"Mom and dad disowned me"
I remember how our father became more and more extreme in his religious practice. It was as if he was trying to show us how far we had strayed from the right path. Despite his efforts, shortly afterwards I led my sister to faith in Christ. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Mom and Dad disowned me and said they would not open their door to me again. "I've thrown love for you out of my heart," I remember my mom saying. Although it broke my heart, it only made my connection to Christ stronger. I now became the leader of a team that shared the gospel and planted house churches all over Iran. I prayed faithfully for my parents for many years.
"I have thrown love for you out of my heart", I remember my mother saying - Farshid
Arrested for sharing the gospel
Then in 2010 I was arrested because of my service. Even though mom and dad had a feeling that something like that could happen to me, they were still very horrified when they heard it. Mom became even more pious: she started saying more Islamic prayers and fasting; she gave alms to the poor. But it didn't help. She felt like her life was falling apart and she didn't know where to turn.
Softened hearts, opened minds
Even though they had disowned me years before, I was very happy when both my mom and dad decided to come and visit me while I was in prison. It was on one of the trips to visit me that my mom had a miraculous encounter with God. As she sat there on the bus, tears began to fall from her eyes and she felt her heart open up to God. At that moment, she prayed to Jesus to come into her heart and take over her life. She said that for the first time in many years, she felt peace. After this encounter with God on the bus, mom took out the copy of the New Testament that I had given her several years earlier. She began to read it. As she read, she felt it speaking directly to her heart. She felt encouraged to read it to the last page. And she started praying to Jesus. Dad also came to visit me in prison. I didn't know it at the time, but the peace I had made a big impression on him. He later told me that he was struck by how happy I was and wondered how I could be so positive while in prison. Then one day Dad told me that his faith was changing. He wanted to read the New Testament, so he and mom started reading it together.
Finally released, salvation is coming
I was finally released from prison in December 2015 after five years of trials and pain. Fifteen days later I asked my parents and I was allowed to pray with them for salvation. My mom said: "Yes, please do that". I prayed for them, and both mom and dad gave their lives to Jesus.
The greatest joy
Recently, I experienced the greatest joy of my life: baptizing my parents. I had been praying for them for twenty years. God used my five years in prison to soften their hearts and answer my prayers. If my parents' conversion was the only thing that came out of my five years in prison, it was worth it. It really was.
Thank you to everyone who is praying for Farshid and the church in Iran.
Facts: Smuggling new wills into Iran
In 2020 alone, in collaboration with our project partner Elam, donors ensured that 23,000 copies of the New Testament could be printed and smuggled into Iran. An estimated 15 % of all recipients will beChristians.
