Page 18 - R127-Voice-and-Prayer-Shield-Linked

18
Mark Lipdo
Jack Norman is inspired by an Iranian couple
forced out of Turkey who are now blessing
believers in Kurdistan
We read in Chapter 8 of
the book of Acts that
during the first major
persecution against
the church in Jerusalem many had to
flee, but as they fled they continued to
share the good news.
Many Christians who escape hostile
governments today continue to live
this out.
For Iranian believers a natural place
for them to flee has been Turkey,
but since 2018, when the UNHCR
(United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees) handed the processing
of refugees to the Turkish authorities,
this has become increasingly
problematic. While Turkey remains a
country that welcomes refugees from
Iran, Christians from that country
have been experiencing significant
Stateless but still
serving the Lord
Having fled Iran in 2016, not initially
as Christians, and then having come
to faith, Ruth and ‘Mark’* served God
in Turkey until 2023. Life had been
going well for them and the church
they led in their home had grown to
the point where it needed to move
into a larger building. Around 120
members were attending services.
The couple’s problems began
when they started helping Afghan
Christians who had fled to Turkey,
offering them food and practical
assistance. They were reported to
police, who questioned them several
times and eventually stopped a
service they were leading.
Soon after that they were ordered to
leave the country. At first they were
sent to Georgia, but as soon as they
arrived there they were immediately
put back on a flight to Istanbul.
Facing more questions from the
Turkish authorities Ruth rang a
friend and asked them to get her and
Mark tickets to Erbil in Kurdistan;
and that night they left Turkey.
‘If we open up ourselves
to the Lord and let Him
use us, we can be His
hands on earth.’
However, like so many Iranian
Christians, Mark and Ruth are now
effectively stateless. Seen by many
as problematic because of the
actions of the Iranian Government,
they cannot travel on their Iranian
passports and they are not eligible
for travel documents from another
country until they gain citizenship.
Although they long to be able to
travel, they told me they knew God’s
hand was upon them. Mark believes
God wanted him in Kurdistan
because He wanted someone who
could teach believers using the Farsi
language. They are also helping
other Christian families who need to
get out of Turkey.
As we finished our conversation,
Mark told me: ‘I believe if we open up
ourselves to the Lord and let Him use
us, we can be His hands on earth.’
*Names changed to protect identities
pressure in recent years with many
forcibly deported back to Iran or to
one of the few other countries that
will accept them.
On a recent trip to Kurdistan, an
autonomous region in northern Iraq
and one of the places still open to
Christians being forced out of Turkey,
I met one family who had direct
experience of this.
Like many Iranians who are coming
to faith, it began when ‘Ruth’* had
a vision of Jesus standing over the
bed of a sick relative who had been
declared ‘brain-dead’ and saying
that he would live. After that she
had a call from doctors who urged
her to come to the hospital because
a miracle had happened: the
relative had recovered! This was the
beginning of their faith journey.