraged to join the missional leadership class held there. Her growth in faith was very clear to all, and there she was, joining others in the classes preparing her for service and ministry. “There, I learned about the servant leader. I learned of the Christian that is ready to wash the feet of others. I learned of the Christian family, and I yearned to build one at my home. I did not just yearn; rather, I went on and built just that. I told my children about Jesus, and shared the gospel with my husband. The Lord worked in their hearts, and now, my family attends church every Wednesday and Sunday with me. My daughters joined the Hope on Wheels Club program, and I can certainly say that we are a Christian family,” Badriyyah said.
Badriyyah spends most of a big chunk of her day reading her Bible. She annotates, write notes down, and reads aiding literature to help her understand the words of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures. Her life still has struggles, especially since one of her daughters does not want anything to do with religion since she has seen what terrorists did in the name of religion to her family, home, and friends. Nonetheless, Badriyyah and her other daughters are there for their sister, praying for her and helping her through with many conversations.
We pray for Badriyyah and her daughters’ faith, and pray for her third daughter to know Christ. Her family is active amongst the Kurdish people attending, winning many souls to Christ, and being an example for new families.
