Horizons’ Kurdish Church ministry, Dêra Kurdî, has been a beacon of hope for Kurdish Syrians in Lebanon, many of whom come from predominantly Muslim and Yazidi backgrounds. Through weekly services, home visits, and social media outreach, the church has impacted hundreds of thousands of Kurds worldwide.

Despite facing significant challenges, including racism and prejudice, the ministry continues to grow, with new believers coming to Christ each month. Through discipleship courses, small groups, and conferences, the team nurtures the faith of men and women, helping them embrace the gospel and deepen their relationship with Jesus.

Amidst these challenges, lives are being transformed. Here are three stories of individuals who found hope, faith, and community through the Kurdish Church.

Nazira Khalil Ali

My name is Nazira. I was born in a Muslim home in Syria, but my family comes from a Kurdish background. I had a very hard childhood because my father passed away when I was very young, and since then, I blamed God all my life.

I grew up, got married, and due to war and poor living conditions, my husband and I had to move to Lebanon, thinking things would be better for us. We lived in an apartment and had nothing for months, sleeping on bed sheets on the floor and not being able to cook because we didn’t even have a stove. However, I encountered something new. The apartment was in a building filled with Christians, people I had never met before. I thought they were different from us, that they had it all, were allowed to do anything they wanted, and believed they could enter heaven. I knew I was supposed to go through hardship and be very religious to enter heaven in the afterlife. But I noticed an amazing love among them; they were so humble and filled with love for each other and themselves. They showed love to me as well.

At that time, I was so angry at God that I declared myself an atheist. My eldest son began to struggle with nightmares, hearing and seeing strange things in the house. He was not okay, and I couldn’t help him. I did everything my religion asked me to: take him to a sheikh, have him perform some rituals, maybe hang amulets on him, or even try some magic, but nothing worked. I lashed out at God again, asking why He hated me, why He didn’t protect me from these things, and why He created me. I felt I didn’t deserve this.

What truly changed everything was my sister, who was living with me. She once mentioned that her friend from a Yazidi background wanted to visit us. This lady came and told me she had adopted the Christian faith and started telling me about Jesus and how He heals and brings true happiness. I was confused because I had never heard of Kurds being Christians. She explained that when they came to Lebanon, they believed in Jesus Christ, and what He did for them was amazing. Her sister was sick and dying, but a group from the Kurdish church ministry prayed over her, and she was healed in Jesus’ name.

Hearing this, I held her hands and started crying, asking if it was possible that there was a God who still saves and heals. I told her about my kids and asked her to have those people pray for them. She told me something that resonated deeply: “It’s not those people who healed my sister; it’s Jesus. So if you believe, trust that He will heal your children.”

The very next day, a group from the Kurdish church came and prayed with my kids, and that night they slept like babies. I started thanking God in a way I had never done before. Was it truly my faith in Jesus that saved my kids from those nightmares? Since then, my children have not had a single nightmare. My oldest son stopped seeing things, and my little one, who didn’t speak at all, started talking and communicating with us powerfully. I knew it was the Holy Spirit that set him free.

The Lord also set me free. I used to say I was alive but dead inside, questioning why the Lord created me. Now, I know my precious value in the eyes of the Lord; He gave me peace. I gave my life to Christ and now serve Him wholeheartedly. I have experienced what it means to take heart in all circumstances and troubles because I had to take on the responsibility of my two children on my own, which was so hard for me. I went through a lot, and I know I couldn’t have done it without God’s hand in my life.

What was enough for me was the peace of Jesus, which I hadn’t found anywhere else before. This is what kept me going during every trial and hardship. Now, I serve at the Kurdish church on the worship team and am raising my kids to love Him.

Alan Sido

My name is Alan, and I am 24 years old. I come from a background of hardship in Syria, where I grew up as a Kurdish Yazidi. Our troubles began when my father had to leave for financial reasons. Six months later, we joined him, needing to support our family with him.

I have vivid memories of my school in Syria before the war. I was so attached to it. I remember so clearly the day the war began. My brother and I were at school that day. However, the Lord had a plan to make us leave at four, right before they attacked our school, and it was bombed. From our home, we saw people slaughtering one another in the streets. This saddens me because it also took away my chance to pursue my education. I had to start working at 12 years old, especially after we moved to Lebanon. I started hanging out with people I didn’t know, and they taught me how to drink and do other wrong things. I began drinking alcohol but didn’t tell my parents. Many times, I wanted to drown myself in the sea next to the apartment we were living in. I even thought of going back to Syria to die in the war. I say this with a broken heart—I never had anyone to talk to, and I was devastated mentally.

My aunts knew the Lord and would talk to me about Jesus. Our Yazidi culture made us a religious family, but I was curious to know what the oldest religion was and was convinced it wasn’t Islam. I wanted to read and learn, I asked around but there were no answers. Surely, my parents rejected what my aunts said. Once there was an event my aunt invited me to, and I went. I was encouraged and attended. Here, the Lord did something amazing.

Pastor Nihad was preaching about God’s love and why we are called to be sons of our Father God. When he was done, he invited us to pray. I raised my hand, thinking he was welcoming people, and he asked me to come forward. I went to the back because I wasn’t convinced, closed my eyes, and felt the Lord freeing me. It was as if I were staring into the sun. As I was receiving my healing, someone put his hand on my shoulder and told me, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” I had never heard these words before, and he said them in Kurdish. Something told me this was Jesus. The rest of the servants prayed for me and asked if I wanted to give my life to Christ, and I accepted.

Two years later, it felt like I had come out of a dark cave. Through my faith journey, the Lord did amazing things. He said I would reach what I couldn’t in my goals to pursue an education by pursuing Him. I experienced changes and fought sexual desires during my adolescence, but I battled it with God’s grace. The Lord gave me a gift for singing, allowing me to join the worship team. I also started managing the social media accounts for the Kurdish church ministry.

Now, with the help of 12 others at our church, we’re reaching thousands of Kurds online and I’m grateful for the Lord to use me in His kingdom.

Sylva Hassan

My name is Sylva. I am married to Pastor Nihad, and we have two children, John and Joya. I studied sociology and am from Afrin. I am the youngest of 10 children. My father was not present most of the time, and my mother was a perseverant and bold woman. She wanted us to accomplish our dreams and took us to Aleppo, Syria, so we could take on responsibility by pursuing education and securing good jobs. Independence and self-reliance helped to shape my personality.

During the war, we saw the horrors that conflict brings. When we arrived in Lebanon, we faced discrimination. I wasn’t paid well, and I was assaulted both physically and verbally. I was hurt, far from my family, and deprived of security. As a refugee, I came to survive, not to plan for a future.

The hardships were overwhelming. I had no one. I felt that God was not with me. I became an atheist because of the pain we endured. It was easy to remove someone from my life because of pain, for me, it was my father and God himself. I had so many questions that I put aside and never bothered to seek answers for. I thought to myself, if God were real, He could have taken care of us or at least taken care of my mother. Nothing good was happening. I became depressed and couldn’t see God. I had a distorted image of men because of my father’s absence. I had no tenderness. Any man I saw, I knew I couldn’t trust. It was so hard for me. Even with Nihad, it took me four years to say yes to him. I saw men as dominant and thought they could do it all, while women couldn’t. So, I was a rebel. I wanted to be different and rely on myself.

With Christ, I was able to forgive my father, and I started feeling emotions. The Lord did so much to soften my stubborn heart. It was hard for me to hear about God’s love at first. When I came to Lebanon, the apartment I was living in caught fire. Before that, I didn’t have any money, electricity, or bedsheets; we used our jackets to cover ourselves while we slept.

When I started working and earning money, my self-confidence depended on that. When the fire happened after finding a bit of stability, everything changed. It was a turning point that broke my stubbornness and arrogance. The Kurdish church stood by me. They spoke to me about God, loved me, and within three days, they fixed my house and bought me furniture. I couldn’t believe it. My apartment looked so much better than my house back in Syria. They wanted to talk to me about Jesus, but I was still rejecting Him. I expected them to ask for something in return. I told myself, “If you want me to become like you, I won’t.” I felt there was something wrong. I told them I would not love them or be like them, but they didn’t give up on me. They were ready to show me love. I was touched in one way or another, and I was drawn to start going to church.

The first verse I read from the Bible was that God is love, and I felt it. After years of serving the Lord and changing in so many ways, when Pastor Nihad proposed, God showed me His vision and calling. I asked the Lord: “ I want to do this with him.” I understood the sacrifice, commitment, and rootedness in Christ. I developed a great love for my Kurdish people when I hated my roots before Christ and learned how to pastor a church with my husband.

Mouhammad Barakat

My name is Mouhammad Barakat, and I’m from Afrin, Syria. In 2018, I left Afrin after the colonization and destruction of my village. In the past, I had done almost everything I was forbidden to do. I was so lost, filled with hatred, and went through many hardships, including sexual sin. I hurt so many people.

At the end of my adolescent years, I met Pastor Valentin in Afrin, who was starting a ministry. I began helping out for money. I used to go to their local church for my own benefit, for some charity work and I was determined that I would never be affected by those Christians. My family members warned me to be careful and not listen to their teachings. But as I heard the people of that church speak, bless each other, and call each other brother and sister, I was intrigued. After I came to Lebanon and got introduced to other Kurds, who happened to be from the Kurdish church, I was given a Bible and started reading it. Inside, I was asking my own God to forgive me for even touching the Bible. I had so many misconceptions about Christianity.

I read 1 John and came across this verse: “Whoever says he loves the Lord but hates his brother worships me in vain.” I realized I was a liar. These verses spoke to me deeply. I wondered what kind of words these were, talking about Jesus, who was so miraculous, born, died, and rose from the dead. Another verse said, “How can you love your God and not love your brothers?” These words resonated with me and made me feel so astonished by Christ’s teachings.

Every story Jesus told felt like it was speaking directly about me, my own family, and my culture. I used to be afraid of death and questioned why God created us to suffer and die. But I found my answers in the Bible. Jesus Christ became my role model. I took Him as my idol. Everything He asked me to do, He had done before me.

I remember In just two hours, two million Kurds fled their homes as refugees due to the war. When I believed in Jesus, my one prayer was for the Lord to save my people who suffered the unbearable. I discovered my true identity in Christ and I knew it was my calling to pastor the people the Lord appointed me for.