Just months before this training, R had made a life-altering decision.

He had come to faith in Christ.

But that decision came with consequences.

Because before that moment, he was not just anyone.

He was a senior intelligence officer in Bashar Assad’s army.

A position of authority.
A role in a system known for brutality.

And when his faith changed, everything else had to change with it.

When R’s father discovered his conversion, the situation escalated quickly.

His family arranged for him to leave the country.

He was escorted out by an armed group and eventually found himself in Ukraine.

There, he connected with a church led by a pastor also from Damascus.

That church became his refuge.

But refuge didn’t mean clarity.

He was still:

• Processing his new faith

• Disconnected from his past

• Unsure of his future

And that’s the state he was in when he entered the training.

Partway through the training—about two-thirds of the way in—something shifted.

During a break, R made a sudden declaration.

He said he had to leave.

Not later. Not eventually.

Immediately.

Why?

Because he felt compelled to go back and share the Gospel with his family—even if it meant losing his life.

His words were simple:

If I die, I die.

But I have to do it.

This wasn’t a calculated move.

It was conviction.

And with that, he left.

For a full year, there was no contact.

No updates.
No confirmation of what happened.

Then, one year later, during another trip to Ukraine—he reappeared.

Alive.

He had gone back.
He had shared the Gospel.
And he had returned.

But he wasn’t the same man.

This time, he came with clarity.

Not confusion.
Not hesitation.

A plan.

Initially, he had considered starting a food business. But now, his idea had evolved.

He wanted to build a better shipping crate for bird exporters.

In his research and experience, he had discovered a real problem:

Birds being shipped to the Middle East were dying at high rates.

And he believed he could solve it.

What made this different wasn’t just the idea.

It was the groundwork.

Over that year, he had:

• Built relationships with breeders in rural Ukraine

• Developed connections with buyers in the Middle East

• Designed a shipping solution that significantly reduced loss

His business model wasn’t theoretical.

It was already forming.

And through the program, he received:

• Support

• Training

• Funding

He became a graduate—and then a business owner.

The outcome was measurable.

Within 10 months:

• He repaid his loan

• His business was operational

• He was generating income

But the impact didn’t stop there.

He also:

• Learned the local language

• Became a leader in his church

• Employed others

• Met real needs in his community

This wasn’t just business growth.

It was life transformation.

Success didn’t come without resistance.

At one point, he was confronted by the Ukrainian mafia.

They demanded bribes.

He refused.

The result?

He was beaten.

Severely enough to end up in the hospital.

And yet—he stood firm.

This detail matters.

Because it shows that his transformation wasn’t surface-level.

It was rooted in conviction.

Later, during a final visit, there was an opportunity to sit down with him and ask a simple question:

What did this experience mean to you?

His answer revealed something important.

Yes, the business training helped.

But that wasn’t the most impactful part.

What changed everything was this realization:

Business is a good gift from God.

He came to understand:

• That business was ordained by God

• That it could glorify Him

• That it could serve others

• That it could provide for himself at the same time

That understanding gave him freedom.

And with that freedom came:

• Passion

• Energy

• Direction
  
  

This story is not meant to stand alone.

It represents a model designed for multiplication.

Here’s how that works:

• Investments are recycled through repayment

• A single investment can fund multiple businesses

• Entrepreneurs become leaders in their communities

For example:

• A larger investment can be recycled into hundreds of businesses over time

• The model focuses on sustainability rather than one-time impact

It’s not just about starting businesses.

It’s about creating ongoing transformation.

There’s also a comparison made in the episode that highlights the scalability of this model.

Instead of funding a single long-term effort in one location, the same level of investment can support hundreds of locally led businesses.

These entrepreneurs:

• Already understand their culture

• Already speak the language

• Already have relationships

And through business, they become:

• Providers

• Leaders

• Influencers in their own communities
  
  
  

It’s easy to think of impact in abstract terms.

But this story brings it into focus.

A man:

• Escaped a life tied to conflict

• Faced uncertainty and displacement

• Made a decision rooted in faith

• Built something that now serves others

And that journey didn’t just change him.

It created ripple effects:

• Jobs

• Community support

• Leadership

• Ongoing influence
  
  

This story ends with an invitation.

Not pressure.

Not obligation.

An invitation.

Because the reality is:

This kind of transformation doesn’t happen in isolation.

It requires:

• Partnership

• Support

• People willing to engage

Whether someone is:

• Just starting out

• Curious about impact

• Or in a position to give more significantly

There is a place to participate.

This isn’t about one man.

It’s about what happens when:

• Faith becomes active

• Business becomes purposeful

• Opportunity is extended

And when that happens consistently, across regions and cultures, the result is something much larger than a single story.

It becomes a movement.

If there’s one takeaway from this story, it’s this:

Transformation is possible.

Not in theory.

Not someday.

But in real lives, in real places, through real action.

And it often starts with a single step—one decision, one opportunity, one moment of alignment between faith and purpose.

This entire conversation leads to one question:

Who are you becoming through your business?

Because success alone isn’t the goal.

Transformation is.

Watch full episode on YT - https://youtu.be/JO3qnS6SkUU

Listen to full episode on itunes/spotify -  https://open.spotify.com/episode/0fXCttAl1UxS9QDkWQ2pNg?si=2zx0HkwgR36Acof_yhT3kg

Join the free Third Fish Academy at ThirdFish.org