You hear of people seeing visions and dreams. We at 4G3 get to meet them face-to-face and hear their stories.
SM is a graduate of 4G3 Discipleship Institutes.
This is his story: I was born in 1992. I worked as a butcher in Syria. When the war started, I enlisted in the Syrian army. It was compulsory for all men over eighteen. I served under Bashar al Assad's regime in Dar3a and Edleb, then in Aleppo. Those three places had the most brutal war. I was in the special forces. In army training, they teach us to be heartless. We must obey if they demand us to kill even our mother or father. I've watched many friends and army buddies die before my eyes. There was nowhere to bury the corpses. Of 430 soldiers who enlisted with me from Aleppo, only 100 returned. All the rest were dead. One night, after I finished my night watch, I went to the barracks to sleep. That night, I had my first vision: I was standing on a high mountain. The valley below was full of corpses floating in a sea of blood. Suddenly, two men appear beside me. They are wearing bright, shiny white robes. Each one had a scepter in his hand. I could not see their faces because they were so shiny. One put his hand over my left shoulder; the other put his hand on my right shoulder. One said, "Son, if you continue on this road, you will surely die. You will be saved only if you leave this road and walk this way." He said, pointing in the opposite direction. I woke up covered in sweat. In the morning, when the officer came to wake us all up. I put my rifle down. After my vision, I did not want to fight anymore and told him as much. The officer screamed, "You are a traitor. I need to report you. " "I need some leave," I answered back. "There is no leave during the war. If you want to leave, you need to give me money." I did not have one dime. I rummaged through the ruins of homes that we had bombed and found cash. I had around $20. When I gave it to the officer, he said, "24-hour vacation." Because I served in Al Assad's army, I was wanted by ISIS. I rummaged again through the ruins and got the ID of a dead person. I removed my army clothes and started walking away from my barracks. I passed through the first and second checkpoints effortlessly. At the third checkpoint, which was an ISIS-dominated checkpoint, they recognized that this was an ID of a dead person. They immediately took me and put me in a dark dungeon where I could not even see my hand. It was Friday. All ISIS men went for their Friday prayers. On their return, one of the ISIS men flashed his light. I saw thirty other prisoners in the dungeon. All tortured and in pain. I was the only Kurdish person among them. When they learned I was a Kurd, they decided to kill me there and then. A man with a huge beard, carrying an enormous sword, put my neck over a plank of wood that they use to chop off heads. "Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar." The man was screaming out loud. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a fighter jet started hurling bombs, and chaos ensued in the camp. I do not know precisely how I fled, left the place, or found myself safe on the road. I do not know what happened. I returned to see my family, then fled to Turkey. I had another vision in Turkey: a green pasture with a little cottage in the middle. I saw the same two men whom I saw in the first vision. They were standing in front of the cottage. They asked me, "What do you want?" "I am very thirsty," I responded. "Get into that cottage. Someone is waiting for you in there who will give you water like you have never tasted before. But you need to close your eyes from the splendor of the light of His face." THE LIGHT WAS SO BRILLIANT when I opened the cottage door that I was forced to lower my head. I saw two nail-pierced feet when I stooped down. Jesus lifted me up and gave me a drink. "Wake up, SM." I heard my mother's voice. My mother woke me up and told me to go to work. I looked around, not knowing where I was. I started asking around about this dream. The Islamic sheiks made fun of me. "Are you better than us that you see such a vision?" A few days later, I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I started going to church and experiencing the love of Jesus. The first time I entered the church and the pastor greeted me, I sensed my stone heart shatter and be replaced with a heart that loves those around me. As a former soldier, I never expected to have a gentle heart again. I had so much love in my heart that I was amazed at myself, not knowing who I had become. I was indeed a new creature. I thank Jesus that He came and died for my sins on the cross. He says, "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I was heavily laden, and he gave me rest. I cannot thank him enough.
Thank you for making stories like this possible with your prayers and support. It’s a joy to partner with you to make disciples, who make disciples.
Grateful for you,
Dr. Wahid and Laila Wahba
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