When Elizabeth Suha Alwahab was a child and gazed out her bedroom window, a mosque always obscured her view. Five times a day her activities were interrupted by a voice on a loudspeaker crying, "Allah, Almighty! Mohammed is a prophet of God. I am testifying that Mohammed is a prophet of God. Let us pray." That was the daily routine in Baghdad, Iraq, her home.

Living under the influence of Middle Eastern Islamic culture and an authoritarian regime, Elizabeth was raised in a society filled with hate, anger, intolerance, prejudice, and arrogance.

"Although many Muslims cannot let themselves think that leaving Islam is an option, I grew tired of trying to spread the image of Islam as a peaceful religion. I saw the dead bodies of "traitors" hanging from lampposts in the city square. I could not defend those kinds of actions."

When Elizabeth moved to the U.S. to get a college education, she still considered herself a Muslim. After graduation, she met and married her husband, Kevin Gibson, who was equally devoid of any Christian background. But after the birth of their son, Joshua, Elizabeth began to experience a spiritual hunger. "Some Jehovah's Witnesses came to my door. Because their beliefs were familiar to me, I accepted their message. Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet and Jehovah's Witnesses proclaim Him to be a pioneer. However, after a year of discipleship in their religion, I became increasingly uncomfortable. I sensed in my spirit that these people were not teaching truth."

Elizabeth and Kevin attended many churches searching for help with spiritual matters. However, no one responded or made an effort to contact them. Elizabeth felt helpless and without hope. Enrolling Joshua in a mother's day out program at Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene finally brought them closer to Truth. "My son would come home and talk about Jesus. We were so impressed that we visited this church." There, Elizabeth and Kevin found the answers they sought. With several Nazarenes calling her, visiting in her home, and showing her scriptures, Elizabeth at last realized that Jesus Christ was the Truth for whom she had been longing.

In January of 2001, she accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior.

Since then, Elizabeth has had moments of testing. When the current conflict in Iraq began, she felt confused and stopped attending church and Bible study for a time. Glued to television news reports, she worried constantly about friends and family still in Iraq. While she was hearing updates from the media, she was also receiving calls from her family and wasn't sure what was going on, exactly. Also, some of Elizabeth's family had secured safe lodging in Turkey, but getting out of Iraq seemed impossible for others. She knew they'd need a miracle. Then the Lord guided her back to the Bible, where two verses comforted her: "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32) reminded her that God knew the truth about the situation and was in control. As she thought about her family leaving safely, God brought Matthew 19:26 to her heart, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Elizabeth now confidently proclaims, "I have found God to be faithful and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I am growing every day."

Evangeline Beals Gardner is a wife and mother who fills her remaining time teaching piano lessons, leading praise and worship at church, and writing freelance articles.

Holiness Today, September/October 2006 

Please note: This article was originally published in 2006. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.