Faith Without Frontiers

In an interview, Javad (born in Iran to Afghan parents, later living in Norway, Germany, Afghanistan, and now Austria) describes how his family fled Afghanistan during the Soviet war, and how at age nine he first learned he was a refugee when UNICEF aid was distributed at school, leading him to hide his identity and resent his parents’ choice of Iran. As an adult and Christian, he later understood his father’s decision as a practical move to provide quickly due to shared language and culture. Javad recounts discovering Christianity after watching The Passion of the Christ, being welcomed by churches in Norway and Germany, and then being deported to Afghanistan due to lack of documentation, where he secretly followed Jesus, connected with an underground church, and faced Taliban violence, including the killing of a YWAM teacher and his children. He escaped via Iran–Turkey–Greece and gained asylum in Austria, where he married and serves refugees, emphasizing Jesus as his true identity, the prodigal son’s themes of shame and restoration, and the need for “hamyar” companionship in church, while acknowledging the cost of putting Jesus first, including separation from family.

01:06 Where Is Home
02:05 Family Flees To Iran
02:46 Languages Of Afghanistan
03:51 Finding Out He's A Refugee
05:46 Second Class In Iran
07:30 Faith Reframes His Past
11:05 Dreams For Afghanistan
11:54 First Trip Back
14:02 Discovering Jesus
19:21 Asylum Struggles In Europe
21:39 Deported to Afghanistan
22:07 Secret Faith and Shame
23:01 Underground Church Connections
24:33 Taliban Threat and India Escape
25:49 Back to Europe as Refugee
27:23 Dangerous Border Crossing
29:16 Asylum and New Purpose
31:08 Norwegian Pastor Hospitality
33:53 Prodigal Son Through Honor
37:33 Identity Found in Jesus
39:29 Hamyar Companions for Life
41:55 Cost of Following Christ
42:59 True Belonging Conclusion