Caucasian Region
In 2023, Persian ministry leaders managed to hold two conferences here. The first conference was for brothers. Several leaders and members of the house church were asked to be strengthened in faith to equip them with training for the mission of expanding the church in their homeland. The second is for sisters who serve in different parts of their country. At this conference, 3 sisters were baptized.
One of the Persian Christian leaders, who was actively distributing the Bible in his country, left his homeland after being exposed by the police. He continues to serve abroad, but misses his family very much, with whom he is forced to live apart.
South-eastern Coast of the Black Sea
God is growing leaders who can both develop local communities and preach the gospel through the media. Remember the young Persian Christian couple in your prayers. The husband is a pastor, and the wife is fighting cancer. Because of their faith in Christ, they became refugees and found temporary shelter in a foreign country. They are also active participants in the ministry of printing and distributing the Bible among the Persian people, which is getting ahead despite numerous difficulties.
This year, this Persian pastor in the diaspora took part in organizing an already traditional 24-hour online prayer meeting in Persian. The brother wrote to us: “We remain firm in our commitment to glorify God in all our duties.”
This Persian pastor reported that in 2023, more than 70 believers from underground churches in 11 cities of the country closed to the gospel were arrested. Among these courageous people are four house church leaders, and two young couples who have been actively spreading the Bible in their country for over seven years. By God’s grace, our ministers managed to take two brothers and two sisters abroad. To do that, they needed our prayers, financial resources, and connections with believers in other countries.
Eastern Asia
In May 2022, a new Persian church was planted by four believers in one of the non-Christian countries of Eastern Asia. The community is actively growing. Currently, there are already 10 people, and they want to evangelize many people who communicate in the Farsi language and often visit this country. They engage in street evangelism and hold regular services and prayer meetings. Please pray for funds to rent a worship room for the young growing church and for funds to publish evangelistic pamphlets in Farsi.
Here is the testimony of the Persian Christian A. M., who participated in the planting of this church.
I grew up in a Muslim family. My mother and father believe in the only god, which is described, according to them, in the most accessible book – the Koran. I looked for God, but after reading the Qur’an twice, I did not find solace, so I continued to look for the true and comprehensive definition of God in other Eastern religions. I began researching Hindu schools, but their teachings did not answer my questions. I read and even practiced healing people, but they were temporary and short-lived. In my search for God, I came across the teachings of Ekankar, at the same time I started studying yoga and officially received third-level yoga coaching and conducted yoga classes, but in four years I became convinced: there is no God that I wanted to find here.
Then I became completely discouraged and quit believing in God at all. My family was falling apart and I was confused.
At this time, my old friend called me and said that he had become a believer in Jesus Christ. I laughed out loud and accused him of ignorance, “Are you insane? Can a wise man be subject to religion?” He suggested that I read one book and send it to me in digital format: Evidence for Christianity and Judgment by Josh McDowell. I started reading, and the more I read, the more fascinated I became by the book and the evidence presented in it. I had the confidence in my heart that I had found the God I had been looking for years. The living God, the true God, the immortal God, the God, who can save mankind from sin, came in human flesh. He came to this earth and sacrificed His life for the freedom and salvation of me personally and all people. I was a few pages away from the end of the book when I found myself on my knees. I cried and asked God for forgiveness for all the disrespect and insults I had caused Him, and I admitted that I was a sinner and that the only way to be saved was through Jesus Christ. After that day my life completely changed and that emptiness inside me disappeared and the Holy Spirit took up its place now, with the help of the Spirit of God, I am growing in faith despite all the ups and downs. After believing in Jesus Christ, I realized that the Holy Spirit looks at my life with indescribable compassion. And my only desire is to glorify the holy name of God.
