Last Sunday I received an email from someone I came in contact with through my website many years ago. The subject header said, “wish come true”. I was overjoyed to get this email. It had the wonderful news that my friend, Nawroz, had become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It has been quite a journey for him, and I’m so grateful that I got to play a part in it. For those that are interested, I have Nawroz’ permission and I would love to share the story with you. It’s a little long, so read it when you have a chance to relax! =)
I came in contact with Nawroz about 7 years ago. I had just barely started my website, and only had a few piano songs available to download. I received my first email from Nawroz just a couple of months after 9-11 (2001). I don’t remember much about the email, I think he wrote to tell me that he liked my music, but I did remember that he was from Iraq. I was a little concerned that maybe he was a terrorist, so I was cautious in my response, but he hadn’t asked for money, and he seemed very kind. I didn’t expect to hear from him again, but maybe a year later, he wrote another email. This time he wrote to tell me that he had arranged many of my songs for orchestra, and that they were to be performed there in Iraq. He sent me many midi files of the arranged music. I was amazed and surprised as well as very impressed with his talents. This was one of the first times I wished I could have been there, I would very much have liked to attend the concert of my music being played by a live orchestra, in Iraq!
Throughout the next few years, I heard off and on from Nawroz. I’ve always liked getting emails from Nawroz. It is really a neat thing to have contact with someone that lives on the other side of the world. It was also interesting to hear from someone on the other side of the war in Iraq. Nawroz wanted to compose. He wanted to have an education. Many of the freedoms that I take for granted everyday, he yearned for. When the elections began, there were times Nawroz told me that he feared for his life. He didn’t tell me many of the details, but I could tell that things were rough for him, and I was grateful that my music helped him to feel some peace in the world.
I didn’t hear from Nawroz for a couple of years before I received an email from him a few months ago (in November). Nawroz again, wrote in his broken English of some of his hardships. One line from his email began,
“It is Christmas for everyone but for me it is loneliness and sorrow your music is my only way to prevent me from falling….”
He also wrote, that he definitely had no doubt that I was S T R O N G (put in capitals WITH the spaces). He had attached a couple more arrangements of my music that he’d arranged, and told me that they were arrangements from a great composer.
My heart immediately went out to him. I felt such sadness that things were so hard for him. I also worried that he thought too highly of me and my music. I appreciated his adoration and arrangements that he had done, but it was too much. I wrote back to Nawroz telling him of my faith in God. I told him that this was where my strength came from and that the only way I have been able to find balance is with God helping me every step of the way. I told him I’d pray for him and that I hoped things would get better. I told him that he could also find joy, through Christ, that He was the way.
After this email, Nawroz opened up to me. He told me much more about his situation and story. Nawroz taught piano in Iraq. Because of the Islamic tradition, women are required to wear a scarf to cover their heads. Nawroz asked them to remove the scarf from just their ears, so that they could hear the music while they played. Because of this, Nawroz and his wife (who was also involved in some of the women’s right’s groups there) became a target from some extremist religious groups. His mother was attacked and hurt because of him, there home, computers and everything were destroyed, and they were forced to flee to Turkey and then to Sweden to avoid being killed. At that time, Nawroz was afraid that they would deport him back to Iraq. He was sure that if he had to return there, he would be killed within hours of his return. Truly I could see how desperate his situation was, but what made my heart ache even more for him, was what he closed his email with (in his words),
“my dream when I was a child was to change my religion to Christianity. I believe that Jesus is the only and the best prophet in mankind history and I believe in him strongly that why I care so much about your music ms.kerby that was my story do you know what I can do now ???”
I have never before quite appreciated the gospel as much as I did at that moment. It must be so difficult not to even be ABLE to learn about Christ. I wrote back,
“Nawroz,
I feel so sorry for your situation. Thank you for sharing your story with me. I forget how blessed we are to have the freedoms that we enjoy here. I hope someday that you can come to the United States (if that is your desire), and have those same freedoms.
You wrote about having a dream to become a Christian. I know that is possible. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. If you wanted me to, I could arrange to have missionaries come and visit with you and your wife there in Sweden. They would be able to share with you much of the knowledge that I enjoy as a member of this church. I know this church to be true, and believe it with all my heart. Jesus Christ is the head of this church and I know that the missionary’s message would bring you much peace, comfort and joy, even in your desperate situation.
Nawroz, thank you for your trust, your friendship and your music. I will pray for you that you will find happiness, and the peace for which you are seeking.
Sincerely,
Lindy Kerby”
Nawroz was thrilled to think that maybe his dream could come true, but at the same time, the Swedish government was asking Nawroz to leave within the next month and a half. Nawroz was desperate to find some way to leave Sweden without getting deported. The end of his email brought me to tears as he wrote (again in his words),
“any way they great news for me is just when I hear or I read greatest word (Jesus) that is my only hope (through you) please do that as soon as possible and if there is something like visa or anything make possible from prevent me going back to Iraq please please do it now because I don’t have time …………..I don’t know how to thank you my wife crying now when I read your letter ….god bless you don’t know how much hope you give us …… Nawroz”
At that point, I felt like I needed to find some way to get him to an Embassy or something, but after calling around for options, it didn’t seem that we could help very much from here. I did call the missionaries (a couple times) and put in several referrals to the missionaries so that they could come visit with Nawroz. He was overjoyed, and waited by the phone for the next few days for the missionaries to call. They didn’t call for a whole week, and by then Nawroz was very disappointed. I tried to locate a meetinghouse in Sweden that Nawroz could maybe go to. The closest building was 5 hours away, in a different country, or 9 hours away was the next closest building! I again could not believe how much I take for granted living in the United States, with the freedoms that we have, and the fact that right now I live in Utah, where my church building is within walking distance of my house! After I gave Nawroz the phone numbers that I found, and addresses of these distant buildings, I received one more email from Nawroz. He wrote,
“I have called those numbers but they didn’t answers … I told you before that for me this is at little difficult but if you contact them it will be easier. Here … there is thousand of churches, why I should go so [far away]? And time run away”
It was an interesting question. He was looking to become a Christian, why should he go to some distant church, when there were thousands of churches there? I started to think that ANY christian church would be better than none, but I really wanted him to hear the missionaaries and gain the same testimony that I have.
That Sunday, I bore my testimony and asked the members of our ward to fast for Nawroz. I prayed that the missionaries would come and be able to contact him. That evening, I received one more email from Nawroz. It said,
“Tonight they called me and I will meet him at the city library on Thursday at 3-30 so wish me luck “
Over the next few weeks, Nawroz told me about getting the Book of Mormon. He told me about the first time he went to church. He played the piano and they were very impressed. At first they thought it was a CD playing, but it was him! They asked him to play a musical number for their next Sunday meeting. A nice family there took Nawroz and his family under their wing, and Nawroz called them his “angels”. He told me that this family was helping him with the government, and that things were going to work out. Nothing made me happier though when he wrote,
“… I knew that the church and the Mormon book are true and Joseph Smith is the true prophet of god…”
Nawroz was baptized on February 28th. He told me that my music was playing while they changed clothes. That made me feel so happy. I couldn’t be there to watch that wonderful moment, but atleast I was there in spirit.
His last email told me I could call him Brother Nawroz, and that he would call me Sister Kerby. This was just a really neat experience for me, and I wanted to share. I hope it inspires someone to bear their testimony and share this great gospel with someone that doesn’t know about it yet. And if you’re reading this, wondering how to find out more, please send me an email, or visit www.mormons.org