Turkmenistan (MNN) – Almost three decades since her abusive husband turned to Christ, Maya from Turkmenistan recalls his transformation with clarity.
“He started reading the Bible, and he said, ‘I did many bad things, my wife, I am sorry.’ He said, ‘I want to apologize, and I want to change my attitude towards you.’”
Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs recently spoke to Maya in a podcast episode. She explained to him that her husband Ilmurad’s newfound faith drew notice from the entire community, including addicts in her husband’s former circles.
“After King Jesus, he actually changed. And the people started asking, ‘Who helped you? You are a different guy now. What happened to you?’” she remembers. “He said, ‘Jesus Christ changed me.’ And he started to evangelize to people, saying he died for all the nations.”
Community acceptance came as a fortunate exception to the cultural rule in Turkmenistan, where Muslim strongholds ensure conversion to Christ is costly. But the exception eventually gave way to the rule. As Maya came to Jesus alongside her husband and the couple began to grow in their faith, government officials became suspicious.
“You guys are Turkmen. Jesus is a Russian God. So why are you sharing about this one? You cannot be Turkmen and be a Christian,” she recalls them interrogating.
Maya and Ilmurad were arrested in 2007, and their release was followed up with continued fines and oppression.
“All the time, they came like they were guests in the house: the mayor of the religion department, the KGB, and the police department. It was normal for them to visit our house and oppress us,” Maya says.
Eventually, the government sent two women feigning interest in Christianity to befriend Maya and Ilmurad.
“After some time, these ladies prepared a letter and said many bad things about the church, about my husband. After they said that, they took my husband, and they brought him and they opened a criminal case,” Maya says.
With no lawful grounds to arrest for religious reasons, officials falsely charged Ilmurad with theft and sentenced him to four years in prison, where guards and inmates heard his story.
“They asked him, ‘Who are you? Why do you come?’” Maya says. “‘God sent me to you to share the good news.’ So after he started sharing in prison, three people came to Jesus.”
Because of prayer support and written letters from believers around the world on behalf of Ilmurad, he was released from prison halfway through his initial sentence. Maya says the efforts of the global church multiplied those of her local one.
“They’re in different parts of the world. We don’t know them, but they are praying, and this touches my heart. I will never forget this,” she says.
After returning home, Ilmurad returned to ministry and fervently served the Lord until his passing in April of 2024. Please pray for Maya as she continues in women’s ministry, and ask the Lord to remove obstacles standing in the way of her people responding to Christ.
She says the most encouraging verse during her husband’s imprisonment was Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me, declares the LORD.”
Consider memorizing this verse to pray over brothers and sisters facing oppression and persecution. Learn how you can support these Christians through letter writing at prisoneralert.com, and listen to Maya and Ilmurad’s full story here.
Courtesy of Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels. Cover photo: Flag of Turkmenistan. Courtesy of Engin Akyurt via Pexels.
