Former Police Officer: “They Will Remember My Testimony”
Dammar worked for a long time to be successful in his career. But now he has a new calling.
“I realized that everyone needs God, even if they don’t understand it or admit it. So, the main thing for me is to share about Him,” said Dammar (not his real name).
He lives in Central Asia, where the majority of people are Muslims. He shared his story with our partners there.
“My name is Dammar. I’m a former police officer. A few years ago, when I was still serving in the police and considered myself a Muslim, I received the terrible news that my son was diagnosed with stage four leukemia. He is my only son. I considered myself a strong, successful person with good connections because of my work, but I could do nothing to save my child. The doctors didn’t offer much hope either.
“With each passing day, my son was slowly dying in front of my eyes, and I felt anger and rage were taking hold of me. I felt so helpless and hurt because I couldn’t change anything. One day, my son was hooked up to a ventilator, and the doctors said that it might be the last day of my son’s life. I was terrified, I didn’t know what to do. When I came home, my mother handed me a book to read–it was the Bible in our language. This made me so furious that I threw it on the ground and kicked it. The Bible was torn up because of it.
A Miracle
“My Mom pleaded with me to stop, ‘Don’t do this. God might punish you!’ she said. I didn’t care anymore, so I left. When I returned, I saw that somebody had collected what was left of that book, but somehow one torn-off page was still on the floor. I picked it up and began to read. It had verses from Psalms- ‘I will protect him, because he has known my name. He will call to me, and I will hear him; I am with him in sorrow; I will deliver him and glorify him, I will fill him with the length of days, and I will show him my salvation.’ I was a strong man, but this Scripture, which I read for the first time in my life, made me burst into tears. I couldn’t control myself at that moment. I didn’t want anyone to see me with this piece of the Bible in my hand and tears in my eyes.
“The next morning, I apologized to my mom. She told me that, at that very moment, her whole church was praying for my son. I accompanied my mom to church, and what I saw there shocked me- a crowd of people was crying and praying for my son by name. I was secretly holding that torn-off piece of the Bible in my hands again and reading those verses that touched my heart so deeply. Then I called my wife and told her with assurance: ‘I know that God will save our son!’ My wife, of course, was depressed and didn’t believe it.
Dammar lives in Central Asia, where much of the population is Muslim. Learn about the challenges faced by Christians in specific countries by browsing the Open Doors country profiles.
“After church, I went to the hospital. The doctor, who said that my son was living out his last hours the day before, ran out to meet me and said: ‘I don’t know what to tell you, I don’t understand how this could happen, I have never encountered such a thing, but your son is awake. He asked for food, and now he is eating! Your son is still weak, but he is almost healthy!’
“That day, I experienced the happiest moments of my life. I accepted Jesus into my heart and dedicated my life to Him! I decided that everyone should know about Him. I didn’t want to miss anyone, so I told everyone I met about what Jesus did in my life. A few days later, my son returned home from the hospital. We were all very happy. My son’s condition improved day by day.
Count the Cost
“I grew closer to Jesus with all my heart, and I felt His love. All the staff at the police department where I worked heard about Jesus from me. Some people said I was crazy, but I didn’t care about people’s opinions anymore. I realized that everyone needs God, even if they don’t understand it or admit it. So, the main thing for me was to share about Him.
“After a while, my boss called me into his office. He was angry and demanded that I stop telling everyone about Christ, or he would file a report for my dismissal. I really didn’t want to lose my job; it gave me so many opportunities and connections, and I had invested so many years to build this career and get to the rank of major. But I couldn’t keep silent about Jesus and what He had done in my life – how he miraculously healed my only son. I didn’t stop talking about Jesus, so I was eventually fired.
“After being fired from the police, I worked in a school as a teacher. I conducted basic military training for high school students. At school, I also preached the Gospel to everyone–teachers and students. Three months later, I was fired from the school and arrested for preaching the gospel. I was imprisoned on administrative charges for 15 days. I wasn’t afraid at all; I knew this was a new opportunity to talk about Christ. In fact, my former police colleagues worked there, and I shared the Gospel with them. I also shared the testimony of my son’s miraculous healing, to which no one could remain indifferent.
“When I was released, I had to earn money somehow to provide for my family. I had a car, so I decided to work as a taxi driver. Again, I was sharing the Gospel, this time with my passengers. God has given me a new opportunity to talk about Him!
More Healing
“One day, an imam – a Muslim priest, came to me. He said, ‘There’s a woman who is very sick; she has cancer. Let’s go and pray that the Almighty God will heal her.’ I was shocked by what he was telling me. It turns out that he had heard about my son’s miraculous healing from blood cancer, so he decided to invite me to pray with him for a sick woman. I was so glad that the imam himself came to invite me to pray for someone because it was another opportunity to tell the imam, and the woman and her family about God.
“We went to this woman’s house, and I told her about my son’s healing. I told her it was Jesus who had healed my son. She was amazed by my testimony, and then we prayed for her. As we were leaving her house, I noticed the woman giving something to the imam. When we came out, the imam handed me some money, saying that it was payment for our visit and prayer. I refused to take the money because it isn’t me who heals diseases through prayer. I told him we only pray, and it’s God who gives healing. But the imam stood his ground: ‘As an imam, I have to take money from a person for this – these are the rules.’
“After some time, I met that woman in a store. She came up to me and thanked me. She said, ‘I was a devout Muslim all my life but when you shared about Jesus and prayed for me, I knew it was the truth I had searched for and needed so much! My body was healed after that prayer, also my soul got hope. Thank you for your testimony and prayer.’
"I don't care about their reactions. I know that each of them needs God, and one day, sooner or later, they will remember my testimony."
I told her about Christ again, and she cried and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour. Now, that woman is a member of our underground church and an Evangelist; she shares the gospel with other people and prays for those in need.
“In our lives and in our ministry, God is doing many miracles. What we have received, we pass on – we share the testimonies and pray for people. Today, my son is already 9 years old, he is healthy thanks to Jesus. Praise God for that!
“Since our house church has no official status, our meetings are considered illegal now. Sometimes, during a meeting, the police would break into our house. Some of them happen to be my former colleagues. They know me and tell me to give this up – my faith and service. But this doesn’t scare me, because I’m familiar with them and I understand how they work. While we are on the way to the police station, I tell them about Christ. Some of them laugh at me, saying that I have become crazy, and others get furious when they hear the Gospel from me, but I don’t care about their reactions. I know that each of them needs God, and one day, sooner or later, they will remember my testimony.
“Recently, two of my former colleagues –who are still serving in the police, asked me to come and pray for them in secret. The wife of one of these men was very sick. So, I came and shared the Gospel with them, and their lives were changed. They were glad that I came, regardless of their previous attitude towards me and my faith. ‘Dammar, we are so grateful for your kind heart and for your prayer – you brought hope,’ they said. This is another evidence of God being glorified in my life and ministry.
“We talked with them for a long time, and I prayed for them and for his sick wife. She has recovered, Thank God! For fear of losing their jobs, these policemen have not accepted Christ yet. They asked me not to tell anyone that they had seen me and that I had prayed for them. But now, they know about Christ, and they have a firm testimony that God can give healing and peace in their hearts. I hope one day they will turn to Him. “
