April - June 2008

"...Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did it for me.* (Matthew 25:40)

We thank you for your faithful prayer and financial support of this ministry. We also thank the Lord for leading this ministry through the years and providing for it financially. In the 28 years since ICI was established, the Lord has done so much with so little. Just as He fed an estimated four thousand men besides the women and children with a few fish and seven loaves of bread, His blessing has reached many Persian speakers and Iranian Christian refugees through a small organization such as ICI. An Iranian pastor friend in Europe who phoned us recently said "What ICI does for persecuted Christians is similar to redeeming hopeless slaves." We thank you friends who have prayed for us and the Iranian Church and have supported ICI so faithfully through the years. Your support is even more needed now as some members of the ICI support team have retired or are now in heaven with the Lord. Please pray for ICI's financial support during this coming months so that ICI can serve the Lord effectively.

Did you know that the Islamic parliament in Iran is currently considering the passing of an apostasy and blasphemy law? It is a legislation that imposes the death sentence automatically on persons such as Muslim convert Christians. This is a truly barbaric law. It is another attempt by the Islamic government and fanatical groups to try to force everyone into an Islamic mold. Whatever happened to the idea of religious freedom in the land of Cyrus the Great whom God in the Old Testament called "the anointed one."?

While the U.S. and other Western countries are restricting immigration, even for the persecuted Christians, there is a continual increase in the number of persecuted Christians in countries such as Iran and Afghanistan. This is partly because more and more Muslims are trusting their lives to Christ during these times. Just a few weeks ago Abe talked by phone with Mostafa and Mohammad, two Muslim convert Christians in a city in northern Afghanistan. They said that their lives are in danger from fanatical family members because of their trusting Christ. Abe gave them the green light to go to Pakistan where ICI can assist them with their immigration. So far only Mohammad has succeeded in fleeing to Pakistan. He has only five years of education and does not know anyone in Pakistan. ICI has put Mohammad in touch with a mature Afghan believer in Islamabad. Please pray for Mohammad's spiritual growth and his safety. Also pray that Mostafa will safely arrive in Pakistan soon.

ICI continues to minister to Nancy, a rape victim from Iran who fled to Turkey last fall. The U.N. agreed to ICI's request to schedule Nancy's interview for an earlier date. She and her husband just completed their U.N. interview. Please pray for healing for this couple as they recover from their emotional and physical scars from Iran. Also pray that they can soon immigrate to a safe country.

With this background, now you will see why this past week was so exceptional. We had a phone call from Amineh in Van in eastern Turkey. She was praising the Lord and thanking us because the U.N. granted her and her husband refugee status. They had been stranded in Turkey since 2005. Last August when Abe went to Turkey to participate in the dedication of the new Farsi translation of the Bible, he met this couple who pleaded their case with Abe. With the help of an American believer in Turkey, we were able to reopen this couple*s case. And now we heard the good news of the couple*s acceptance. Remember Amineh and Davood in your prayers as they await for their case to be referred for resettlement to the U.S.

A few days later Hossein, an Iranian Christian in Korea called. He also had some very good news. He had just been accepted for immigration to Canada. ICI had assisted Hossein for over a year with filling out Canadian immigration forms and documenting his case and even preparing him for his interview with the Canadian authorities in Seoul, Korea. Pray for Hossein to become an effective Christian leader among the Iranians in Toronto after he arrives there later this year.

Just two days ago we had another phone call from an Iranian father in the U.S. He began to profusely thank us. We had prepared the case for his Christian daughter who is in Pakistan. He had just received the good news that the U.N. had given his daughter, Fahimeh, refugee status. With this achievement, Fahimeh will be able to join her parents in the U.S. Incidentally, Fahimeh*s husband disappeared in Iran about a year ago and nothing has been heard from or about him. Please pray for Fahimeh's safety in Pakistan and pray that she can join her parents in the U.S. soon.

After spending much labor of love on a refugee situation, it is very rewarding to hear a refugee praising Jesus and celebrate the conclusion of a painful, but often useful, chapter of his/her life. We thank the Lord for the opportunity to serve Him among His persecuted children.

We will soon post the Spring-Summer 2008 issue of Mojdeh on the ICI web site. We do not have the budget to print and mail a hard copy of this issue. However, we hope that we will be able to print and mail a hard copy of the Fall-Winter issue.

We truly appreciate your part in this ministry and for sustaining us through your prayer and financial support.

God bless you,

Abe and Mahin Ghaffari