Prayers for Gospel Light as Blackouts Continue for Students in Central Asia

Through these partnerships, GTI equips globally positioned leaders in hard-to-reach and conflict-ladened areas, like Central Asia.

One of GTI’s people initiatives, the Persian Leadership Development Office seeks to train Farsi-speaking leaders, both in their native countries and throughout the world.

The initiative is led by Dr. Kambiz Saghaey, who is also the founder and president of Mojdeh Ministry, a GTI partner. Saghaey, a Muslim-background believer and Iranian refugee, fled to the states with his wife, Sepideh, in 2014 to escape persecution for their faith. He now oversees the theological education of thousands of Farsi-speaking students through the work of Mojdeh Ministry and GTI.

Today, many of these students find themselves in a world turned upside down by the ongoing conflict in and around Iran. In addition to persecution for their Christian faith, these students now face the physical, emotional, and spiritual realities of war in every moment of their day-to-day lives.

Currently, due to internet blackouts caused by the conflict and its destruction, hundreds of students have lost contact with the outside world.

“Still,” Saghaey said, “they are continuing their studies.”

Mojdeh Ministry and GTI do not know how the students are, who is alive, or in what ways their families and ministries are being affected by the war. And so, the semester extends indefinitely, waiting for relief and answers.

For Saghaey — as a Christian and as someone who knows intimately the suffering of Iranian believers — this conflict brings with it significant ethical dilemmas.

He and many other Iranians hope with eager anticipation for freedom and the fall of the regime, and yet, Saghaey shared, as a Christian, the death and destruction of so many — even the enemy — brings great sorrow. How does a believer pray for justice and also pray for his enemy?

Saghaey encourages the church in the West to pray for the many Iranian Christians who are wrestling with these same questions. He asks also for prayer for the safety and continued endurance of the many students and their families who remain unreachable in the midst of the conflict.

At the same time, he looks forward and sees a window of great opportunity opening before the Farsi-speaking church, which is already the fastest growing church in the world. Hearts are shifting away from the false teaching of Islam, and through Saghaey’s involvement in evangelism ministries overseas, he has seen increased openness to gospel conversations.

He has also been studying evangelism and theological education in other countries that have experienced regime changes, and he believes that in the event of such a change, the window of time for gospel mobilization in Iran will be narrow. Saghaey and fellow ministry leaders are already anticipating the needs of the Iranian people and ways in which the local church can serve as the hands and feet of Christ. Saghaey also believes priority should be given to establishing evangelistic practices and theological education during that short window of time before the culture shifts back into a settled way of living.

“This is the time the church should be more active in prayer,” Saghaey urged. He views this season not simply as a time of waiting but of preparation and intercession. No amount of internet loss or radio silence can quiet the prayers of God’s people.

 

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