A Story of Flight, Faith, and Redemption

Across Europe, stories of migration are often framed by headlines and statistics — tales of crisis, borders, and policy. But behind every number is a face, a voice, a journey. For Rouzbeh, that journey began in Iran with dreams of wealth and power — and ended in Germany with a very different kind of calling.Once a smuggler chasing control, he is now a shepherd guiding others toward hope.

A Search for Power

Rouzbeh grew up in Iran surrounded by hardship. Opportunities were scarce, and like many young men, he longed for escape — not just from poverty, but from a sense of invisibility.

“I wanted to be powerful,” he remembers. “To have control, to be someone.”

That hunger led him into the world of drug smuggling, a path that promised quick money but came with danger and darkness. Friends disappeared into addiction, prison, or death. Still, Rouzbeh pressed forward, believing that control was the same as freedom.

What he found instead was emptiness — and a growing fear that his life was spiraling beyond his reach.

The Journey and the Sea

When Rouzbeh finally fled Iran, his escape was not toward peace, but through peril. He joined the long, uncertain path of migrants moving westward, paying traffickers to cross borders that could just as easily claim lives.

Eventually, he found himself on an overcrowded boat bound for Europe. The voyage was supposed to deliver him to a new beginning. Instead, it nearly delivered him to death.

The vessel capsized in the night. Chaos filled the air — screams, waves, silence. Rouzbeh clung to a piece of debris, convinced he was taking his last breath.

“I thought, this is the end,” he says quietly. “But I cried out to God, even though I didn’t know who He was.”

Against all odds, he survived. Rescued from the waters, Rouzbeh emerged with nothing left — except a seed of humility and a question that would follow him across continents: Who was the God who heard me?

Encountering Jesus in Germany

Rouzbeh eventually arrived in Germany, where he was placed in a reception center for asylum seekers. There, among the uncertainty of waiting, he met a small group of Christians who offered something rare — friendship.At first, he kept his distance. But their kindness was disarming. They invited him to meals, to conversation, and finally to a Bible study.He came with curiosity, but he stayed because of grace.

“I always thought I had to earn God’s favor,” he says. “But here was a God who loved me despite my past.”

One night, Rouzbeh had a vision — a man in white calling him not to power, but to peace. He knew it was Jesus. That moment marked the turning point. The smuggler became a seeker, and soon after, a believer.Rouzbeh was baptized in Germany, surrounded by other migrants who had encountered Christ in similar ways. It was more than a ceremony. It was a declaration: the man who once sought control now surrendered to a Shepherd who promised freedom.

From Disciple to Disciple-Maker

Faith did not end with Rouzbeh’s baptism; it began there.

He started sharing his story with other migrants — men and women still wrestling with trauma, displacement, and doubt. Through small groups and Discovery Bible Studies, Rouzbeh helped create spaces where questions could be asked and hope could take root. As his faith deepened, so did his calling. The man once known for moving drugs across borders was now helping move the gospel across cultures.

Today, Rouzbeh leads and mentors both migrants and Europeans, embodying a quiet reversal of history: where once missionaries were sent to the Middle East, now men and women from the Middle East are bringing faith back to Europe.

A Movement of Hope

Rouzbeh’s story is not an isolated one. Across Europe, thousands of migrants — many from Muslim backgrounds — are encountering Jesus through dreams, visions, and the witness of local believers.In Germany alone, hundreds have been baptized, forming vibrant house churches and communities of faith.

As Nadim Costa, President of NEO US, explains:

“The future of Europe’s faith may very well be carried in the hands of migrants who once came seeking refuge — and now bring the greatest refuge of all: Jesus Christ.”

Hope That Travels

Rouzbeh still remembers the sea — the waves, the fear, the moment he cried out. But what stays with him most is what came after: the rescue that reached deeper than the ocean.

“Jesus saved me from death in the water,” he says. “But even more, He saved me from death inside.”

What began as a flight for survival became a journey toward redemption. And through stories like Rouzbeh’s, a quiet truth is spreading across Europe: the same God who met people in exile is still moving through them — carrying light into a weary continent.