I recently heard testimonies that I hope will bless you too. One day, Laleh and her husband were invited to a church meeting, and as people were worshipping and singing hymns, Laleh's heart was deeply touched. When they asked if there was anyone who wanted to give their heart and life to Christ, Laleh came forward and gave her heart to the Lord. And this made Mostafa very upset. He took off his wedding ring and gave it to Laleh, saying, "You can no longer be my wife. Why did you do this? We had run away from religion." This caused Laleh to distance herself from the church for a while, mostly due to fear of her husband's reaction. However, after some time, Mostafa also came to believe in Jesus Christ. Although both of them didn't have a true and proper understanding of their faith. They thought they had only changed their religion and that Christianity was simply a better religion. After several years, Laleh was discipled through a journey, and everything gradually changed for her, and a deeper understanding of Christ made her love God more. With this same passion, she began discipling a young girl in Iran who had also recently come to believe in Christ. Today, both of them are in the final steps of their journey. Incidentally, this young girl has also started a new fellowship in Iran. How beautiful it is to start the discipleship journey from the very first days of faith. Because when we know Jesus better, not only our own lives but also the lives of others are transformed.

For a while, I was truly tired of problems. Pressures had increased, and my spiritual state was not good at all. Many times, I would say to myself:

"Isn't God paying attention to me? Is there even a God who sees all this suffering?"

With these thoughts and feelings, I entered the fellowship meeting. The teaching that day was about suffering. Exactly the same problem that was in my heart.

In the middle of the teaching, the Holy Spirit began to bring things from the past to my remembrance; not with reproach, but with love. God showed me what hardships He had brought me through, from where He had saved me, and from where He had brought me.

Right there, I realized that the God who had taken care of me before, still is.

My heart grew warmer. A quiet but deep hope came into my heart.

From that teaching, I learned that God has a purpose for our growth in every suffering. In difficulties, we learn to trust Him, not our own abilities. In the darkness, the light of His presence becomes clearer.

Someone who has experienced suffering can empathize with others and convey true love.

That fellowship, for my despairing heart, turned into a hopeful session.

Thanks be to God, who in difficulties is not far, but closer than ever.

Due to the intensity of bombings in Tehran, a Christian couple is forced to go to Shiraz. Perhaps from the outside it just seems like a simple relocation, but God created an opportunity from this difficult situation. In Shiraz, this couple begins to connect with different people and, with utmost simplicity and compassion, talks to them about Christ. The result is that 6 people hear the message of salvation through faith in Christ and believe.

It's interesting that despite the difficult conditions in Iran, the restrictions, and even the lack of internet, this couple did not stop serving. In a place where they were forced to relocate due to the dangerous conditions, with very few resources but great faith, they are evangelizing, serving those who have believed, and being there for them. This shows that when we obey God and fulfill this great mission entrusted to us in any situation, God pours out His blessing and does great things.

Despite the war conditions in Iran, we continue our fellowships. In the midst of these hardships, we worship God and pray for our country. For Sizdah-Bedar, we had gone to one of our friend's gardens. There, we accidentally met several people who also had Christian faith. Our hearts quickly became one, and right there, we started worshipping God and praying for Iran. God's presence was truly felt among us.

Everyone touched it. In those circumstances, instead of fear and despair, we were filled with strength and joy. It was as if God's Spirit had just filled us. Right there, we decided to continue this connection, maintain our fellowships together, and stay beside each other on this path,

Ali is someone who has faithfully prayed for his city for a long time. Amidst these challenging days for Iranians, Ali had gone to a hospital where he met a doctor, and that doctor told Ali: "Everything feels heavy and hopeless to me." Ali seized the opportunity and gave an Gospel to that doctor and spoke about the living hope that is in Jesus!

A week later, that doctor called Ali and said: "I have read this book. What should I do to become a follower of Jesus?" Ali prayed for that doctor right there, and the doctor surrendered their heart to the Lord. Ali spoke with him about how he could be a disciple of Jesus and introduced him to "The Journey." And from that day forward, they began their first steps of discipleship together.

Dear friends! God wants us, as children of light, to share the imperishable hope found in Jesus with others, especially in these days when despair and confusion are rampant! Let's have a fresh start today to share His name, which is the source of hope, with everyone we know.

Hello friends…

Today I want to share a true story with you.

Maryam, who is a Christian, had been praying for her friend Simin for three years.

Right in the middle of these difficult days,

Simin goes to Maryam’s Christian fellowship gathering, and right there she gives her heart to the Lord.

She turns to Maryam and says, “Now I understand why you’re so different from everyone else!”

A few days later, they go out together to walk and pray in the streets —

the very same streets filled with pain and bitter memories.

Streets filled with heartbreaking memories… a place where thousands of people had lost their lives.

Right there, Simin says, “I feel like Jesus is changing me from the inside.”

Friends…

This means that even in the midst of darkness, Jesus is at work.

When the world is restless and troubled, God is calming hearts.

It means hope is still alive — and that hope is in Jesus Christ.

And if today you’re saying to yourself,

“I want to be someone God can use…”

All you need to do is stay faithful, pray, and invite your friends — those who may not know Christ — to your Christian fellowship.

We are praying for you to be the light in the darkness.

Through fellowship, our home became filled with love…

Since I came to faith, our weekly fellowship times with my daughters have become incredibly beautiful and meaningful to me. As a new believer, I’ve learned how to pray, and I’ve gained the courage to pray with others in our family gatherings. Before, I couldn’t even speak or participate in the prayers, but now seeing all of us praying together is truly a beautiful sight.

Nikan, one of my grandchildren who is about seven years old, kneels during our weekly fellowship prayers and repeats the phrases others say in his own childlike way. He’s even learned to pray in the name of Jesus. Watching this fills my heart with joy and encouragement.

The fruit of these fellowships and prayers has been unity, harmony, closeness, and the softening of our hearts toward one another. We’ve also experienced God’s protection in difficult times, and we’ve learned—and lived out—forgiveness and love.

All of this is the blessing that has come through our prayers in fellowship.

By traveling and visiting them…

In the beginning, my husband and I held our weekly fellowship just the two of us. Every week we read the Bible and prayed, “Lord, prepare a way for others to join our fellowship.”

Little by little, we had opportunities to share our faith with family members and a few friends who lived in another city. Surprisingly, within a short time, about five of our loved ones came to faith.

When we saw what was happening, we decided to visit them in person and help them start their own weekly fellowship.

For me, this was incredibly encouraging, because I saw how God grew a small two-person fellowship into a new little group.

It’s never too late to repair and rebuild a relationship…

I’m 62, and my husband is 72. For years, we had problems with our children and felt distant from them. Our relationships had grown cold, and we had no idea how to fix things.

Since we started attending weekly fellowship meetings, we slowly learned to forgive, to let go, to stand firm in our faith like a solid rock, and—most importantly—to experience the power of prayer. In every meeting, we pray together for our children, and little by little, those prayers began to show their effect. Our children’s behavior started to change, and our relationships began to warm up again.

I see these changes as the work of God’s hand. He taught us that forgiveness and prayer can bring miracles, and that even in our 60s and 70s, there is still time to renew our lives and our relationships

When there was no one, God created a new community and a new life for us…

Whenever I heard about fellowships and house churches, I always felt a bit of sadness—because I had no one. In our city, I couldn’t find a single believer. I had even tried to introduce my family and friends to Christianity, but nothing happened.

Then I started attending an English class. Our teacher used to give examples, and somehow every example had something to do with Christ and faith. At first, I just found it interesting, but one day I finally asked her, “Why does every example you give connect back to Jesus?”

She said, “I’m a Christian.”

In that moment, my joy was overwhelming—like God had seen all my lonely days and heard every one of my prayers.

After that, I’d go to class early just so I could talk with her. A few days later, she invited me to her home, and her husband was also a believer. I told her, “I wish my husband would come to faith too.”

With kindness she said, “Let’s pray for him, and next week bring him with you.”

The next week, my husband came with me—and he repented and believed. A few days after that, my teacher and I shared about Jesus with one of our classmates who was going through a hard time, and she also came to faith.

Now, we gather every week, have fellowship, and thank God as we grow together.

This experience showed me that God never ignores my lonely prayers, and He always provides a way to answer them.