iHOPE Empowers

Strong and Courageous Faith: Caroline's Story

Episode Summary

The first time I heard someone share the gospel outside of church was in a taxi in Beirut. I was in the backseat and my friend Caroline, a Syrian refugee, asked our Muslim male taxi driver if he knew Jesus. I sat in that backseat and listened as Caroline told him the Good News. This week, Caroline is our guest speaker. She was a catalyst who changed my thoughts and actions for sharing my faith. I pray her story does the same for you.

Episode Notes

The first time I heard someone share the gospel outside of church was in a taxi in Beirut. I was in the backseat and my friend Caroline, a Syrian refugee, asked our Muslim male taxi driver if he knew Jesus. I sat in that backseat and listened as Caroline told him the Good News. This week, Caroline is our guest speaker. She was a catalyst who changed my thoughts and actions for sharing my faith. I pray her story does the same for you. 

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Episode Transcription

Karen :

Have you ever held back from sharing your faith, especially with people of other faiths and cultures? Welcome to the iHOPE Empowers Podcast. This episode is from iHOPE Ministries Blue Cord Series for women. I'm your host, Karen Bejjani. And here's a fresh dose of inspiration to embolden you, to share Jesus with women of other faiths and cultures.

Caroline:

When I found Jesus and I found that He loved me that much to die for me, if I think about what Jesus went through, until He got to the cross is just too much, I can't even comprehend what He did. And knowing that He did that for me specifically for Caroline for each one of us that was like, whoa, that's a lot of love. It's overwhelming. So when I knew about that love I was like in tears, I was so happy at the same time. I was like in awe, all that love had never seen someone love me this much. I felt like I don't deserve this love, but still God, Jesus loved me. And He did this for me. So after knowing such a thing after finding such treasure and after knowing that I have eternal life, how can I be silent about that? I wanted to tell everyone.

Karen:

Welcome back Blue Cord Ambassadors. I'll Never forget the very first time I heard a friend share the Gospel outside of Church. I was in the back seat of a taxi in Beiruit. And my friend Caroline asked our Muslim taxi driver. If he knew Jesus, well, he said no, who is Jesus? And then as I sat there in the backseat, listening to Caroline, tell him the Good News. I thought two things first is this even allowed here? And then I thought I could never do that. In the United States. Caroline was a catalyst who set me on a journey that grew my faith, as I learned to share my faith. And I am so delighted to have her join me as today's guest. But before you meet her, let me give you the backstory behind the name of this series. The Blue Cord, when I was a kid, most people in North America identified as Christian. So my neighbors were all Methodist or Baptist. Now our neighbors come from many faiths. And in my culda-sac alone, there are eight nations represented. We can cross our streets and our suburbs to share Jesus. Yet we get stuck when we hold back. Well, there's nothing new under the sun. I did that too. And the Israelites struggled too. God reveals in Numbers 15:37-41 that after another round of not doing what He, He told them to do, He gave his people a reminder, a tassel with a cord of blue on the hem of their garments. Rich with meaning and purpose. The blue cord is a symbol of God's divine commands that we serve a holy living. God who left instructions for how to remember and trust Him. Now inspired by this biblical blue cord, I pray this blue cord episode will be a catalyst for you to be his witness, right where you live. So let's get started. Today. I'm here with Caroline. She's going to share her experiences with you in learning to love God and love others. So Caroline, let's start with your own journey. You grew up in a Christian family in Syria before the war. I am so curious. What was it like growing up Christian in Syria back then? And how did you begin to follow Jesus with all your heart?

Caroline:

Well, as you said, I grew up in a Christian family and I used to go to Church and read the Bible, but I didn't have that personal relationship with God, or I didn't even know what it meant to be born again. There were many things that I would do and just pray and my mom was really a lady that prayed a lot and she would go to Church, but still, we didn't know many things that are related to the Bible and what's the real meaning of how to follow Jesus. So growing up, when I got to university at that time, it was like around 2010 or so. So I had lots of questions in my head and I was always asking God, if there's something real in this life, at that point, I was always looking around me and I didn't see anything real. I saw lots of fake things, even at the Church. Like I would say people go to Church and just like for the sake of going, and there's nothing that real that catch me or tells me that this is about relationship with God or it's about love for God. It was more like, okay, we need to go to church on a Sunday. And dad said we're going to go. And for me, that was like, there's something wrong here. So I always ask God, is there anything real in this life? anything real in this life? because I'm really mad to God and say, is this is what life is about. I don't really like this life. I would always tell God, why did you even create me? Like I don't like this life. So during that time of all these questions in 2011, there was a friend of my mom. She came to visit us and she brought this CD of someone who had a testimony. So that day we watched that together. But I was the only one who was deeply touched by that. And I was crying so hard that day that it wasn't like my mom was like looking at me and saying, what's wrong with you? And that day I felt like God spoke to me in that video the girl was saying that she saw heaven and hell and many, many other things. And that day I heard inside me a voice telling me, Caroline, where are you going? Which way are you choosing? And that was like as if I saw my whole life in front of me. And that day I was like crying like crazy. I was like, I didn't know what going on with me. But I remember since that day, something inside me has changed and I was always searching for more. So after that night, I started looking for answers. I wanted to know more. What is it like heaven and hell and God and relationship and being born again and stuff like that? So I had a friend who used to live in Syria but left for Lebanon. And he always used to share about his faith on Facebook. So that was really attractive to me. I reached out to him and I texted him and I said, this is what happened to me. What do you think? What is that? he said oh, this is repentance and being born again and stuff like that. I was like, what do you mean by that? No? What does that mean? He told me that he could connect me with some believers in Syria, but I told him that I want to come to your church in Lebanon. And he said, for sure, we can pray about that. And inside, I was like, oh, I was like, laughing. How would I come to Lebanon? There's no way. So then after a year of all these things, many things happened in my life. I got engaged and that didn't work well, the war started in my country. I left work. I couldn't go to work. I was doing a diploma. I stopped that many things happened in that one year. And my life turned upside down. I was really depressed at some point I was always home. I couldn't go out It was so dangerous to go out, I stopped going to work. It was a terrible feeling and I'm used to going working and so it was so difficult. I always ask God, or maybe at that time, I didn't have that relationship. So also I would always pray to God, to Jesus or to saints or, you know, so I would always pray that I need a way out. I can't do this here. So one day my aunt and her family decided they're going to go back to Lebanon and they asked me if I want to come. So I said, yeah, why not? I would love to go. Then I had that problem with asking my family. I don't have brothers or sisters. So it's hard for my mom to be like away from me because my mom and dad weren't willing to go out. So that time God has worked everything out for me, everything was flowing smoothly to go to Lebanon. I didn't understand what was going on at the time. But when I got there, I remember it was the end of September on a Thursday we got to Lebanon. On Friday, there was a service and that same Church that I wanted to go to. So I called my friend and I said, I'm here in Lebanon. I want to go to your church and said, yeah, of course. So the next day we get ready and we go and he said to me, okay, well, this might be different for you, a different church, but just be yourself. Don't worry about others just enjoy it and I was like, yeah sure. So I got inside and I saw people are clapping and so happy, worshiping and praying and singing to God. And that was the first time I get to such a church. But in my heart, inside of me, I didn't feel like, oh, what are they doing? Or this is weird. I felt that I belonged here. I was so peaceful and I was so ready to give my life to Jesus. And at the end of that service, the pastor made an altar call and he said, okay, whoever wants to come and give their life to Jesus, you can step forward and we'll pray for you. And I was like, yes, I want to. And I was in tears and I got to the front and I remember they prayed for me. And since that day I gave my life to Jesus.

Karen:

Wow. So Caroline, a couple of things that you shared are just really resonating with my heart. The first was how interesting that you had seen a friend posting on Facebook, things about his Christian faith. And so when you began searching he was somebody you reached out to because you knew he was a follower of Jesus. And I think that's so important right now in our culture. As so many believers are concerned about posting things about their faith on social media because of this whole cancel culture and what will people think. And yet it was because one believer had the boldness to say and post things about his faith that drew you in. I love that. And then the other thing was how wonderful that you ended up in Syria at that very church where you probably never thought that you would be going, how did you feel the first time you walked into that church? After all that time,

Caroline:

I felt that I belonged there. I started understanding after that this was God's plan. It was all in front of him being new. Where would I be at each time? And then I started realizing how God is orchestrating that life of me. Like He knows everything. He knows the beginning and the end, but at the time I didn't know what's going on. I was just following as if God was directing me, even though I didn't have that real relationship yet. But then He was bringing me there as I started asking Him questions. It's always like that when we have questions and when were searching for Him with all our hearts, He always reveals himself in a way or another. He knows the way to our hearts. So with me, that's how God approached me and answered my questions, and showed me himself.

Karen:

So here you are, now you're in Lebanon. You go there with some extended family and shortly after your mother and father were still in Syria, shortly after things turned bad. I'd love for you to share a little bit about that and how that grew your faith.

Caroline:

Yeah, after giving my life to Jesus, I started going to Church every single day if I could. So I was so connected. I was so hungry and thirsty to know more about Jesus and knowing Him and knowing the love He had for me, it was like an eye-opener. And I found a treasure. I don't want to let go. That was my perspective on how Jesus is to me. So every single day I would go to Church. I started going to Bible School at my Church. Everything that I could do to know more I did. So during that time, we all know that when you give your life to Jesus and when you start following him, okay, who's going to be upset with that. It's always the evil one. So I felt like at some point I started to get challenges and things that started to go bad, especially with my dad. My dad got sick again. He had cancer and things were so bad. He was in Syria with my mom. I was in Lebanon, I was praying all the time. And the day I became a believer, I always asked God and prayed that I want my family to know Jesus too. I want them to have that relationship that I had because it's so precious. And I don't want anyone in my family specifically to leave this life without knowing Jesus. That was always my prayer. So after my dad figured out he's sick things were going bad. That was a lot of pressure on me. So then my mom and dad joined me in Lebanon after one year and six months without them. And from there, we started my dad's journey with chemotherapy and many other things. He would be at the hospital all the time. It was so hard, but I took my dad to Church when he was still okay to go. Like at some point he was so weak because of all the treatments. So I took him to Church and I did my best to just take that time, to tell him about God and how He loves him. We would just pray every night. I would just read the Bible with him and just take his hand, pray with him. He was always open to it. He didn't know. He would tell me, oh wow, I didn't know Jesus did this or that. And he would be like in tears and get emotional, knowing that, wow, this is amazing, what Jesus did here or there. And he always would declare and say, okay, I know if I'm going to get the healing is God, it's not the doctors. So during that time, I was feeling so bad. Like, you know, all that pressure and the fact that you're my father. So dear to my heart. And it was so difficult for me to go through that. And sometimes you get those questions that why God is not stopping this, or why am I going through all this? Like, I love God. I started walking with Him. What's happening now? Why is He not stopping all this craziness in my life? Many times I would get those thoughts. But again, always I would say, okay, I know that this is not God's voice inside of me. And I know that God is good through all of this. I was so sure at the same time, I was so sure that the love of Jesus is so deep and so high that no matter what happens, no matter what I was like, even if my dad passes away if I know that he knows Jesus then he'll be with Jesus. So it's not a bad thing. That's what we want all of us, right? So one day I just said to the enemy, I was like, whatever you're trying to do, that's not going to stop me from following Jesus. And I would just go to Church. I wouldn't miss Church, even though I was so busy with dad, going to the hospital, following up on many things, going to work as well. So yeah, I wouldn't miss Church and I wouldn't miss my lessons. And that was kind of like for other believers that we're seeing me to them that was something like, wow, look at Caroline. She has many reasons to stop coming and we don't blame her she's going through a lot, but she still comes and does whatever she needs to do. So it was just like the fact that I knew God is so real that no matter what, I'm going to follow him and he deserves that. So that was the drive or the push through it all to keep me going. Even though at many times I would fall into tears and be like, I'm so tired, Lord, please help me. I can't do this, but still, God was with me and he gave me the strength that I needed without that I would have been somewhere else.

Karen:

When I first met you, Caroline, we met in Lebanon and I could completely see that when you talked about Jesus, it was as though He was right in the room with us and I could touch Him. And I remember you were one of the very first people in my whole life, well into adulthood who I'd ever seen share the Gospel with someone they didn't know outside of Church. And I'll never forget it. It was a rainy night in Beirut. I was in the back seat of that taxi. And you leaned over and you were talking in Arabic, but all of a sudden you switched to English and you said, do you know Jesus? And he said, no, who is Jesus? And I was just in the back seat going, oh my goodness, she's going to share the Gospel with him. And at that point, you didn't even know that you were discipling me. And I always knew I should be sharing the Gospel, but I didn't really know-how. And I had all kinds of excuses. And yet you did it so naturally, so authentically, so lovingly you knew Jesus so intimately and you wanted him to know too. And so at that moment, I wanted what you were having. I wanted to do what you did. And I know it wasn't just him you were sharing the Gospel with then. So I'd love for you to share what drove you or compelled you to share Jesus with the people around you?

Caroline:

So when I found Jesus and I found that He loved me that much to die for me, if I think about what Jesus went through, until He got to the cross, it just too much, I can't even comprehend what He did. And knowing that He did that for me specifically for Caroline for each one of us that was like, whoa, that's a lot of love. It's overwhelming. So when I knew about that love, I was like in tears, I was so happy at the same time. I was like in awe, all that love. I've never seen someone love me this much. I felt like I don't deserve this love, but still God, Jesus loved me. And He did this for me. So after knowing such a thing after finding such treasure and after knowing that I have eternal life, how can I be silent about that? I wanted to tell everyone that Holy Spirit in me was like, just nudging me all the time and I had lots of love for people. The Caroline that was before is different. I was a different person. I wasn't the Caroline after Jesus. So after knowing Jesus, I had lots of love for everyone, regardless of who you are, what's your religion. Even if you love me or not, I had that crazy love that God had for us. So that's what compelled me and drove me and pushed me to share my faith with others. Every time I could, I felt like, I need to tell them about Jesus. I need to tell them about what happened to me. They can have it too.

Karen:

Well now God's taken you out of Lebanon well first from Syria to Lebanon And now He's miraculously brought you to Canada. And now you're a refugee all over again. And you're getting used to a totally new culture and a new way colder way of life. So it's always a journey. We have highs and we have lows. And the one thing that we can count on through it all is that God loves us and He's directing our path and He'll direct our mouths. And I'm just so grateful, Caroline, for you joining today and for sharing your journey. And I pray that it inspires someone today. I do want to just kind of bookend the story that we started at the beginning. Just before the pandemic. I landed in a big international airport after a really long flight. And I popped into a taxi and I realized that my taxi driver might be Muslim. And I had all these flashbacks, Caroline of my time with you sitting in the back seat of that taxi ride. And I could just feel the presence of the Holy Spirit pressing on my heart. You know, that hot feeling you get across your chest and in your throat like I knew I should strike up a conversation with him and mention that I was a follower of Jesus. And so in the moment, I knew if I did not, I would be disobedient. So I took a deep breath and I made that leap and I said, hey, tell me about you. I'm a follower of Jesus and here's what that means and I quoted Romans 10:9 with him. And the next thing you know, he said, oh, I don't know much about Jesus. I've always wondered about Jesus. Tell me about Him. And in that moment, I had an opportunity to just to pray, Lord, don't let me mess this up. And I had the opportunity to tell him about Jesus. And there was a moment he got really quiet on that taxi ride home. It was a long ride home. And I thought I'd messed it up. But when we pulled into our cul-de-sac and he parked the car, he said, would you pray with me right now that God's Holy Spirit would reveal the truth to me about Jesus? Well, I about fell out of that taxi in that moment. So there we were in the cul-de-sac, he had popped the trunk of my car, picked my luggage out, and in the center of our cul-de-sac. We prayed together as my atheist neighbors watched on that God's Holy Spirit would reveal the truth to him about Jesus. And so I know Caroline that you were the catalyst that modeled for me what that could look like. And that helped me see myself in God's story and emboldened me to share. And so listeners, my Blue Cord Ambassador friend, as we close out our time together. I just want to leave you with one thing to think about and talk about with your faith-filled friends this week. And that is this. When was the last time you observed someone share the Gospel like Caroline? I was well into my forties and it was the first time I'd ever heard someone share the Gospel outside of Church with someone who wasn't a family member and it was the first time someone had ever modeled it for me. And when she did that for me, I realized I could do it too. So Caroline was the catalyst in my life who changed my thoughts and that changed my actions. And so I pray this Blue Cord Podcast episode today will do the same for you Bye-bye. Thanks for listening to this podcast. A donor-supported series from iHOPE Ministries. For more bite-sized things to know and do to share your faith with intention, follow us on Instagram @ihopeministries then go to ihopeministries.org and sign up for our weekly e-newsletter. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts and subscribe wherever you listen. Your review helps the show empower more everyday Christians with the courage, confidence, and know-how to share Jesus in our generation. See you next time.