Bulbula and Adam from Ethiopia

Bulbula used to be a Muslim – until he started having visions of Jesus. He became a Christian and persecution quickly followed, but even one of his persecutors, Adam, was transformed by the gospel.

“One night, the Lord appeared to me in a dream. He said, ‘I am your Messiah,’” Bulbula* remembers.

On another occasion, a young man appeared to Bulbula, seemingly out of nowhere. He told Bulbula that God wanted him for His work and led him to a church in his village. Suddenly, the man disappeared and Bulbula was left with the church leaders who were astounded that a prominent Muslim leader had come to their door. They said, laughing, “What is our Muslim brother doing here?”

But in fact, Bulbula had become a Christian.

The cost of faith

In Ethiopia, conversion from Islam brings immediate threats on one’s life and possessions. Some converts have had entire mobs attack their homes and businesses. As soon as word of Bulbula’s newfound faith had got out, his property was stolen and he was physically assaulted, left for dead with a fractured skull. Even his family rejected him, offering a prize to anyone who killed him.

That’s where Adam*, a fellow mosque leader, came in.

“I used to think of you as a disgrace and an infidel when you converted. That’s why I tried to kill you with a spear,” Adam said to Bulbula. “I wanted to kill you and enter into heaven because you were worthless.”

But one day, Adam too had a vision of Jesus: “He stood there like a real person and repeatedly said, ‘My son, I am calling you.’ I replied, ‘Why are you calling me? Who are you?’ He answered, ‘I am Jesus. I am calling you to offer you everlasting life.’ This is how I came to faith,” he explains.

“Since the day I believed in Jesus Christ, I have been persecuted,” Adam continues. “I have been beaten, my clothes have been stolen, and my belongings have been stolen repeatedly. They took my pair of oxen that I used for farming. They destroyed my crops. Seven months ago, they made my wife divorce me. They hoped that it would make me return to Islam.”

But it didn’t work – Adam had tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness (Psalm 34:8) in stark contrast to his previous life.

From enemies to brothers

Despite the challenges they continue to face, even the threats on their very lives, Adam and Bulbula remain steadfast in their faith, now knowing each other as friends and brothers.

“He was my persecutor and now he is my friend. We go everywhere together as friends,” Bulbula smiles. “We even go out to preach the gospel together. We consult each other and chat about everything in life. We have gone from hating each other to loving each other as Christians.”

Now salt and light in their community, Adam and Bulbula use the little they have to support other believers and bear witness to the love of God to their unbelieving neighbours.

“Although we can’t do much, we try to support others with what God has given us. We buy food, or we give from what we have. Every day we rely on God’s help. We pray that God continues to help us,” Adam shares.

Once enemies, now brothers in faith, these two men testify to the transformative power of the gospel.

*Names changed for security reasons