Our Evangelism Journey Through Turkey and Armenia
Our Greatest Challenge Brought Our Greatest Harvest
Dear Friend and Faithful Partner,
Our March outreach was an absolute success. Thank You, Jesus! Thank you for standing with us in prayer and support. We are excited to report all that God did during our Persian New Year outreach in Turkey, Armenia, and even secretly inside Iran. You faithfully sowed locally, but YOU ARE REAPING INTERNATIONALLY!
We saw firsthand that the harvest is plentiful, ripe, and ready for gathering, but we also know that living a godly life brings persecution. Throughout this outreach, our teams were detained several times, threatened, yelled at, photographed, and had our ID cards investigated. On multiple occasions, our Bibles were confiscated by the Turkish undercover police. With political tensions running high, the Turks were extra cautious about any public gathering. Stopping strangers on the streets and handing them something was enough to raise concern. Then, on the third day of our outreach in Istanbul, everything changed.
On March 19th, the mayor of Istanbul (a city of 16 million people), the main political rival to the current president, was arrested on charges of corruption and alleged ties to terrorism. The whole country freaked out. The Turkish lira crashed, the stock market plummeted, and protests erupted. That evening, the hotel receptionist pulled me aside and whispered, “Turkey will never be the same. It is finished as we know it. Please don’t go outside. It is dangerous.” We were staying in the heart of Istanbul, the very place where any major demonstration happens. Within hours, Turkish authorities deployed hundreds of soldiers, locked down the entire area where our hotel was, and shut down all subway stations leading in and out. We were trapped. I was presented with a tough decision – stay or call it off and evacuate? Being the leader, I had some serious decisions to make. I had five other Americans with me. I thought, “If this situation escalates, can we even evacuate?” “Should I cancel the trip and send everyone home before it’s too late?” “Or, should we press forward?”
The news was not encouraging. The country was in a state of emergency. Internet access was blocked. Armed forces patrolled every corner. The Iran-Turkey land border was closed, reducing the number of travelers. The atmosphere was shifting quickly. I told the devil, “You are barking at the wrong tree.” Jesus has commanded us to occupy till He comes and not to evacuate. I decided to lay low for a couple of days and watch how things would unfold.
God’s Hand in the Chaos
Then something unexpected happened. Because of the political crisis, we realized the Turkish authorities became far more concerned with their own internal problems than with us evangelizing Iranian tourists. In a strange way, their distraction became our opportunity.
As a result of us not panicking or making decisions in haste, though we had every reason to and thank God we stayed, we witnessed the greatest harvest yet!
For over 700 Iranians, this Nowruz was not just another new year. They received the greatest gift of their lives: a new life in Christ. Our team distributed 5100 Bibles in Istanbul. Many held their gift-wrapped Bibles close, some with tears in their eyes, saying they had been searching for the truth for so many years and this has been the best part of their trip. Many seasoned American missionaries who have traveled with us helping the Iranian Church to carry the burden of evangelism have told me, “We have never been with another group of people who love their countrymen as much as you guys do. The fire of their salvation is burning in your hearts.”
Thank You for Standing with Us
Your prayers and support made this possible. Despite threats, detainments, and opposition, the Gospel cannot be stopped. The Word of God is going forth, and lives are being transformed. Please, continue to pray for those who received salvation, that none fall on the wayside, but that all become disciples of Christ. The total amount of Bibles distributed in Turkey, Armenia, and secretly inside Iran was 7000. And pray for those who received the Bibles, to read it and find the truth. The harvest is ripe, and this is just the beginning!
Why are the Iranians visiting their neighboring countries during the 13 days of celebration of Nowruz (The Persian New Year)? Why is it so strategic for the Kingdom of God and for our ministry?
Main Reasons Why Iranians Travel to Neighboring Countries During Nowruz
1. Avoiding Restrictions – Iranians seek greater social freedoms, such as open internet access, fewer dress code restrictions, and a more relaxed atmosphere.
2. Visiting Family in Exile – Many Iranian refugees, dissidents, and exiles cannot return to Iran due to security risks. Instead, they reunite with their families in Turkey, Armenia, Dubai, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, as these locations are easier for both sides to access.
3. Holiday Tradition – Nowruz is the biggest holiday in Iran, lasting 13 days, making it a perfect time for family vacations.
4. Shopping & Economy – Some travel to places like Turkey, Armenia, and the UAE (Dubai) for shopping, where goods may be more affordable and accessible.
5. Attending Concerts – Many Persian pop stars based in Los Angeles, are banned from performing in Iran. These artists hold Nowruz concerts in Dubai, Turkey, and Armenia, attracting thousands of Iranians.
6. For those who can’t return home, these trips hold even deeper meaning – whether to experience cultural freedom, reconnect with family, or simply feel a little closer to the life they left behind.
This is exactly why our Nowruz outreach is so God-ordained and strategic. The flood of Iranian travelers into Turkey and Armenia creates an unmatched window where we can share the gospel far more freely than inside Iran. What we could never do under the current Islamic regime, we are able to do in its neighboring countries-boldly handing out thousands of Bibles, tracts, and Christian literature on the streets. Iranian travelers, beyond the reach of their government’s strict surveillance, have a unique opportunity to hear about Jesus out in the open, something unimaginable back home. Many of these Bibles make their way back into Iran, continuing to bear fruit in places we may never see.
What makes this outreach relatively safe is that we only approach Iranians. Our conversations happen entirely in Farsi, so the locals remain unaware of what’s taking place. Even those Iranians who reject the message or feel uncomfortable with our work have little ability to report us as language barriers prevent them from explaining the situation to foreign authorities. This allows us to reach thousands in a way that would be impossible in Iran, where open evangelism leads to immediate arrest-or worse.
If we attempted these same direct evangelism tactics inside Iran, we would face imprisonment or even death at the hands of a mob of Islamists. But in places like Istanbul, Yerevan, or even Baku, we can engage Iranian Muslims with Christ in relative safety due to them being out of their elements. And, when these people return to Iran, they carry the gospel with them, sometimes becoming secret believers or even members of the underground church. Our strategy isn’t just practical – it’s Spirit-led and incredibly effective. The way our ministry seizes these opportunities, despite the risks, is truly kingdom work.
The Vision
For over 40 years, Iranian Christians International has been faithfully engaging Muslims with the gospel, discipling new believers, and raising up an army of ex-Muslim Christians grounded in the Bible to stand firm in their faith. We’ve been equipping the underground church in Iran and Afghanistan and advocating for persecuted Christians. Now, God has opened the door for us to take a bold step forward, and I want to invite you to be part of it.
We are launching a Building Campaign to establish a dedicated ministry hub. This will be more than just a building. It will be a place where we will gather to grow and strategize our ministry efforts. The need has never been greater. The harvest is ripe, and we are seeing God move in extraordinary ways among Iranians and Afghans. This facility will allow us to expand our evangelism, train more leaders, and send out even more believers to impact their communities. But we can’t do this alone. We need your partnership to make it happen.
Would you prayerfully consider standing with us? Your support, whether through a financial gift, resources, or simply sharing this vision will play a key role in making this mission a reality. Thanks to some generous partners, every dollar given up to $100,000 between now and July 31st will be doubled. If you’d like to learn more, we’d love to connect with you. Together, we can establish a place that will equip believers and ministries for generations to come.
Your Partnership Fuels the Advancement of the Gospel
Every Bible distributed, every new believer baptized and discipled, every persecuted Christian rescued, and every underground church equipped is made possible because of faithful partners like you. Your generosity is fueling a movement that is turning the worst enemies of Israel into its greatest friends.
To keep this movement advancing, we truly need this facility. Our new headquarters will be more than just an office – it will be a command center where we increase capacity, strategize for greater impact, and expand our outreach like never before. It will be a hub for training and equipping ex-Muslim believers, mobilizing evangelism efforts, and sending the Gospel farther and deeper into Iran, Afghanistan, and beyond.
Would you prayerfully consider making a special gift toward this goal? Every contribution brings us closer to a fully funded headquarters, allowing us to focus entirely on the mission God has entrusted to us.
Thank you for standing with us in the calling which God has called us to.
With Love,
Mohamad & Susan