“I was born and raised in Algeria, and I grew up Muslim. I moved to the States in the ‘90s. I fell in love, got married, and got into real estate. For 15 years, I was very successful. The tragedy started six and a half years ago when my wife left me. She took our kids with her and moved far away. I had no car and only a part-time job. I couldn’t afford to see my kids. I couldn’t pay child support. I felt like a loser. One of my friends asked what was going on. I told her I was giving up on everything. She told me I needed to surrender my life to Jesus. She said He loved me and would forgive me of my sin. That was the first time in my life I had ever heard that God loved me. I started going to church and Bible studies and groups. I felt light, like I had been waiting all my life to do this. Meanwhile, my family and friends in Algeria started talking bad about me and calling me a traitor. I lost everybody, but I had a new family here, and Jesus gave me courage even when people told me my life may be in danger. Then, I had an opportunity to go to a training in Michigan to learn how to talk to Muslims, how to pray, what the Trinity means, etc. Through that training, I learned how to talk to my family and friends and other Muslims instead of hiding from them. Now I bring Muslims to church and lunch just to plant the seed of Jesus inside them. There are not enough words to describe how I feel about Jesus. I have new eyes, and I want to tell my story to everyone I meet.”
Djamel attends the Grand Prairie Campus.