People in Iran long to read the New Testament - even if they often pay a high price for believing in Jesus.
And the boldness of the persecuted Iranian Christians is surprising. It's as if they are fearless. It seems their joy in believing in Jesus far outweighs the pain of persecution they experience,
they can be exposed to.
It is not known for sure how many Iranians have converted to the Christian faith, but the most conservative estimates are in the hundreds of thousands.
Jasmin's aunt taught thousands of children the Quran
One of them is Jasmin, who talks about her aunt's long journey from being a zealous Muslim to believing in
Jesus. Before her conversion, Jasmin's aunt had taught thousands of children the Quran and made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Jasmin explains: "When I was just eleven years old, I asked to leave my hometown and live with my aunt so I could go to her school. My parents gave me permission. Every morning at school I had to recite Islamic prayers and I had to memorize parts of the Quran."
"My aunt also took me to pilgrimage sites. Although she was a deep believer, she became more and more
depressed. My aunt decided to travel to Mecca in the hope of finding peace and joy. When she returned, she threw a party. But she still wasn't happy."
"It was clear that she had not met God in Mecca."
"My mother also struggled with depression. One day a friend invited my mom to church. There she met God and gave her life to Jesus. She was filled with joy and began to change. When I saw the transformation in my mom, I also surrendered my life to Jesus. When my aunt discovered that both my mother and I had become Christians, she was very angry. I tried to tell her about Jesus many times, But she wouldn't listen."
"When I was in my early twenties, I started planting house churches with my husband. Just a few months after our wedding, I was arrested and put in jail. While I was in jail, I was allowed to call my aunt. I only had two minutes to talk. She begged me to deny Jesus so I could be released."
"I said to her: "Dear aunt, I love you. I respect you. But I can't deny my
Jesus."
"After I was released from prison, my husband and I had to leave Iran. I stayed on
praying for my aunt and telling her about Jesus - but she never listened".
"After fifteen years of no interest from her, I didn't think she would ever come to faith in Jesus. So when my husband recently said: "Let's tell your aunt about Jesus when she comes to visit", I replied: "No. That won't work. I know my aunt - she will never become a Christian."
The aunt couldn't hold back her tears
"But he convinced me to try one more time. I honestly didn't think anything would happen. But when my husband and I started talking about Jesus, to my surprise, she listened attentively. We talked to her for two hours."
"When she heard that my mom and I had been praying for her for fifteen years, she couldn't hold back her tears. "I want to trust in Jesus. I want to be a Christian,' she said. My heart was filled with joy."
Jasmin concludes the report: "Please pray for my aunt who has now returned to Iran. She is in great danger of be persecuted with the background she has".
Former prisoner Jasmin, her husband, mother and aunt's lives have been transformed by God's unconditional love. Just as the lives of thousands of other Iranians are being transformed at this time.
You can ensure that even more people in Iran can read the New Testament about what Jesus did for them on the cross and experience God's love.
It costs DKK 40 to ensure that a copy of the New Testament is smuggled into Iran or neighboring countries where Iranians also live.
You can stand with the persecuted but brave Christians and hand them New Testaments - which they can give to people who long to read about God's love.
