I grew up in Iran while the war was going on. At the time it was mostly a Shiite Muslim country. I hadn’t heard of Christ at all until I came to Canada when I was six years old. My whole family and I never really became part of any religion. All we knew was Islam, and we didn’t really follow that.
About nine years ago I was studying in Montreal while my family lived in Edmonton. They were going through a difficult time in their relationship. My Dad was very angry. At his job everyone was scared of him because he was an angry man. My mother was not very happy a lot of the time and their relationship was very bad.
I think they almost got divorced seven times. A lawyer recommended that my family see a psychologist, and they did.
When I came back for a visit one time, I was expecting to find my parents divorced and moving on. Instead, I found just the opposite. I found them extremely happy. It was a 180 degree turnaround. I was really shocked and asked, “What happened?” I discovered that the psychologist that was meeting with my mother and father was a Christian, and basically brought both of them to Christ. I couldn’t believe the transformation that had taken place.
I started to wonder what made them so different, because I knew who they used to be. It was very new to me. I was very curious as to what it was that made them turn around so much. The change in my parents made me wonder what was so powerful.
Every week they would call me, and they would be so different on the phone. I saw their transformation. They told me they had attended an Alpha course. When I moved to Vancouver I heard Broadway Church was running Alpha.
My parents led me to Christ. It was a starting point, a step into something I didn’t know much about. I had so many questions. When I went to Alpha I felt much more connected and understood why I took that step in the first place.
My time in Alpha was one of the most joyful, fulfilling times in my life. The Holy Spirit weekend was one turning point for me, and the other was the Celebration Supper. All it takes is for you to watch other people transform to help you realize you can change too. I saw testimonies one after the other... people giving up drugs, asking for redemption, etc. That was a turning point for me because it reassured to me that, one, we’re all on the same boat, and two, all transformations are possible.
Jesus has given me a very soft heart. He has given me a purpose. Even when I thought I had a purpose in life, and everything was good in my life, He kind of took me out and put me to the ground and made me really humble. And slowly, over time, He gave me the desire to make the kind of decisions He would want me to make.
About nine years ago I was studying in Montreal while my family lived in Edmonton. They were going through a difficult time in their relationship. My Dad was very angry. At his job everyone was scared of him because he was an angry man. My mother was not very happy a lot of the time and their relationship was very bad.
I think they almost got divorced seven times. A lawyer recommended that my family see a psychologist, and they did.
When I came back for a visit one time, I was expecting to find my parents divorced and moving on. Instead, I found just the opposite. I found them extremely happy. It was a 180 degree turnaround. I was really shocked and asked, “What happened?” I discovered that the psychologist that was meeting with my mother and father was a Christian, and basically brought both of them to Christ. I couldn’t believe the transformation that had taken place.
I started to wonder what made them so different, because I knew who they used to be. It was very new to me. I was very curious as to what it was that made them turn around so much. The change in my parents made me wonder what was so powerful.
Every week they would call me, and they would be so different on the phone. I saw their transformation. They told me they had attended an Alpha course. When I moved to Vancouver I heard Broadway Church was running Alpha.
My parents led me to Christ. It was a starting point, a step into something I didn’t know much about. I had so many questions. When I went to Alpha I felt much more connected and understood why I took that step in the first place.
My time in Alpha was one of the most joyful, fulfilling times in my life. The Holy Spirit weekend was one turning point for me, and the other was the Celebration Supper. All it takes is for you to watch other people transform to help you realize you can change too. I saw testimonies one after the other... people giving up drugs, asking for redemption, etc. That was a turning point for me because it reassured to me that, one, we’re all on the same boat, and two, all transformations are possible.
Jesus has given me a very soft heart. He has given me a purpose. Even when I thought I had a purpose in life, and everything was good in my life, He kind of took me out and put me to the ground and made me really humble. And slowly, over time, He gave me the desire to make the kind of decisions He would want me to make.
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