Azar tells his story here: When I was fifteen years old, I received the New Testament. For three days I read it non-stop. I couldn't put it down. I didn't eat and I hardly slept. As I read, a war broke out in my heart. On the one hand, I had met Jesus and I knew he was calling me to serve him. On the other hand, my family were devout Muslims.
After three years of indecision, I visited a small church in my town. I had long known in my heart that the gospel was true, and I finally surrendered my life to Christ. At that moment, I heard the call to prayer from a nearby mosque and was scared because of what I had just done. But a member of the church, a lady named Robabeh, came and prayed for me. Little did I know then that my story would be closely intertwined with hers in the future.
When Robabeh prayed, I felt the presence of the living God for the first time. When she said "amen," the war in my heart suddenly ended. I was hungry to grow in faith, but my family wouldn't let me visit Robabeh for spiritual guidance. A few years later, I fell in love and got married. My husband happily let me visit Robabeh for regular Bible study.
Robabeh taught me about Iran's church leaders and martyrs. I learned that if you want to serve Jesus, you have to be a witness, which often involves suffering - especially in Iran.
Three of my friends gave their lives to Christ. Robabeh and I trained them together in the faith. And after a year and a half, I was teaching 20 new Christians myself. It went really well.
Into the darkness
But then the suffering that Robabeh had warned me about began. I was two months pregnant when two men grabbed me as I was leaving church one evening. I was taken to an unknown location and pushed into a room. Two people came in and I got a hard blow to the back of my head. My forehead hit the edge of the table. I screamed at them that I was pregnant, but the man grabbed my hair and repeatedly slammed my head into the table.
Three days later, I woke up in the hospital and couldn't feel the left side of my body. I couldn't walk. I couldn't do anything. Five months after the attack, I got the worst news an expectant mother can get. My unborn baby girl had died because of the strain. I became very depressed. It was so dark around me that sometimes I wondered if I would ever see the light again. But even in my darkness, Robabeh came to visit me faithfully. She encouraged me and my husband to read Philippians. So we started.
The light breaks through
One day my husband read me Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." It was like a light for me. It gave me hope: In Jesus I can do all things. With the authority of this verse, I decided to open our home to other believers again. At first there were eight of us and Robabeh taught us. As the weeks passed, the group grew. After a year, we were 60, and the most precious member was our newborn son. Life was rich. Life was good.
Forced into exile
But then the suffering came again. Bibles were still on the chairs when the police searched our home after a church meeting. The prison stay almost broke me. The conditions were terrible. But in my cell, there was a cross carved and a message on the wall: "My brother or sister, I have been here too. Be strong in God." This encouraged me to witness to many. I even saw a murderer come to faith. My husband and I were in prison for a total of 25 days. We left Iran after being released on bail.
In my cell, there was a cross and a message on the wall: "My brother or sister, I have been here too. Be strong in God." - Azar
Today, Azar serves the underground church in Iran through Skype, where she is now in contact with a large group of believers whom she trains and helps.
Thank you for praying for the church in Iran and reaching out to local Christians to give the New Testament to people longing to 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.
