Afshin Ziafat - From Islam to Christianity

Afshin Ziafat moved to the United States from Iran in 1982 at the age of 12. His father was his hero, a great dad by anyone's standards. A medical doctor and faithful Muslim before coming to the USA, he soon became a leader in the Houston community. His dad was educated in the States and was fluent in English prior to moving to the USA, but he was the only one in the family that could. Afwhin learned English from a tutor over the next few years. At the conclusion of his training, his instructor gave him the New Testament and told him that this was the most important book he would ever read. Although Afshin liked and respected his tutor very much, he had little interest in learning about Christianity. By the time he attended public high school, Afshin was a typical American kid, he loved sports and was quite good, playing both football and basketball.

One day, when playing a game of basketball with his friends, in frustration he shouted, "JESUS CHRIST!" To his surprise, one of his friends spoke up, saying, "hey, that's my Lord you're talking about." This puzzled him because he was taught as a Muslim that Jesus was a respected prophet, but not on even footing as God. Afshin couldn't get his friend's comment out of his mind, so later that night he began reading the New Testament that his tutor gave him years before. He began reading right from the beginning with Matthew 1. He couldn't put the book down and before long realized that Jesus is God. At which point he prayed to Jesus the Sinner's prayer, and accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

God's Faithfulness

Though his new faith brought him joy, his family disowned him. Despite his struggles, Afshin sees God’s work in his life and says, "My life is not about man's faithfulness to God, instead, it's about God's faithfulness to man." Afshin received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his Master of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. He served on the staff of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Afshin is also the regular speaker at Truth Bible Study at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.

Afshin currently resides in his hometown of Dallas, Texas, and travels around the United States and the world, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in churches, retreats, camps, conferences and missions. He also travels into the Middle East to train Iranian Pastors in partnership with Elam Ministries.