A Locked Suitcase and an Unseen Hand: One Family’s Return to Afghanistan
Refugee family traverse Afghan mountains
Returning to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is perilous—especially for Christian believers. In this case, God intervened mightily.
A Family Called Back Into Danger
The militant Taliban are notorious for their barbaric cruelty toward anyone who fails to follow their law. For many Christians, it’s a tragic story of detention, torture, and execution. One Christian family, supported by Compel International, had previously fled Afghanistan as refugees and sought shelter in Pakistan. But now, they were being forced to return—re-entering a country filled with uncertainty and threat.
As Abdul and his wife Zahra prepared to cross the border back into Afghanistan, they packed what little they had, including their only Bible, which they carefully tucked into a small cloth bag. Inside the Bible, they also placed their local ID cards, marked “Other” for religion—a potential red flag under Taliban scrutiny. The Bible and documents were placed in one of their suitcases and secured with a small lock.
A Test at the Border
At the Afghan border crossing, Abdul and some of their children stood in one line, while Zahra and the rest were directed to another. In the confusion of the crowd, the family lost sight of each other. Suddenly, border police pulled Zahra and her children aside and demanded that she unlock her suitcase—the one carrying the Bible.
Terrified but composed, Zahra handed over the key and silently began to pray. The officer tried the key. Nothing. He tried again. Still nothing. Frustrated, he called another officer over to try. Again, the lock refused to open.
A Sudden Intervention
Then, unexpectedly, a high-ranking officer approached and asked what was happening. Upon hearing the explanation, he grew angry—not at Zahra, but at the officers.
“Why have you detained a woman traveling alone with her children?” he demanded. He then turned to Zahra and said she was free to go.
“I prayed silently for God’s protection. The key didn’t work for them—but when we tried it later, it opened instantly.”
When Zahra and Abdul were finally reunited on the other side of the border, she recounted the incident. Abdul took the same key, inserted it into the suitcase lock, turned it—and it opened immediately.
Faith in the Fire
Even in the face of rising persecution, God is still at work, protecting His people and making a way where there is none. As believers like Abdul and Zahra return to hostile environments, they carry not only the risk—but the testimony of a God who answers in moments of crisis.
Names, locations, and images have been changed to protect the identity of individuals in sensitive regions.