Smuggler dies with Scripture in his hand

The coincidence of the tree: “Jesus answered and
said unto him, Before that Philip called thee,
when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”
– (John 1:48b)

Greetings to all of you in the name of our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ. I want to express my gratitude for your prayers and your great financial sacrifice to keep us in our mission, which God has given us, to reach our people to Christ.

In general, Christians in our country are going through the most difficult period in their history, as they face systemic persecution with harsh authorities and intense social and cultural pressures. This reality drives many believers to flee the country or live in a state of constant movement to avoid persecution and pressure. Those most often targeted are those who run secret house churches or distribute Bibles. The authorities view these activities as direct threats to the regime or as acts against national security. Many of us live in constant fear of arrest, imprisonment, and torture. If this doesn’t happen, we live in a state of financial and psychological instability. We are separated from our families because we must constantly move from one house to another. I’m going to share a story with you about one of our Brothers that happened recently.

A twenty-six-year-old man, raised in a Muslim household, was brought up, like all his peers, to learn about Islam, obey its teachings, and serve and support the rule of the Jurist “Wilayat al-Faqih,” with all the strength and effort he possesses.
Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist) is a Shia Islamic political doctrine, championed by Ayatollah Khomeini, holding that in the absence of the infallible Imam (the reappearance of whom is to precede the Judgement Day), a qualified Islamic jurist (faqih) should hold supreme political and religious authority. It serves as the basis for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s governance, in which the supreme leader exercises “absolute” guardianship over state affairs. – Source: Wikipedia (edited) 

Naturally, early in his life, he began to discover contradictions and hear the secret debates surrounding Islam, the validity of Sharia law, obedience to the religious political system, and its failure on every level. He began to feel lost and afraid to face anyone with those questions until the Lord opened the door for him to obtain a Bible from one of his friends, a member of our house church. Shortly after reading the Bible and attending church meetings, he came to the knowledge of salvation and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. After he finished his discipleship course, he became involved in the ministry of Bible storage and distribution. Understanding the importance of the Word of God to his family, friends, and the people in his country, he became one of the most trusted and influential figures in the ——- region of our country. But this came at a price, as he faced a serious conflict with his family. After a while, his family discovered what he was doing. His brother reported him to the authorities, and he was arrested.

Thanks to God’s Grace and some connections that one of his brothers had, he was released after nine months of indescribable torture, but he was not able to return home. Therefore, he moved among the brothers’ homes in the house churches until a number of those brothers who were hosting him were arrested. Therefore, he decided not to put any of us in danger and left without telling anyone where he was going. He did this because he knew he was a financial and security burden on us, especially given the economic and security circumstances we are living in. So he left. When we heard that he had left, we began to look for him, and several days later, we received the news that he had been found dead under a tree, having succumbed to the bitter cold, in the forest. In his frozen hand, he was holding a piece of paper. With his hands shaking from the cold, he had scribbled a verse he had read in a Bible he smuggled, for which he had been imprisoned and tortured. His handwritten note simply stated, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? I love you all.”