After Asking God to End Her Life, This Palestinian Found Peace in the Gospel with Sahar Qumsiyeh

A depressed Palestinian teenager who thought God had abandoned her people found peace after following a prompting to attend BYU instead of accepting a $56,000 scholarship elsewhere. In this episode of Why We Believe with host Nathan Gwilliam, Sahar Qumsiyeh shares how she spent 12 years climbing 10-foot walls, hiding from soldiers, and paying watchmen to spot military shifts just to attend the Latter-day Saints church in Jerusalem. One day soldiers spotted her on a hill and started shooting. A stranger said he would distract them so she could escape. She made it to church that day because he took the risk for her. Sahar grew up five minutes from Bethlehem but had to travel to Utah to find Christ. After her bishop told her not to join the church because it would be hard, she ignored him and contacted missionaries herself. Walking toward Golgotha years later she heard divine words that transformed her identity. Sahar is author of Peace for a Palestinian and faculty at BYU Idaho.

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