The Bread of Life

Asuman* lives in southern Türkiye and is a wife of nearly 30 years and a mother of three daughters. This is her testimony: 

At 46, on a restless night, I met Him through a dream. But now, as I look back, I realise He was calling me long before that. 

I was raised by my maternal grandmother and my aunt, an Islamic teacher. Even as a child, I tried hard to keep the faith. But in my heart, there was a sense that something didn’t fit. Or an emptiness, as if something was missing. 

One day, I met a priest serving in the Catholic Church in my city. He was really kind and warm-hearted. I talked about Islam, and he explained Christianity. "You don’t look like a Muslim,” he said, referring to how I dressed. That comment deeply hurt my heart and made me feel like I had to defend my faith. From that day on, even though my mother and sister didn't cover their heads, I started wearing a headscarf whenever I went outside. 

Later on, I met my husband through an arranged marriage. He comes from a very religious and conservative family. I lived with the mindset that it was natural for a wife to submit completely to her husband, having heard the saying from the Prophet Muhammad: “If I were to command anyone to make prostration before another, I would command women to prostrate themselves before their husbands.” This applied not just to our personal disagreements, which were frequent, but to religious matters as well. Whenever I raised questions about certain hadiths or verses from the Qur'an that troubled my heart, the only answers I received were: “Repent” or “Faith means unconditional obedience.”  

Time passed like that, but still, something inside me didn’t feel right. At one point, I no longer found joy in prayer, and eventually I stopped praying altogether. “I’ve done everything I can, and yet God doesn’t see me or hear me. He doesn’t even care about me.” With such thoughts, I cried a lot. And finally, one day I said: “I’m not praying anymore. I’m upset with God.” As a Muslim believer, that’s a very heavy and painful thing to say — but I truly meant it. I believed I hadn’t committed any sins or wrongdoings, so why was God ignoring me? I had prayed in deep pain and despair, but there was no answer. I didn’t feel God’s presence at all. 

Then one day, my eldest daughter Alev* mentioned she’d befriended a foreigner who went by Ayla*. I became worried. “What if this woman shakes my daughter’s faith?” I thought. She visited our house once, but we only exchanged simple greetings and had a brief conversation. Again, I defensively talked about Islam, and I hardly listened to what Ayla had to say. Later, Ayla moved far away, and since we hadn’t become close, my daughter only mentioned her occasionally. Then one day, I was going through a very difficult night, and I had a dream.  

In the dream, Ayla came to our house, but the house was so messy that I felt very uncomfortable. I got angry with my daughter, saying, “Why did you bring a guest without telling me first?” But Ayla didn’t seem to mind at all. She said she wanted to give me something, and then she pulled out a small piece of bread from her bag that looked like a rustic village loaf. Then she said, “This is something Jesus told me to give to you. Jesus came and gave each of us a piece of bread — this one is for you.” In the dream, I was so surprised and moved. “How could Jesus give me such a gift?” My heart was overwhelmed, and I was so happy to receive that bread.  

That dream was definitely not an ordinary dream. I was deeply touched. That same day, I sent a message to Ayla, who was hundreds of kilometres away. She immediately called me. As soon as I answered, she was crying. She said, “This is a dream that many Christians long to have even once in their lives.” Then she explained that the bread symbolised the body of Jesus. She read me a verse from the Gospel of John where Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.”

After hearing that, I fell into deep reflection and became very curious about Jesus. I began reading the Bible and, when she returned, meeting with Ayla. For the first time, I felt like I was someone truly precious. It was such a strange, yet comforting feeling.  

Sometime later, Ayla asked me, “Would you be willing to pray in the name of Jesus? Only if you're comfortable with it.” I didn’t really know what to do, so I called my aunt, the Islamic teacher, and asked, “Is it a sin to pray in Jesus’ name?” She said, “He is one of our prophets too. It’s okay to pray.”  

So that day I prayed in Jesus’ name for the very first time. And for the first time, my prayer was answered immediately. Even more amazing than that was the certainty I felt that Jesus was right beside me. I felt with my whole being that He was surrounding me and protecting me. Since then, every prayer I’ve offered in the name of Jesus has been answered. That’s when I realised: What had been missing from my life was Him.  

'His love is enough for me'

Now, when I meet people who are struggling, I say, “Try praying in the name of Jesus.” I want them to experience the same joy that I’ve tasted. These days, I don’t hide this story from my husband or anyone around me. I just tell everything as it is. At first, my husband reacted very negatively. He said things like, “If you convert, I won’t divorce you, but I’ll treat you like a slave for the rest of your life.” However, now, after one year, his heart is so much softer, and our relationship has even grown closer. He still hasn’t accepted Jesus, but he admits he has started to change because of my faith.  

I used to suffer extreme pain and constant discomfort from internal tumours. But last year I received prayers at a women’s conference and my pain disappeared. Although I'm not medically cleared yet, I know Jesus has healed me just as He opened the eyes of the blind and raised the dead. But this is not the foundation of my faith. When my mother-in-law asked me, “If it turns out you’re not healed, will you still believe in Jesus?” I answered, “I’m not making a deal with Jesus. His love is enough for me.”  

All the things I feared for so many years, all the situations that used to scare me, no longer frighten me because I understand this: I am a daughter of God. And He loves me, and He is right here with me. I feel that with my whole being. And that is enough. Nothing else matters anymore. Because I love Jesus so, so much. 

Since coming to faith in Jesus, Asuman has shared the gospel with more than 30 people. Among them, two of her daughters and one of her sisters have accepted Jesus. Her mother and mother-in-law also seem very close to coming to faith. Since Asuman’s family is not in a situation where they can attend church regularly, Ayla has been meeting weekly with Asuman and others to do Discovery Bible Study. Ayla is also helping Asuman's family become more financially stable through selling speciality drinks to foreign restaurants. 

Pray for Asuman's whole household to be saved. Pray for God to raise up more people of peace like Asuman, as well as more workers for the harvest like Ayla. 

*name changed