Stories

• 

  Iran: A Gift of God’s Word

  Years ago, Hossein received a gift that terrified him. He was sitting in a park one afternoon when a stranger walked up and handed him a book and a magazine.

  “These are gifts from God,” the man said, smiling.

  When Hossein got home, he realized the book he’d been given was a Bible — a book that is illegal to own, print, import or distribute in his Iranian homeland.

  Gripped with fear, he got rid of the book the next day. Then, just days later, Hossein was shocked to see his brother Mahmoud come home with a Bible of his own, given to him by a Christian friend from school.

  Mahmoud’s parents were incensed when they discovered his Bible. His father, Khodayar, grabbed it and threw it out in the yard.

  After seeing how angry it had made his father, Mahmoud wanted nothing more to do with the Bible. But Hossein secretly retrieved it and began reading it in the middle of the night.

  Mahmoud discovered Hossein with the Bible and warned him that their father might react violently if he discovered Hossein reading the discarded book. Hossein ignored him and continued to read the Bible in secret. Eventually, Hossein placed his faith in Christ Jesus.

  Months later, Mahmoud and Hossein’s mother became seriously ill, and the family had very little money for medical treatment. As Mahmoud worried about his mother’s health, he remembered how he had witnessed a Christian friend’s family pray for someone in the name of Christ and be healed afterward. The boys decided to take their mother to the Christian family for prayer. As the Christians prayed for her, Hossein joined in.

  “My mother was confused at first,” Mahmoud recalled. “But after that, she said the prayers made her feel light and happy.”

  When the three returned home, Khodayar scolded the boys for taking their mother to the Christians. “It would have been better for your mother to die than for you to bring shame to our family!” he yelled.

  Afterward, Mahmoud started to read the Bible, and he too placed his faith in Christ. The two brothers then regularly prayed for their mother. Within weeks, she was free of pain, and a doctor confirmed she was healed.

  One evening, Mahmoud noticed his father seemed troubled and was shocked to see that he was holding a Bible. Someone had placed it, gift-wrapped, in their mailbox, a way Christians sometimes distribute Bibles in Iran.

  “Dad, please, it’s the second time you’ve had a Bible in your hands,” Mahmoud told his father. “Perhaps God wants to talk to you. Before crumpling it up and throwing it away, please read it.”

  To the brothers’ surprise, Khodayar agreed. When he read John 10, in which Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd whose sheep follow him because they know his voice, he was reminded of his own childhood as a nomadic sheepherder. He remembered deeply caring for the sheep and how he even slept in their pen when they were sick or injured.

  Thinking of Jesus Christ as his “good shepherd” helped Khodayar understand that Jesus loved him immensely, even more than he had loved his own sheep. In that moment, he saw God and his Word in a new light.

  “That night, all my fear was replaced by trust,” Khodayar said. “I was certain that these were God’s words. … That night, God brought peace to my heart and I started talking to him.”

  Later, Khodayar joined his sons in following Christ, and after that a daughter did as well. One by one, each family member came to faith in Christ — all through the gift of God’s Word.

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Iran: A Gift of God’s Word

Years ago, Hossein received a gift that terrified him. He was sitting in a park one afternoon when a stranger walked up and handed him a book and a magazine.

“These are gifts from God,” the man said, smiling.

When Hossein got home, he realized the book he’d been given was a Bible — a book that is illegal to own, print, import or distribute in his Iranian homeland.

Gripped with fear, he got rid of the book the next day. Then, just days later, Hossein was shocked to see his brother Mahmoud come home with a Bible of his own, given to him by a Christian friend from school.

Mahmoud’s parents were incensed when they discovered his Bible. His father, Khodayar, grabbed it and threw it out in the yard.

After seeing how angry it had made his father, Mahmoud wanted nothing more to do with the Bible. But Hossein secretly retrieved it and began reading it in the middle of the night.

Mahmoud discovered Hossein with the Bible and warned him that their father might react violently if he discovered Hossein reading the discarded book. Hossein ignored him and continued to read the Bible in secret. Eventually, Hossein placed his faith in Christ Jesus.

Months later, Mahmoud and Hossein’s mother became seriously ill, and the family had very little money for medical treatment. As Mahmoud worried about his mother’s health, he remembered how he had witnessed a Christian friend’s family pray for someone in the name of Christ and be healed afterward. The boys decided to take their mother to the Christian family for prayer. As the Christians prayed for her, Hossein joined in.

“My mother was confused at first,” Mahmoud recalled. “But after that, she said the prayers made her feel light and happy.”

When the three returned home, Khodayar scolded the boys for taking their mother to the Christians. “It would have been better for your mother to die than for you to bring shame to our family!” he yelled.

Afterward, Mahmoud started to read the Bible, and he too placed his faith in Christ. The two brothers then regularly prayed for their mother. Within weeks, she was free of pain, and a doctor confirmed she was healed.

One evening, Mahmoud noticed his father seemed troubled and was shocked to see that he was holding a Bible. Someone had placed it, gift-wrapped, in their mailbox, a way Christians sometimes distribute Bibles in Iran.

“Dad, please, it’s the second time you’ve had a Bible in your hands,” Mahmoud told his father. “Perhaps God wants to talk to you. Before crumpling it up and throwing it away, please read it.”

To the brothers’ surprise, Khodayar agreed. When he read John 10, in which Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd whose sheep follow him because they know his voice, he was reminded of his own childhood as a nomadic sheepherder. He remembered deeply caring for the sheep and how he even slept in their pen when they were sick or injured.

Thinking of Jesus Christ as his “good shepherd” helped Khodayar understand that Jesus loved him immensely, even more than he had loved his own sheep. In that moment, he saw God and his Word in a new light.

“That night, all my fear was replaced by trust,” Khodayar said. “I was certain that these were God’s words. … That night, God brought peace to my heart and I started talking to him.”

Later, Khodayar joined his sons in following Christ, and after that a daughter did as well. One by one, each family member came to faith in Christ — all through the gift of God’s Word.

• 

  Burkina Faso: Hearing Hope

  To reach Amina’s tiny house, you must leave the center of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, and navigate a maze of dirt roads that seem to stretch endlessly through the outskirts of the sprawling city.

  Beyond the innumerable mud-brick houses sits a rock quarry where widows and young children bust rocks to make gravel using only chisels and hammers. They work, wait and hope that someone will eventually buy their pile of small stones so they can afford to buy food.

  But not far from the deplorable conditions of the gravel pit, a small group of women have found immeasurable meaning and value in studying God’s Word. Three times a week, they gather beneath a corrugated metal roof in Amina’s small courtyard to listen to Bible verses on an audio player.

  “All the people coming here for the Bible study are really happy,” Amina said. Some of the women have been attending her Bible study for years, while others are new to the group. And though they all have their own struggles, they help bear each other’s burdens.

  “Listening to the Word of God helped me to have hope,” said a group member named Veronica. “Most of the old ladies did not have a chance to go to school, and now all the Word of God is in that box. Listening to the Word like this helps us a lot.”

  A woman named Katerine said that when the troubles of life cause her to worry, Scripture changes her perspective. “Listening to the Word of God is really something good for me,” she said. “It is giving me more life. When you listen to the Word of God, you have a joyful future.” To expand on her meaning, she said the truths from the Bible are like seeds that have to be planted to grow.

  Another woman, Christine, who is probably in her 70s, used to bust rocks into gravel at the quarry. “I grew up and didn’t know how to read,” she said. “Now I am listening to the Word of God, and I can really testify that it changed my life.”

  The women gather beneath a small sheet-metal portico on Amina’s home, which was provided by VOM when her Muslim family members rejected her for following Christ. “[The women] stay here and listen to the Word of God,” she said of the gathering. “That really changes lives. It is making my life better, and it gives me the feeling of the Lord [being near].”

  Though she has been persecuted by Muslims, she still shares the gospel with them. “I don’t have any fear to tell people that Jesus is the Savior and is the solution of everything,” she said. “He is the way, the truth and life. He is the only way to go to God.”

  One of Amina’s favorite Bible passages is Ezekiel 37, which describes the prophet’s vision of God breathing new life into dry bones. She once believed her life was dried up and cut off, but the Lord breathed new life into her, and she loves to share it with others.

  Amina’s greatest hope is that the women who come to her open-air Bible study will grow in the Lord and that she will have the strength to continue her ministry.

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Burkina Faso: Hearing Hope

To reach Amina’s tiny house, you must leave the center of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, and navigate a maze of dirt roads that seem to stretch endlessly through the outskirts of the sprawling city.

Beyond the innumerable mud-brick houses sits a rock quarry where widows and young children bust rocks to make gravel using only chisels and hammers. They work, wait and hope that someone will eventually buy their pile of small stones so they can afford to buy food.

But not far from the deplorable conditions of the gravel pit, a small group of women have found immeasurable meaning and value in studying God’s Word. Three times a week, they gather beneath a corrugated metal roof in Amina’s small courtyard to listen to Bible verses on an audio player.

“All the people coming here for the Bible study are really happy,” Amina said. Some of the women have been attending her Bible study for years, while others are new to the group. And though they all have their own struggles, they help bear each other’s burdens.

“Listening to the Word of God helped me to have hope,” said a group member named Veronica. “Most of the old ladies did not have a chance to go to school, and now all the Word of God is in that box. Listening to the Word like this helps us a lot.”

A woman named Katerine said that when the troubles of life cause her to worry, Scripture changes her perspective. “Listening to the Word of God is really something good for me,” she said. “It is giving me more life. When you listen to the Word of God, you have a joyful future.” To expand on her meaning, she said the truths from the Bible are like seeds that have to be planted to grow.

Another woman, Christine, who is probably in her 70s, used to bust rocks into gravel at the quarry. “I grew up and didn’t know how to read,” she said. “Now I am listening to the Word of God, and I can really testify that it changed my life.”

The women gather beneath a small sheet-metal portico on Amina’s home, which was provided by VOM when her Muslim family members rejected her for following Christ. “[The women] stay here and listen to the Word of God,” she said of the gathering. “That really changes lives. It is making my life better, and it gives me the feeling of the Lord [being near].”

Though she has been persecuted by Muslims, she still shares the gospel with them. “I don’t have any fear to tell people that Jesus is the Savior and is the solution of everything,” she said. “He is the way, the truth and life. He is the only way to go to God.”

One of Amina’s favorite Bible passages is Ezekiel 37, which describes the prophet’s vision of God breathing new life into dry bones. She once believed her life was dried up and cut off, but the Lord breathed new life into her, and she loves to share it with others.

Amina’s greatest hope is that the women who come to her open-air Bible study will grow in the Lord and that she will have the strength to continue her ministry.

• 

  Central Asia: Where Teaching God’s Word to Children Is a Crime

  Pastor Parviz knew the risk he was taking as he packed the Christian children’s books into his suitcase and prepared to return home to Tajikistan. But as a pastor and a parent, he also knew that no investment or sacrifice was too great in order to provide discipleship materials for children in his small fellowship.

  The laws of Tajikistan and other nations in the region restrict and even forbid teaching religious beliefs and practices to children. If the Christian children’s books buried in Parviz’s suitcase were discovered, he could be fined, arrested or even imprisoned. Still, he believed the risk was well worth the gain of discipling children in the Lord.

  As he crossed the Tajik border, Parviz was stopped and searched, which led to the discovery and confiscation of the Christian children’s books. He received a significant fine and may face additional punishment.

  Five Central Asian nations restrict religious instruction of children. If caught with Bibles or Christian materials without government approval, Christians in these nations face fines, jail and, in some nations, the loss of parental rights.

  “Every year it is becoming more and more difficult,” said one pastor in his hometown high in a mountainous region.

  Church leaders in one country started organizing meetings for children in different buildings while their parents attended church services. But in another country, as the laws have grown more restrictive, church leaders have had to be more creative, keeping party supplies and colorful decorations on hand so Bible lessons quickly become birthday celebrations if the secret police suddenly appear.

  Despite these government restrictions, Christians in Central Asia continue to disciple their children in God’s Word. VOM helps supply and deliver Bibles and other Christian literature throughout Central Asia while standing with Christians like Parviz by paying legal fees and offering prayer and encouragement when they are persecuted for their faithfulness.

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Central Asia: Where Teaching God’s Word to Children Is a Crime

Pastor Parviz knew the risk he was taking as he packed the Christian children’s books into his suitcase and prepared to return home to Tajikistan. But as a pastor and a parent, he also knew that no investment or sacrifice was too great in order to provide discipleship materials for children in his small fellowship.

The laws of Tajikistan and other nations in the region restrict and even forbid teaching religious beliefs and practices to children. If the Christian children’s books buried in Parviz’s suitcase were discovered, he could be fined, arrested or even imprisoned. Still, he believed the risk was well worth the gain of discipling children in the Lord.

As he crossed the Tajik border, Parviz was stopped and searched, which led to the discovery and confiscation of the Christian children’s books. He received a significant fine and may face additional punishment.

Five Central Asian nations restrict religious instruction of children. If caught with Bibles or Christian materials without government approval, Christians in these nations face fines, jail and, in some nations, the loss of parental rights.

“Every year it is becoming more and more difficult,” said one pastor in his hometown high in a mountainous region.

Church leaders in one country started organizing meetings for children in different buildings while their parents attended church services. But in another country, as the laws have grown more restrictive, church leaders have had to be more creative, keeping party supplies and colorful decorations on hand so Bible lessons quickly become birthday celebrations if the secret police suddenly appear.

Despite these government restrictions, Christians in Central Asia continue to disciple their children in God’s Word. VOM helps supply and deliver Bibles and other Christian literature throughout Central Asia while standing with Christians like Parviz by paying legal fees and offering prayer and encouragement when they are persecuted for their faithfulness.