EPISODE · Jun 27, 2025
A 15-Year-Old War Survivor Who Found Faith in Ancient War Stories
from Why We Believe · host Nathan Gwilliam
When tanks rolled through Dejan Tahic's hometown at 7 AM on what should have been a normal school day, his childhood ended instantly. This Bosnian teenager spent months separated from his parents across three different refugee camps, surviving on Red Cross donations while 100,000 people died in the civil war around him. After resettling in Canada speaking zero English, Dejan never expected that meeting one girl would introduce him to a 2,000-year-old book about ancient wars that would change everything. The Book of Mormon's battle chapters resonated with someone who had lived through modern conflict, and the church's teachings about eternal families spoke directly to a young man who had lost all sense of home and belonging. Today, as a father of four daughters pursuing his degree at BYU-Idaho, Dejan's temple sealing gave him what war had stolen: roots, future, and the promise that families can be forever. His transformation from a displaced Muslim refugee to a devoted Latter-day Saint proves that sometimes the most unexpected spiritual journeys begin in the darkest circumstances.
What this episode covers
When tanks rolled through Dejan Tahic's hometown at 7 AM on what should have been a normal school day, his childhood ended instantly. This Bosnian teenager spent months separated from his parents across three different refugee camps, surviving on Red Cross donations while 100,000 people died in the civil war around him. After resettling in Canada speaking zero English, Dejan never expected that meeting one girl would introduce him to a 2,000-year-old book about ancient wars that would change everything. The Book of Mormon's battle chapters resonated with someone who had lived through modern conflict, and the church's teachings about eternal families spoke directly to a young man who had lost all sense of home and belonging. Today, as a father of four daughters pursuing his degree at BYU-Idaho, Dejan's temple sealing gave him what war had stolen: roots, future, and the promise that families can be forever. His transformation from a displaced Muslim refugee to a devoted Latter-day Saint proves that sometimes the most unexpected spiritual journeys begin in the darkest circumstances.
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A 15-Year-Old War Survivor Who Found Faith in Ancient War Stories
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