Miscellaneous
Tamara Al Bayati was born in Baghdad in 1976. Like millions of others born in the Middle East - she had no control of her birthplace or her birth-religion. Sex-Trafficking, selling children on the black market, a life where women are mistreated and subjected to horrors that MOST could never realize - are the norm. If you step out of line or THEY discover your need for knowledge and curiosity regarding Christianity - you face DEATH! I need to set this up for you. Almost two years ago we were doing a series of TV shows on American Values. Tamara was scheduled to be a guest in a show we taped called 'Gifts From God'. I never met Tamara, but did talk to her on the phone briefly; we were introduced by Pastor Jim. Pastor Jim wanted to help Tamara get her unique story out, so that it could help others. However at the last moment Tamara felt the timing was not right as she still had many unanswered questions in her life, and she had just given birth to a baby girl. So she had declined to be on the TV show at that time. Just recently, Tamara sent me an email and asked if I had remembered her. To which I said, "Yes I remember you Tamara". She said she was ready to tell her story and asked if I would provide the forum for her to do so. This is the first interview we did, we plan to talk ahead and bring other elements of Tamara's story to light - so that folks can learn and understand the truth - not the politically correct truth that leaders and politicians spin everyday in the mass media - the divine truth. So here is a brief setup on the 'Story of Tamara Al Bayati'... (her full testimony can be heard at the conclusion of our talk) "I never really realized that I would be a Christian and convert one day. But the conversion process was not any easy thing to do. During this period I made lots of researches and got myself into many ill discussions, I visited mosques and churches, read the Quran many times and read the bible too comparing between the both religions. The more I read and compare the more I realized that I wanted to accept Christianity in my life but without converting, I was struggling because I wanted to find a middle ground between the two worlds in which I can relate to both religions without embracing one over the other. But actually It was a matter of fear rather than a belief, I was so afraid to convert because I was afraid to face death sentence in Islam. But when I realized it is my eternity that I should care about not my life, I couldn't refuse the truth or let go of it anymore. Although I was scared but I accepted the fact that I am becoming a Christian soon, yet I wanted to be 100% sure, I wanted to be strong enough to face death in the best case scenario if anyone discovered. I needed a strong undeniable assurance that if am going to change my religion and risk losing my life it better be the real deal and the right thing to do and not just fantasies....." “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16