I was raised in a Muslim family with Muslim traditions, and surrounded by Muslim relatives. But at the age of 14, I accepted Jesus Christ because my mother had also accepted Him, but I really didn’t understand what I was doing. I tried my best to serve Christ, to go to church and follow the Christian way of life. I had always felt God was with me when I was growing up. I knew that there was so much more to know about Him and the tremendous plans He has for us.

When I moved to Europe to study, I met some amazing Christians who taught me a lot about our loving heavenly Father. During this time, I experienced a life changing shift in my walk with the Lord and I wanted to know more about Him. After one year in Riga, God gave me the desire to move to the United States. This country was never in my thoughts or plans, so I knew that it came from the Father. I also had no difficulty getting into the country which was a miracle.

I lived in Delaware for a while, and I was planning on moving to New York, but I didn’t know where to stay, and neither did I know what my life was going to be like there. I soon learned that God’s plans for us are beyond our wildest imagination. Did you know that two people can pray for the same thing and for each other even though they’ve never met? It was God’s divine timing that I moved to New York when I did and met Lola.

The first time I spoke to Lola on the phone, I knew that I was moving to the right place. When you are new to an area, it’s difficult to find decent people to help you with your documents. But by the grace of God, He had put Lola in my path; we got to know each other on a spiritual and a personal level. When I heard her testimonies about the things she has experienced as a believer, especially that she spoke to Jesus face to face, I was very encouraged.

I started my spiritual growth journey with Lola and we began a small communion group where Lola has been teaching since 2018. The class was very powerful, I learnt a lot from Lola and it changed my life. After every class, I would go to church, and it was amazing how I would hear the same message preached. I realized that God was directing Lola in every area. My old nature wanted to be amazed at the signs and wonders I was witnessing, but in my born again spirit, I understood that this was normal.

I always thought that when I died I would go to heaven, but through Lola’s teaching, I learnt that we don’t go to heaven, but a new earth will be created and we will live here in peace and in the Lord’s presence. I also learnt that everything starts from the inside of a person, and then it flows outwards. Without changing the inner man, one can not change the outer man. We currently live in a technologically driven world where we have been fooled to believe that the outward appearance is all that matters. People are only focused on what they look like, but inwardly, they are afraid and alone. Eventually, they lose hope because they don’t understand the meaning of life. You will not learn these important life lessons in school, and if your family is not Christian, neither will you learn it at home.

I wrote this brief testimony to give honor to God, and to express gratitude to Lola for being my friend, sister, and teacher. She has a special gift from God and treasure within her that will change the lives of all whom she comes into contact with.

– Nilufar Abdullaeva, New York