I Lost 3 Children for Christ and Gained Hundreds of Disciples

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.“ Matthew 19:29

After Meesha’s (not her real name) miraculous conversion, she begins to read the Bible in secret. As she reads Jesus’ words: God forgive them they know not what they do, she is overcome by the grace to forgive those who had brought so much pain to her life.

After I came to Christ so much changed!

Through the power of His Word. God poured His healing forgiving Spirit in me and I was able to totally forgive those who killed my family.

I was sick and God healed me. He freed me from drug addiction to pills and other substances. Whatever happened around me, I could feel God more and more and I was getting to know him more deeply every day.

But Meesha’s father’s family was still Muslim and it was dangerous for her to be a Christian. Despite this, Meesha struggles to hide her growing faith. She has to hide in the bathroom to read her Bible. Her father’s family are in her house every day. She is constantly on alert. With each day that passes, her faith becomes increasingly impossible to hide.

“To live is Christ and to die is gain”

She realizes that nothing but Jesus can make her truly happy. And she wants to live for Him at any cost.

I got to a point where there was no life to be lived there any more.

“My children were older and living on their own. The loneliness was gripping me. I didn’t know exactly why, but the voice in me was telling me that I needed to go to Turkey. The cost was great. I would not be able to see my children. They did not understand my faith and if I was discovered they would also be in danger.”

“It was a difficult season for me but I knew I needed to live amongst Christians. Little did I know what blessing awaited me there! I met with Rev Lazarus from Transform Iran. He ensured I was pastored and supported well. I planted a church in a town in Turkey with the support of Transform Iran. I remember the emotion of it all. The weight of the responsibility! “Lord I have escaped with only my own life and I don’t know what to do with these people! I can not even fix my own problems. How can I help others?”

But I was SO in love with Christ that I refused to allow my own weaknesses to be a cause of stumbling for other believers. I was determined to honor Him with everything!

The days were hard and I cried a lot in private. Despite the sadness in my heart, I started serving and God used me.

“He led me to another town where I planted another church. Now I am serving there and through our church I am serving in Iran too! I am discipling around 195 people in Iran.

I may have lost access to my 3 natural children but God has given me hundreds of spiritual children instead!

Intimacy Through Persecution

“If I had not been estranged from my children I would never have understood God as my Father like I do today. I would not have understood with my whole being how He is after the lost. How His eyes are searching for the lost! There was so much pain but the best lessons of my life came from it. I learnt how to talk to God and hear Him speak. I learnt how to fully rely on Him. If it had not been for my regular supernatural encounters with God I would not have survived those hard years. I know without a shadow of a doubt that NOTHING can separate me from the love of Christ.”

God continues to lead me with dreams and visions. He tells me who I should call and what I should say. Many of my family have now come to Christ. The fruit keeps on growing! It is now the time for my tribe to know Jesus!

Meesha is the first woman pastor from her people group. She has had the privilege of serving on the Bible Translation team, as well as a pastor, church planter and mentor.

I look forward to the day when my people will have the Bible in our own language.

Your gift will allow us to reach millions of Iranians with a first-time translation of the Word of God in their own ‘heart’ language.