Iran and Beyond issue 17 : simplebooklet.com

The ‘Lamb-ness’ of Jesus is shaping many heartsDear friends,In this season of suering, as the government continues to oppress its people, Iranians are more open than ever to hearing about the God who conquers through suering: Jesus, the Lion who is also the Lamb who was slain.e ‘Lamb-ness’ of Jesus is a pertinent message for the church at this time. It speaks of God’s sacricial love and empathy with those suering – but it also speaks of God’s victory over all things.As Iranians encounter the Lamb of God, they are coming face to face with God’s goodness and glory.Iranians such as:• Rasool, whose heart was broken, until he encountered Jesus through His Word• War veteran Ashkan who is bedbound, yet now bearing much fruit for the Kingdom• Nadia, who explains why Iranian women who have suered so deeply are so eective at sharing God’s goodness with othersAs Iran’s church persists in her lamb-like posture of endurance amid persecution, countless others are encountering the Risen Lord. My prayer is that as you read through this magazine, you too will see God’s glory and goodness in the midst of these stories.Yours in His grace,David Yeghnazar Executive Director, Elam MinistriesP.S. e image shows 80+ Iranians on their baptism day in a country near Iran, in 2022. It is thanks to your prayers and partnership that the Iranian church continues to grow.2

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“Huge price, massive impact”When I became a Christian in Iran in the late 1970s, my rst Bible was the Old Persian Version. It was my most precious possession. I even devised plans so that if there was an earthquake, a re, or a ood, I could leave the house with this Bible.is Bible was translated in 1845 and revised in the 1890s. e Persian language is very dierent now to what it was in the nineteenth century, and so later generations have struggled to understand the antiquated language. So - precious as it was - a more modern translation was needed.A step of faith: translation startsIn 1996 Elam’s Founder, Brother Sam Yeghnazar, asked me to join a team translating the Bible into contemporary Persian. I was overwhelmed with joy. What a privilege! But from the outset there were questions. ere were only an estimated few thousand Persian-speaking Christians in Iran at this time. Who would read this new translation? Plus, we had grown up with the Old Persian Bible; our leaders preached from the wording of this Bible and we memorized this Bible, as archaic as it was. Would the church and her leaders accept a new translation?Not knowing the answer to these questions, and certainly not knowing what impact the new Bible would have, we went ahead. e translation – produced in consultation with Wyclie Bible Translators - would be called the ‘New Millennium Version’ (NMV).Heavy suering, faithful GodMy primary translation work was the writings of John and reviewing the New Testament. Digging so deep into the Word of God, to understand it as the original readers understood, was a rich blessing. But it was a process heavy with suering too.In 1994, a distinguished Christian translator, Rev. Tateos Michaelian, had been identied to lead the translation team. Tragically, not long aer he had agreed to join the project, he was abducted. ree days later, his body was Dr. Mojdeh Shirvanian shares her memories of the challenging process of translating the Bible into modern Persian and the ways its publication has propelled the Gospel beyond expectation.320 YEARS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT:

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found riddled with bullets. His death was the latest in a series of brutal killings of high-prole Iranian Christian leaders. ere was no doubt in the minds of the Christian community of Iran that Rev. Michaelian had been killed because of his Christian activities and his courageous criticism of the ruling regime.Tragically, Rev. Michaelian was one of many Iranian Christian leaders killed while we worked on the Bible translation.In 1996, another death shook us. Passionate evangelist Mohammad Yuse (known as “Ravanbakhsh” or “soul-giver”) was murdered by unknown assailants. Before his death, he had asked Sam Yeghnazar for copies of the Scriptures to give away, but with our translation only in the early stages, we had nothing to send. When Ravanbakhsh died, Brother Sam vowed never again to leave people on the frontlines without the Word of God – and all of the team were lled with a fresh commitment to see this project through. Still the hardships were not over. During the twenty-year process, the whole team faced challenges and suerings of dierent kinds. e head of our translation team, Dr. Fatehi, became ill and went to hospital 11 times. e doctors never could discover what was wrong with him. It was clear to us that the enemy did not want this project to be completed. Sometimes fear shook us. Grief followed us. e challenges wearied us. But in his mercy, God gave us the strength to persevere. Despite all the setbacks, I don’t remember doubting that this Bible would come to fruition.Distribution beginsI remember the day the New Testament arrived, like it was yesterday! It was 2003 and the rst 10,000 had been printed. I remember kissing the New Testament, so great was my joy. But none of us who were there that day could ever have imagined the impact it would have. Now, twenty years since the New Testament was completed and less than nine years since the completion of the Old Testament, the NMV is the standard Bible of all Iranian Christians, both young and old. ey read this Bible daily, ministry students study from this Bible, and preachers preach from this Bible. e transformation that this translation brought in the lives of thousands of Iranians is truly amazing.Around 2.5 million New Testaments have been printed – most of which have ended up in Iran. ey have gone to prisons, Islamic seminaries and into countless homes. ey have been distributed in taxis, hair salons, bookshops (illegally of course), parks and even in brothels. But in a country of over 80 million, this is just the beginning.A deep thirstWhen I held the New Testament for the rst time, I had no idea that in years to come thousands of men and women would be impacted by it. I have served thousands of women over the past 15 years in various conferences, training courses and with one-to-one counseling and I have seen the thirst of Iranian believers for the Bible.As I reect on this story, from the hard, uncertain days where there was suering, I am grateful. I would go through it again. I love my Old Bible but I am happy to trade it for thousands more Bibles to reach the hands of men and women in Iran so they too can meet Jesus.Today, Mojdeh leads Elam’s Women’s ministry, discipling Iranian women, helping them discover their worth and identity in Christ, and equipping them to play their part in the story God is writing. Iran’s Bible Society shut downRavanbakhsh martyredIran’s government warns people on national TV against the New Testamentc.2.5 million NMV New Testaments in circulationMojdeh joins NMV translation projectFirst copies of the NMV New Testament printedNMV Bible completed: ﬁrst full Bibles printed4Rev. Tateos MichaelianMohammad YuseﬁRev. Tateos Michaelian martyred NMV Bible translation beginsThe journey to 2.5 million New Testaments... and counting

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5Rasool received one of nearly 2.5 million New Testaments printed since 2003, and his broken life was transformed.“All the counselors in the world could not heal me... But Jesus did.” “If all the world became doctors and counselors, they still could not heal me.” is was a sentence I used to repeat to myself daily in my 20s. My brokenness was my reality. e story of how I got there is not a happy one – but it has a happy ending.Broken heart since childhoodMy mother died when I was eight years old and my heart broke. Just 40 days later, my father found a new wife and my life got even worse. My stepmother was always angry with my siblings and me, and she came from a family that sold and used drugs.Soon, my father also started using and selling drugs. It wasn’t long before we lost our house, the car, his job – everything. By the time I was een, I was forced to leave school and work full-time to help my family. If I did not bring money home, my stepmother would not allow me to eat or take a shower. She called the police several times and told lies about me. She had me arrested just to get me out of the house for a few days.en they married o my sister at just 13 years old. I was so upset.Attempting escapeAt the age of 20, I le Iran in order to escape my family. With just a backpack and $9 to my name, I ended up in a big city in a nearby country. Unfortunately, life didn’t get any easier, largely because I was angry at everything and everyone. Every morning I would wakeup tearful and scared. I realized I was a broken person with no hope. at’s when my daily mantra emerged: “If all the world became doctors and counsellors, they still could not help me.”I decided it would be better to end my life because I wanted to go somewhere better, and I didn’t have any hope in this world.20 YEARS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT:

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A small red bookAround the time I was contemplating suicide, I was given a small gi when on the streets of the city. It was a red New Testament; the Christian Gospel in my own language. It was a gi that would change the direction of my life. I wanted to read it, but something inside me was afraid. My inner voice was saying, “Don’t even touch that book!” But another part of me was so hungry for a reason to live that I decided to ignore my reservations and read the New Testament.Once I started, I couldn’t stop. In a few days I had read the entire New Testament. I felt like I had found a part of me that was missing. It almost felt like part of me. In Jesus, I saw the kindness and love that I had wanted for so many years. In my suering, I encountered the suering Lord.A war in my heartI wanted to go to church to learn more – and I knew of a Persian-speaking church in my city – but somehow each time I went, I would stop at the door and not go in. It felt like there was a hand on my shoulder stopping me. is continued for three months.Looking back, I think there was a war taking place in my heart between the darkness and God’s light. In the end, it was an elderly man who helped resolve the war within me. One time when I was standing stuck at the door of the church, the old man grabbed my arm and gently but rmly said, “I know what you are dealing with.” And he pulled me in.I had never been inside a church before. When the doors to the sanctuary opened, I saw a cross hanging on the wall. Immediately, all the fear, all the darkness, and all the hopelessness that had lled me were gone. For the rst time in many years, I had peace. I gave my life to Jesus. As I grew in faith, I learned to love God’s Word.I am alive today because there was a New Testament in my language, because there were brave Christians who took the time to give me that small red book, and because there was a church that I could go to and learn about the message of the Bible. is was not easy back then, and it’s not easy today. But I continue to see God’s goodness.Family reconciledA couple of years ago, my heart soened towards my family; I wanted to tell them that Jesus loves them. I reached out and during our phone conversation, my stepmother confessed that she felt guilty. She had wanted to talk with me but was too ashamed.My father and stepmother asked what they could do to earn my forgiveness. So, I told them about the forgiveness God had granted me in His grace. How could I withhold forgiveness from them, when I had been forgiven so much?Later I also had the chance to share Jesus with my brothers and sisters. All of my family have since repented, and have decided to follow Jesus. Praise God!Declaring the ‘Lamb-ness’ of JesusBy God’s grace, I am now a part of this story. I serve in ministry among Iranians, many of whom, like me, have endured dierent forms of suering. I get to share the New Testament with them in their language. I get to help these people realize that God is the Lamb, that he understands their pain, walks with them through it, and that by His wounds we are healed. As a young man, I was so broken that all the doctors and counselors in the world could not heal me. But Jesus did. And now because of Him, I can give this New Testament to everyone who was sick like me- even to the doctors and counselors who don’t yet know Him. Pictured: Iranian evangelism team prepares to oer New Testaments to Persian speakers in the Iran region.6To hear from other Iranians who met Jesus through reading the Scriptures, click the icon below to listen to the ‘Scriptures in Iran’ series on the Jesus Speaks Farsi podcast.

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The cost of sharing God’s Word20 YEARS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT:Vast numbers of New Testaments have been distributed because thousands of courageous Christians have willingly shared God’s Word with others – despite the risk. Iran’s government remains deeply hostile to the Persian New Testament because it is one of the key ingredients fueling the rapid growth of Iran’s church. Christians pay a great price if they are discovered sharing God’s Word, particularly the brave individuals who store and distribute Scriptures in large numbers. This is how persecution often plays out:Intelligence agents may have found the person through tracking online activities, information gained during an interrogation, or through a colleague or neighbor volunteering information to the authorities.Agents arrest all persons of interest without informing them of the charge(s) against them. Sometimes Christians are arrested quietly: they simply disappear. Family members search hospitals or morgues for weeks before ﬁnally receiving a phone call from prison.A house church is raided, often without a warrant. Plain-clothes agents use threats, intimidation and violence as they ransack the house, conﬁscating phones, laptops hard drives and Bibles as evidence.Monitoring a suspectThe arrestRaiding a home7

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The Christian may be temporarily released on bail, if they can aord it. Christians often have to surrender house deeds or business licenses to make bail, adding huge ﬁnancial pressure to the family. Once bailed they will remain under surveillance.If an appeal is granted, it can take a few years to be heard. Often the Christian remains at liberty until the appeal is concluded, their life in limbo. Some Christians apply for mitigation: in exchange for an admission of guilt, their sentence may be reduced slightly.After their sentence, Christians are unlikely to be able to continue with ministry as before due to ongoing monitoring. Some remain in Iran, ﬁnding creative, subtle ways to continue serving. Others leave as refugees so they can minister more freely in the region or further aﬁeld.Christians are tried in Iran’s notorious Revolutionary Courts where they face political and security charges such as ‘acting against the national security’, or ‘smuggling forbidden goods (Bibles)’. The defendant may only select a lawyer from a shortlist provided by the judiciary.The Christian is detained for days, weeks or months facing regular interrogation. Most face verbal abuse and pressure to return to Islam. Many endure psychological torture (solitary conﬁnement is used routinely) and some face physical torture or sexual abuse.Custodial sentences range between a few months to up to ten years. Sentences also can include ﬁnes, exile to remote parts of Iran, mandatory classes to re-educate the person into Islam, corporal punishments and/or restrictions on activities after release.While persecution is real and painful – and some survivors can carry scars for the rest of their lives - over the years we have seen that it is not the end of the story. Often, those enduring persecution encounter Jesus in a profound way and, on their release, those that have suered for their faith gain more credibility to declare the beautiful ‘Lamb-ness’ of Jesus to others.Release on bailAppeal or mitigationReleased - but under surveillanceThe prosecutionDetention & interrogationFruitful in new waysTo pray for speciﬁc people behind bars for their faith, visit elam.com/pray where you can download our monthly Persecuted but not forsaken prayer resource.Please pray for those suering8Serving the sentence

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Not long aer completing Elam’s three-month church-planting course in 2021, my husband and I were invited to go and plant a new church. e course equipped me to share the Gospel with others, so we were excited at the prospect.An uncomfortable callingWhen we arrived in our new city, it was not what I expected. I had anticipated that there would be many fellow Iranians there, but there were very few. Instead, the vast majority of the refugee community were Afghans. In fact, an estimated 17,000 Afghan refugees lived in the city at the time.ere was a problem. I might not have admitted it out loud, but I didn’t like them or their culture. I felt no connection with them.As we tried to share the Gospel, I was soon disheartened. We discovered this was a very hard place. It was as if the heavens were closed over this city. e people were very religious so it was hard to start a conversation, let alone any sort of relationship.For ve or six months, my husband and I, along with a handful of other Iranian believers, strived with all our strength, seeing no fruit. en one day – exhausted and depleted - we listened to wise counsel from our mentors and got on our knees to seriously pray.A dreamat’s when I had a dream. In the dream, I was walking in a very dark place. Suddenly, a colorful feather oated down and led me toward a crowd. When I reached the group, I realized these people were worshipping. Somebody called my name, and encouraged me to share Holy Communion and to worship with them.When I started to pray for these people in the dream, I realized they were Afghans. en, I saw the re of the Lord falling on them.Aer I woke, I realized the dream was from God. I recognized this ministry wasn’t about me: it’s about Him. I realized I was there as a vessel to nurture Afghan people. From that day on, my heart began to soen towards Afghans.An openingAer my dream, we fasted, asking God to fulll the dream and bring Afghans to faith in Him. On the third day of our fast, as we were praying together, I suddenly received a phone call from someone I did not know. A female voice on the line said, “Are you Christian? I’m tired of my religion.” We discovered the caller was an Afghan and that she, her husband and her children wanted to come to our church. I was astonished! I was sure this was the answer to our prayers.And so, it began. is family joined our church – which met in our home - and confessed faith in Jesus. Today, they are pillars in the church. Aer them, a handful of other Afghan families also came to faith. ese families were thirsty and they loved the Word of God. As we discipled them, my disdain for Afghans melted away.No place for a churchAs the church grew, we realized we needed a bigger place to meet. But whenever we went to view potential properties, we were told, “Don’t waste your time; nobody will give you a place. We don’t want a church here.”We were rejected from 40 locations! It was exhausting! All we could do was pray more. en suddenly God did a miracle and gave us an apartment in the heart of the city. It really was a gi from God. It had everything we needed and it was on the highest oor of a tall building so we could see the whole city as we worshipped and prayed. More people started to come to the church and lives were changed. Physical healings took place, marriages were restored and people were involving Jesus in every facet of their lives. Youth came in greater numbers than the adults. It was so exciting.The dream fulﬁlledMany more Afghans have come to faith through that church plant. At one baptismal service, 17 Afghans were baptized! As these things happened, I knew God was fullling the strange dream he had given me the year before.I am forever changed by the 18 months we served in that city. Today some of my closest friends are Afghans. at’s a huge transformation for a person who previously disliked Afghans!In Galatians, it says there is “no longer Greek or Jew… for we are all one in Jesus.” What God taught me in that season is that there is “no longer Iranian or Afghan.” I rmly believe God wants Afghan people to know Him. What a privilege that He wants to use Iranians to bring that to fruition!Setareh and her husband continue to serve in ministry among Persian speakers and love to share the Gospel with Afghans whenever they have the opportunity. God is calling many Iranians to reach Afghans. Setareh was an unlikely person to serve among Afghans, but God had plans to work in her and through her. This is her story.10

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All over the Iran region and beyond, Persian churches and house churches are reaching out to Iranian and Afghan youth through soccer academies. Many who come feel alone and forgotten. Some have seen great trauma and diculties in their lives. In the academies, these young people ﬁnd a fun, welcoming community. Here are three of their stories.roughout his childhood, Hamid’s father was violent and abusive. From the age of seven, Hamid had to work to help sustain the family. When he was a teenager, the beatings from his dad got so severe that Hamid, his mother, and siblings ran away. Aer a devastating incident, and determined to leave their old life behind, the family ed Iran for a neighboring country. Hamid carried many scars with him. He would cry every time he saw a father and son and he felt a deep emptiness inside. en one day a friend gave him the number of a local soccer academy. When he called, he realized that the coach was originally from his city in Iran and he felt an immediate connection. When he went to the academy, he realized it was run by Iranian Christians. ey were full of love and Hamid made deep friendships. When they invited him to church, Hamid was happy to go. At the church, Hamid learned that Jesus not only knows his scars but has scars of His own: scars that bring healing. In time, Hamid surrendered his life to Jesus. “I realized what treasure I had found,” smiles Hamid, “What great love there is available if only you open your heart. I no longer feel empty and I lack nothing. I found my Heavenly Father. Whenever I have a need, I can call on Him.”Hamid was baptized in August 2022. He has since completed a two-week discipleship course and now shares the love of Christ with others through the soccer academy.HAMID: Wounds healed by a wounded SaviorSPORTS MINISTRY:Reaching youth in dark places11

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Yashfa, her parents and two younger sisters ed Afghanistan a few years ago. Having sought refuge in a nearby country, but not allowed to attend school, 15-year-old Yashfa was eager to make friends however she could.When Yashfa heard there was a free soccer academy available in the city, she was eager to go, despite not having a particular interest in soccer.When she arrived, she was the only girl at the academy. She felt shy among all the boys, but there were female coaches who took her under their wing. Since the coaches were encouraging and showed a sincere care for her, she kept on returning each week. She knew that the soccer academy was run by the local Iranian church, and she soon learned they also held a regular youth meeting for her age group. Yashfa was keen to attend this also, and was grateful to nd there were girls as well as boys at this group. She soon made friends and became a regular member.Meanwhile, the soccer coaches visited Yashfa’s family to get to know them. Yashfa’s father was grateful to the coaches for caring for his daughter so attentively and for wanting to get to know his family. Not long aer, Yashfa’s father, curious to know what it was that the soccer coaches believed, brought his whole family along to church. As a result, Yashfa, her sisters and her parents have all expressed faith in Christ.Yashfa and her family are growing in their faith as part of the church. While Yashfa was the only girl at this particular academy, a number of other soccer academies have a signicant cohort of girls who play alongside the boys.Young Azad struggled deeply when his mother, Daria, le Iran and went to Athens, Greece, as a refugee, leaving Azad and his sister at home in the care of their father. But when Daria encountered Jesus and became a Christian in Athens, she sought to reconnect and make amends with her family. Supported by her new church, who were praying, Daria encouraged her husband and teenage kids to come and join her.Azad was 14 years old when the family was reunited in Athens, and, though he was pleased to be with his mother again, he had no interest in her new faith. As a young teenager, Azad was focused on starting a new, freer life in the West. Even when his father put his faith in Christ, Azad could not be persuaded to go along to church.But as a budding sportsman he could be persuaded to join the church’s soccer academy. Over time, Azad came to respect and trust the soccer coach, an Iranian believer called Farhad. As Farhad took opportunities on and o the pitch to talk to Azad and the other young people about Jesus, Azad’s heart began to soen.When Azad was invited to come and help run the tech desk at a church Sunday service, he was ready to come. During that meeting, God spoke to Azad as the Gospel was preached and Azad surrendered his heart to Jesus that day. As he learned more about Jesus, Azad became keen to share the Gospel with his friends in the academy and has a dream to serve God in ministry in the future.Azad was baptized in early 2023. Soccer coach Farhad remains a close condant – an older brother in Christ who is helping Azad continue to grow in faith.AZAD: Soccer softens a teenager’s heartYASHFA: A family saved thanks to caring coachesPlease pray:• That all the young people who come to the academies would feel a sense of welcome, belonging and safety, especially those dealing with deep pain and trauma• For all the coaches to continue to have stamina, joy, and sincere love for the young people and Jesus• That the soccer academies would increasingly be a bridge into the local church, and that more families would encounter the Gospel as a result12

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Sung worship is a gi from God to all of His church, to help us fulll our primary purpose of glorifying and enjoying God. But for us Iranians, worship has a particularly special place in our hearts, and it plays a very important role in the growth of the church, as my story shows.A life-shaping momentI became a Christian at the age of 10, and I will never forget the very rst day I went to a house church in Tehran with my parents. I will forever remember entering the room to the sound of people singing a worship song called Ey, Isa, Nazdam Bia, which means, “Oh, Jesus, come near to me.” It was the rst time in my whole life I had heard people singing to God with joy. It was amazing.As they sang simply, without accompaniment, some of the gathered believers had tears in their eyes. Even as child I knew they weren’t sad. I could tell they were encountering a living God. at early experience of worship was the reason I became a worship leader. Why? Because that worship song convinced me that we draw closer to God as we worship – both through our heads and our hearts.Theology through worshipAs a ten-year-old new believer, I had no idea about theology. But that song – Ey, Isa, Nazdam Bia - was full of truth about my Savior. It taught me that Jesus is my good shepherd who guides my steps, and that He should be rst in my heart.From that day onward, worship songs have helped shape my faith. I couldn’t wait for the next church meeting to hear and learn another worship song. rough a song called Sezavar (‘Worthy’), I learned that God is sovereign. rough Roghane Shafa (‘Healing oil’), I learned that God is our healer. rough Ruholghodos, taze kon ruham (‘Holy Spirit, refresh my soul’), I learned His Spirit is alive, opening my eyes, helping me, leading me. rough worship I learned about my Father in heaven. ese songs helped me encounter the truths taught in the Scriptures.Anchoring beliefs for a new generatione power of worship songs to establish truth deep in our minds is one reason I’m so passionate today about leading worship for Iranian believers through Time For Worship. Half-hour episodes of prayer and worship are sent into Iran, Afghanistan and the wider region by satellite, as well as being globally available online. What a joy that countless Farsi-speaking people around the world join in with these programs to worship God! ese people – like me – are learning so much about God as they worship.Many people send testimonies to the Time For Worship team saying things like, “rough that worship song I learned more about my relationship with God.” One person even reported, “In the middle of a song you were singing about healing, I learned Jesus is a healer and something happened and I was healed from a disease!” ese songs have power because Jesus is the center of it all. rough song, we have the privilege of anchoring the beliefs of a whole new generation of Farsi-speaking Christians.An instant connectionBut it’s not just our minds - our understanding - that is impacted by worship. Our hearts are opened to God as we worship in spirit and truth.On that rst day in the house church, I felt an instant connection with God as we worshipped. It was something I had never experienced before. In our family’s previous religion, Islam, we could only pray in Arabic, a language we didn’t understand. Moreover, music was forbidden so I’d never heard music in a religious context, only recitations and lamentations without melody. In that church meeting, the combination of lyrics I could understand with a beautiful melody opened up a deep way of connecting with God. In my old religion, it was believed that no one could talk directly to God, and certainly we should not expect an answer. But now, I was discovering that God wants to encounter and engage with us! Most people from my country – like me – nd this astonishing.Many encounter the living GodWe receive lots of testimonies from Time For Worship viewers around the world, especially from Afghanistan. Even though it’s dangerous, they send us videos and testimonies of how worship songs have impacted their hearts and helped them endure seasons of hardship. Many people have told us that it was in the middle of a worship song that they met Jesus and surrendered to Him. Worship is so special for the Farsi-speaking church because through it, so many people who were far o are encountering the one true God.An invitationrough worship, we extend an invitation: “Jesus, come near to me.” And, of course, Jesus wants nothing more than to draw near to us. If you want to extend that invitation to Him again today, I encourage you to join me in singing that very rst worship song I ever heard, Ey, Isa, Nazdam Bia using the QR code. Do listen to the song that changed my life. I pray God would meet with you as you do.You can hear Niloofar share more of her personal testimony on the Jesus Speaks Farsi podcast, series 4 episode 3 entitled ‘My Key to Encountering God.’ Jesus Speaks Farsi is available atelam.com/podcast and on all major podcast platforms. 14

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Ashkan is a bedridden man living in a small village in the north of Iran. He’s been housebound for more than two decades, ever since he was injured in the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88). Among other health concerns, damage to his lungs means he needs to use an oxygen mask at regular intervals.Written oAs a veteran, Ashkan was issued a special ID card by Iran’s government that conrms his participation in the war, and the severity of his physical disabilities. Unocially, Iranians call this ID a ‘red card’ and it carries a stigma: disqualied from life. Useless. Over time, these labels had become Ashkan’s identity.en one day, Ashkan’s son got into a conversation with a stranger who, when he heard about Ashkan’s situation, was keen to pray for him. “I suppose it can’t do any harm,” shrugged the son.At Ashkan’s bedside, the stranger explained that he would be praying in the name of Isa al-Masih – Jesus Christ. Suering man meets Suering ServantAshkan was open to receiving prayer from the young man and then he wanted to hear all about Jesus. Aer decades of personal suering, Ashkan was moved deeply by what he heard about the Lamb who draws us near through His suering. Aer years of being invisible to society, he was thirsty to hear about the God who sees. at very day, Ashkan confessed faith in Jesus. He prayed a prayer of repentance over the phone with a mature Christian leader, Nader – the young man’s mentor.Ashkan soon began to walk through the 30-step Safar discipleship journey with Nader. As Ashkan and Nader talked regularly on the phone for discipleship, Ashkan grew in his faith. When they reached the step on evangelism, Ashkan asked what he could do. Nader didn’t know how to answer. Secretly, he felt Ashkan was useless to the Kingdom. How could a bedridden man – a man who couldn’t speak for more than a few moments without needing his oxygen mask - reach others for Christ? “Just love God,” replied Nader.An explosion of interest in JesusA few weeks later, Nader’s phone started pinging incessantly with notications. Strangers were messaging him to ask about Jesus. Nader couldn’t work out where this sudden rush of interest was coming from, until he talked to Ashkan.It turned out Ashkan was spending much of his day on social media, leaving comments about the love of Jesus on various posts. For those who responded with questions, he sent them Nader’s way. Nader was concerned about the danger Ashkan might be in by evangelizing online so openly. Iran’s cyber-police are very sensitive to content that promotes anything other than adherence to the state religion and loyalty to the regime. But Ashkan was not worried. “I have a red card, remember?” he said. His status as an injured war veteran means he is held less accountable for his actions than others. “I can’t go anywhere physically, but I can be online.”A part to playrough Ashkan and Nader’s joint ministry, 29 people in Iran and beyond have come to Christ and have started to be discipled through Safar. ey are growing in their faith.“is is how I can love God,” smiles Ashkan. “is is my part to play.”“God has changed my heart,” says Nader. “I now know that even people we think are useless are invited to play a role in God’s Kingdom.”When Iranian believers are faithfully discipled through Safar, God so oen enables them to become fruitful disciple-makers themselves. IMPACT OF DISCIPLESHIP:Bedbound for 20 years, now leading many to Jesus16

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Hassan explains how, in a perilous place, God softened his heart to love those who posed a threat to his very life.I le Iran in search of a better life in my 20s and began a new chapter in Austria. It was there that someone shared the Gospel with me. Not long aer, I surrendered my life to Jesus.My life in Austria was a huge blessing. e country is so beautiful, I developed deep friendships, and I grew in my faith and knowledge of the Bible through my church and through discipleship seminars with Elam. As I studied God’s Word, I became convicted that Afghan people in Austria needed to hear the Gospel too, so I started sharing with them.Called to a dark placeIt was a few years later that I sensed God calling me to go to Afghanistan itself, to help share the Gospel. I wanted to obey God, but at every turn, I hit obstacles. For months, I prayed and struggled to nd a way in. Finally, with a small team, I was able to get to western Afghanistan. It was a spiritually dark place: a devoutly Islamic city where the religious leaders held a great deal of sway. ere were no local Christians whatsoever. We prayed and fasted for the city, asking for God to bring fruit, while starting to serve people in poverty.First fruitsAer six months, praise God, one Afghan came to faith! en another, then another, until we had a handful of Afghans who had confessed faith in Christ. A tiny new church was born. We had a dream to bring them together for fellowship so they could be encouraged, but it was not easy because of the danger. If people knew what we were doing, they might kill us. So, we prayed and fasted for a week, asking the Lord for the right location.Finally, we found a nice house with a big basement where we could pray loudly and no neighbor could hear. I signed the lease and moved into it as my home.An unexpected complicatione rst night in my new home, I was feeling content and praising God for providing this place for the small community of believers. But then at 4:30am I was rudely awakened by a deafeningly loud call to prayer. It was so loud, it felt like the speaker was right there in my bedroom!I leapt to my feet and began to look around the neighborhood to nd where the mosque was. I was so shocked to see that the mosque was directly opposite my front door. I had not noticed it before because it was not a traditional big building with domes, but a local one that looked like all the other residential buildings in the neighborhood.It wasn’t long before I discovered that the mosque’s mullah lived there full-time, and that he oen sat outside the mosque to engage with passersby. My heart raced as I panicked about the danger. My friends would be coming and going from an illegal house church right under the nose of an inuential community mullah. I prayed desperately, “Please, Lord, help!”“Love your enemy”Now convinced this new house was not a provision from God aer all, I was HASSAN’S STORY:How the Lord taught me to love my enemies17

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planning to get away and start again – to cancel the lease and nd a new location. I asked God to speak to me and that’s when I felt the Lord say, “Hassan, love your neighbor.”I didn’t want to hear it. is mullah was not lovable at all. From my perspective, all of the many problems in that city were wrapped up in these people. ese were the people who had hurt me in my youth in Iran. Hypocritical religious leaders had caused me to ee my home years before. Now, as a neighbor of a mosque, God was asking me to love this mullah.I tried to reason with God. “I can love that neighbor over there,” I said, “and this neighbor over here. But this man? is man is not a neighbor. He is truly an enemy.” e danger of hosting a church gathering in my new home was very apparent. If we were found out, this mullah and his friends could very well come over and kill all of us. “I can’t do this, Lord,” I said.en God said to me, “Hassan, love your enemy. And bless those that persecute you.”A changed heartFinally, I prayed, “I can’t do this. But I know you can help me, God.” e next day, I took a deep breath and went to say hello. e soening that God did in my heart that day wasn’t only for me: it was also for the benet of the small church of new believers so they could see that God’s love has no boundaries. One day, we cooked the mullah a nice meal, we prayed for him and then went outside to greet him. Over time, we became friends and I would sit, and talk and have tea with him.Later, we felt that God wanted us not only to be friends with him but also to share the Gospel. So we took a Dari New Testament to him, and I asked him if he would read it. “You will understand it better than me,” I said to him, “So then you can explain it to me.”A new perspectiveBefore I could return to talk with him about it, I was forced to leave the country. I don’t know whether he ever came to faith in Jesus, but my friendship with this man was a huge blessing - he really helped me understand grace. rough this friendship, my perspective on religious leaders shied. I came to the realization that mullahs are just broken humans, men that God loves.e lesson that God taught me in Afghanistan has stayed with me throughout my years of ministry. God calls all His children to take on the Lamb-like posture of bravely loving our enemies, because the Lamb was slain for us while we were still His enemies. When God enables us to do this, we see Christ more clearly and catch another glimpse of the Glory of God.Today, Hassan and his wife are part of Elam’s team in Europe, serving faithfully among the large numbers of Iranian and Afghan refugees. ey are seeing some put their trust in Jesus, and then share the Gospel with their families and loved ones inside Afghanistan. Pictured: Hassan speaking with an Afghan mullah18

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“Women, life, freedom!” was the cry of protestors across Iran throughout the Fall of 2022. Sparked by the death of a young woman in police custody, the widespread protests were fueled by more than four decades of the oppression of women.And so, brave women led the calls for freedom for themselves and their nation.What I wish all these courageous women knew is that whatever the political structures and circumstances, true and lasting life and freedom is on oer in Jesus. By the grace of God, I have found this to be true. I’m not the only one…Spearheading another movementAs countless Iranian women nd life and freedom in Jesus, we are spearheading a dierent movement: the house church movement. Women make up the majority of believers in Iran’s underground church and are active as disciple-makers and evangelists. How is it that women, second-class citizens in our own country, have become so pivotal within the growing church?Gospel that resonatesOne reason is that the message of Jesus resonates with us Iranian women in a profound way.I know from experience that it’s hard to be a woman in Iran. We have little identity or security. We are forced to cover up. We endure the pain of childbirth, but the child belongs to the man. We must accept that our husbands are allowed to have up to four wives. In court, our testimony is worth half that of a man. Women face second-class treatment at every turn.So, when we hear the Gospel, it is extraordinary! I’ve heard many Iranian women mention that John chapter four, where Jesus talks with the Samaritan woman, was so important in their faith journey. e respect, dignity and compassion that Jesus shows to this outcast, downtrodden woman is radical for women who have always been oppressed. at Jesus wants to draw near to us, speak to us, arm us and send us out to speak for Him, is beautiful.Like the woman at the well, Iranian women have a deep thirst. Jesus oers us living water. Many are drinking deep.Relational inﬂuence for a relational churchWomen are emerging as natural evangelists and disciplemakers in Iran’s church.is may come as a surprise in a society where women are denied positions of authority. Iranian women tend to be highly educated yet face an uphill battle to secure a job and then progress in their career. ere is an enduring cultural assumption that a woman’s primary place is in the home. What women have instead is relational authority and inuence. Extended family relationships are important in Iran, as is the family’s reputation in the community. In most households, it is the responsibility of the women to IRANIAN SOCIETY:Women, life, freedom19Women are at the heart of Iran’s church growth. Nadia, a key leader in the Persian-speaking church helps explain why.

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maintain these familial and community relationships. So, when women meet Jesus, they have extensive networks of relationships through which the Gospel spreads. Over a cup of tea, or over social media, sister to sister, friend to friend, aunt to niece, Jesus is discussed.I think of Maryam, who has seen 70 family members come to faith over the years. I think of Setareh who became a Christian in Europe and has since led her sister and her mother – still in Iran – to Christ through long phone calls. I think of Behnaz, a leader who has led dozens to faith, including many in her family.is relational inuence meshes well with an underground Christian movement that lacks formal institutions and power structures. Under pressure from the government, the Persian-speaking church was forced out of its buildings and morphed into an underground house-church movement in the early 2000s.In this context, the Gospel can only spread person to person. Every believer must be equipped to share. Women, with their relational authority, emerge as natural front-runners.Investing in womenSome women become pioneers within the church:• Sara had a vision to plant seven churches around Isfahan. She persevered until the vison was fullled – even aer being arrested, detained and threatened.• Farnoush was so transformed by the Jesus she met in the Bible that she courageously distributed countless New Testaments so others could meet Him too.• Fariba has led about 30 people to faith in her community. ey meet as three small fellowships.Sara, Farnoush and Fariba – and many others like them – became faithful and fruitful disciple-makers, willing to risk everything for the Gospel, because people invested in them.e day they expressed faith was seen as the beginning, not the end, of their story. A mature believer walked with them, showing them how to follow Jesus, day by day. ey were given a Bible in their language. ey were oered opportunities for fellowship, learning and practical discipleship, such as at Elam’s women’s conferences. Here their understanding of their new identity in Christ – and His invitation to join in with His mission - grew deeper and richer.When their giings emerged, they were oered leadership training so they could be equipped for church planting. Of course, a training program is not a guarantee of a faithful church planter. Yet for many women who are actively discipled and trained, and who receive ongoing healthy training and support, God is granting them remarkable courage, self-sacrice, and fruitfulness as they stand rm for Christ. Only in heaven will their full legacy be known. The thirst remainsSome expressions of public deance continue in Iran – acerbic grati, deant social media posts, rejection of the hijab – but the street protests have stopped. A vicious crackdown and a horric spate of poisonings in girls’ schools dampened the unrest.Yet under the surface, the heart cry of the people is unchanged: “Women, Life, Freedom!”For seven years I have served with Elam’s women’s team. As I’ve ministered to hundreds of women, I’ve had the privilege of seeing them nd freedom from the pain and trauma of their past, embracing abundant life, and then fueling the growth of the church.Still, there remain many more who are hungry to meet the Lamb who oers true life and freedom. 20“Women, second-class citizens in our own country, have become pivotal within the growing church.”

Iran and Beyond issue 17

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