Last summer, when we returned to live in England, we bought a second car. Our children are both old enough to drive now, and we wanted a small run-around that was cheap to insure. It has since become my main car, and being in it feels like going back in time, thanks to its temperamental radio. If I drive under a bridge, enter a multistorey car park, or if there is heavy rain, I lose signal and can only hear crackling white noise. Most of the time, I don’t mind this, but on occasion, I miss the end of a joke or anecdote being told on the radio. It’s a little frustrating. I’ll never know what happened to the lady who took her Jack Russell to a trampoline park!
Over the weekend, I spoke with my dear Iranian friend Mojgan, whom I give a lift to church most weeks. She had invited some friends from church over for a delicious meal of Zereshk Polo ba Morgh, and I wanted to ask her how we could pray for Iran right now. I have been trying to keep up with what is going on there, but just like my temperamental radio, news from the country is intermittent and patchy. It’s hard to get an accurate idea of what has happened. The latest estimates are that at least 22,000 were killed in the recent protests, and in a shocking report I watched on Channel 4 news last week, I learnt about the organised targeting of hospitals. There is now evidence showing that Iran’s security forces entered hospitals and removed protesters, who were still alive, from wards and operating theatres before killing them. Some doctors who treated and saved protesters have been rounded up and are currently in line for execution. It is horrific.
Of course, it is so much harder for Mojgan, who has many family members and friends in Iran and feels acutely the pain her country is experiencing. She has been struggling to stay in contact with her family; there was a complete internet shutdown, and although it has since been restored, the signal within Iran is weak and sporadic. It is frustrating when white noise cuts into my radio show, but she has to endure constant crackling and the knowledge that someone may be listening in when she talks with her parents. They communicate more by text to avoid the background interference, but she tells me her mother believes seeing each other’s faces is the best form of communication.
I’ve also learnt from Mojgan just how universal participation in the protests was. It seems that everyone, from young to old, went out on the streets if they were physically able. Yet even among such huge crowds, people were not safe from the security forces’ brutal crackdown. She has told me about even greater tragedies than those being reported on our news, particularly regarding the mass imprisonment and rape of women.
Though it’s difficult to tell, it seems that the protests have waned; Mojgan thinks this might be because families are busy retrieving bodies, organising funerals and burying their dead. Despite growing poverty among Iranians, families are being made to pay for ‘the cost of the bullet’ so they can take the bodies of their children home. I can’t imagine the pain and fury Iran’s people must be experiencing at this time. Right now, they describe themselves as a ‘nation dressed in black’.
Yet, in Mojgan’s view, the overwhelming backlash against Iran’s regime gives hope. She believes people have nothing to lose now; they want to go all out against the regime, and they have lost their fear of it. She asks us to pray for all the families who are mourning loved ones, for those in jail for protesting to be released and for doctors to be spared execution. Above all, she is desperate to see the regime end without further bloodshed.
I’m so grateful that Mojgan shared her hopes and dreams for Iran with me, and I hope you don’t mind me sharing them with you via my newsletter. As I hope my books demonstrate, I love to honour the people I meet by listening to and sharing their stories, and it has been such a privilege to meet Mojgan here in Gloucester. I know she feels powerless, watching events in Iran unfold from England, but she has extraordinary faith that inspires me. The story of how she became a Christian is incredible, and I hope she will share it in her own words one day; her English is steadily improving, and she has a wonderful way with words.
Though we can only learn about events in Iran as if via a badly tuned radio, God sees and knows what is happening, and through our prayers to him, we can hope for peace. Perhaps if your radio goes a little crackly this week, or your Wi-Fi drops out for a moment or two, I hope you’ll be reminded to pray for Iran. Thankfully, Mojgan finally saw her mother’s face for a few minutes on Sunday over the internet. Praise God!
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
1 Corinthians 13:12 The Message
Thank you to everyone who has been in touch as they read Our Sisters and Come with me to Kathmandu (I guess quite a few people might have been given them for Christmas). I love receiving your feedback and always pass on your encouraging words to the people in the books. It’s been several years since I interviewed most of them, so it’s a lovely surprise when they hear from you via me. Mojgan can also share more about Iran, so please also get in contact if you’d like a better understanding of what is happening there.
It looks as if I’ll soon be signing a contract for my children’s book. It’s going to be published by Sarah Grace Publishing, a Christian imprint which specialises in dyslexia-friendly books. I hope there will be illustrations, and I can’t wait to see what the publisher has in mind. I’m grateful to my newsletter readers for helping me choose the cover image for Our Sisters; I may need your help again!
Please help me by forwarding this email to anyone interested in praying for women in and from Asia. They’ll also receive news about my forthcoming children’s book, which tells a true story that highlights how to hear from God.
If you’ve received this email from a friend, you can sign up for future emails here. You’ll even get the chance to share your views on my future work!
Thank you for taking the time to read about Iran and for praying that God’s will would be done there,
In Christ,
Anna
Please click on the books to buy my books. Every purchase helps me support incredible work being done in Nepal and Pakistan.
Discover more from Dislocated Christians
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Dislocated Christians 