Changed By Jesus #32

By Ali, Ballard campus

I was born in Tehran, Iran, on September 17, 1980. The country was in the second year of a long war, and my father was a captain in the Air Force. By the time I was five, I had two brothers, and my father decided to move us to the U.S.

The year was 1985. My mother, my brothers, and I set off for Turkey, where my father would meet us. Along with a friend, my father deserted his military post and fled Iran through the mountains in the middle of winter. He nearly died, but eventually made it to Turkey. Once we obtained our visas, our family moved on to Germany.

We lived in Germany for two years. I was picked on a little, and I learned we were different. But I also learned that I could fight, and I was not scared to take a punch. We experienced a lot of hardship, and my father decided it was time to head to the U.S.

We moved to Pittsburg, California, and I did not want to be there at all. We were the only non-black family in the neighborhood, and none of us spoke a word of English. I had experienced racism throughout my life, but it really started when I moved to California.

The apartment complex we lived in was particularly bad—there were drug dealers, pimps and prostitutes, gangsters, and just thugs in training.

I lived in California for eight years, which is 2,920 days; I was in at least one fight every day I was there. I was arrested for assault and battery for the first time when I was in 6th grade. Some kid called my mom names; if I did not beat him up, then I would get the beating the next day. I spent a lot of time with police officers, but never in jail.

My father had left us, but I did not miss him because I did not know him. My parents remarried in 1995, but when I was supposed to be learning about fishing and God from my dad, I was learning combat and other criminal activity. I learned to fight, and I was good at it. God gave me many physical gifts; I had a man’s body at age 14, and I was full of rage. My friends were felons, killers, and gangsters. They accepted me. I was there for all the wrong we did. I said nothing.

Life got much darker for many years.

In 2008, I finally hit rock bottom. I lost all the worldly things I worshiped, and I didn’t care about life anymore. All my life I wanted to be a professional athlete. I felt like I had failed. But that was when God filled me with His Spirit, and told me to go to church, to ask my buddy for my old job back, and to worship Jesus Christ.

I had never even opened the Bible—or any other religious book, for that matter. But I obeyed God. I called Sean and apologized to him personally, then asked for my job back. I spent the next year working for him, and we talked about Jesus and salvation the whole time. He also helped me to Mars Hill Church.

In March 2008, I was baptized at the Ballard campus with the help of Pastor Bubba.

I met Evie at the small group I had started to attend, and I married her a few months later. Our baby girl will be born in April. I never thought I would be where I am today—and I wouldn’t be without the grace of God and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.