As the underground church in Iran grows, it does so in a context of social hardship. Years of sanctions have impoverished the people. Government funded programs to help those in society who are especially vulnerable, are not available to most. Amid so many hurting people, those who have experienced the healing and the help of Christ in their lives, step in to offer support.
Addiction
Iran has one of the highest rates of illicit drug use in the world and is number one when it comes to the use of opium. It used to be a big producer, but when poppy cultivation was suppressed after the revolution, production shifted to Pakistan and later to Afghanistan. Both countries share a border with Iran, and Iran became not only their biggest market, but also a corridor for smuggling opium and heroin into Europe.
Today, millions of people in Iran struggle with addiction. Severe penalties for the possession of drugs make people afraid to seek help. Many Iranian believers know what it is like to be addicted. They have found strength in their faith to stop using drugs and experienced healing from God deep in their hearts. They are now helping other addicted people in the name of Jesus to rebuild their lives as free people. Often those people become believers as well.
Autism and disability
Taking care of a child with mental and/or physical disabilities is a challenge even to people in rich countries with wonderful support programs and options for special education. When survival is already difficult, a child with disabilities can become a huge burden to a family, and with little support, parents struggle to give a special needs child what they need.
A Christian couple who are raising a disabled child themselves are organising seminars, where other parents can come together, learn about caring for their special child and be encouraged. These believers have discovered how God brings blessing to a family through these vulnerable children. They comfort others with the comfort they have received.
Abandonment
This is also the case for special courses that are held about the issue of abandonment. With high levels of domestic abuse and neglect of children, many people in Iran feel deeply abandoned by those who were meant to care for them. Some were abandoned as children by a parent or were left by their spouse. Others were severely mistreated by them.
An Iranian brother has experienced this deep pain himself, when his father left him and his mother died, leaving him homeless. He became a believer and discovered the loving Fatherhood of God and the family of believers. He now helps others work through this deep pain and find belonging in Christ.
As the church in Iran grows, with it grows the stream of the healing love of God, which flows through his church to those who are hurting. May the Lord strengthen their testimony in the face of persecution.
