Letters from Christians in Iran

As the war in Iran rages, there are many Christians asking how the church is doing. To answer those questions, it is best to hear from the people themselves.

Just before the war in Iran kicked off, there were several believers inside Iran who sent letters to express their concerns and prayer requests. We have compiled some of those letters to share with Back to Jerusalem prayer partners. They are mostly unedited and reveal the hard, raw challenges and thoughts of the Christians in the underground house church of Iran.

These letters have come from believers that BTJ is supporting in Iran during this difficult time. BTJ partners have been selflessly donating every month to help believers in Iran obtain Bibles, plant churches, start businesses, and support orphans.

To protect the believers who wrote these letters, names and certain details have been removed.

Letter from Sister F

I am a woman with two young children. For years I have lived in poverty and insecurity. In the past days, because of the war conditions, fear and a deep sense of danger filled my home, and I had no money to feed my children. Many nights, when my children went to bed hungry, I knelt down and prayed through tears: “Lord, pour out Your blessing over our lives.”

In those painful and helpless moments, God heard my prayer. Through your love, church family, the needs of my home were provided. When the packages entered my house, it felt as if God Himself had come to visit us. My children looked on with eyes full of joy, and with tears of gratitude I whispered, “The Lord is alive. He has not forgotten us.”

Today, with a broken yet thankful heart, I say: your kindness strengthened me. You were the hands of God, bringing hope into my home in the hardest of times. May God fill your lives with blessing, and may the same light you brought into my home shine brightly in yours as well.

In the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Letter from NG

Loving Father, with honesty and all my heart, I testify that there were days in my life when I was bent under the weight of financial and emotional struggles. Providing even my most basic needs was difficult, and a heavy burden rested on my heart and soul. In those days I felt alone, my hope had grown faint, and my tears fell silently.

In order to have a job, I had to leave my family and live in another city. That distance placed homesickness and loneliness on my shoulders, and alongside it, the war conditions in Iran increased my sense of insecurity and anxiety. Yet right in that darkness, I once again saw God’s hand in my life—a light that shone upon my heart and carried me from despair to hope.

Through the kind servants of the church, a helping hand was extended to me. They provided food and basic supplies, and this help not only met my physical needs but also filled my broken heart with peace and renewed hope.

Lord, I thank You that in the hardest moments You did not leave me alone. I thank You for showing Your endless love to me through Your faithful children. This kindness was a clear sign to me of Your divine love and boundless mercy—a sign I will never forget.

Today, with tears in my eyes and love in my heart, I say: Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Jesus Christ, that even in days of helplessness and exile, You placed Your hand upon me and lifted me from despair into hope.

Letter from L

One day, when I went to the bakery, I was guided through the shopkeeper to look for someone who was in financial need. She told me she knew a woman who is blind and the head of her household, and that they are struggling greatly to make ends meet. Immediately, we prepared the food items according to the list and gave them to the intermediary, and I told her that a dear Christian had asked us to do this.

The shopkeeper then asked me, “Are you also a Christian?”

I said yes.

She replied, “Blessed are you. I would really love to become a Christian too. My last name is even Ruholghods (Holy Spirit).”

I told her that with great joy I would come one day so that we could pray the prayer of salvation together.

The package reached that family, but God was also working in someone else’s heart.

Glory to Christ for His wonderful works.

Letter from Z

Sadly, under a government marked by injustice and poor leadership, and with the shadow of war hanging over the people of Iran, the economic situation has become heartbreaking. Day by day, the cost of basic necessities continues to rise and people’s livelihoods are placed in danger. Despite hard work and great effort, we truly cannot keep up with the needs of our families.

From the bottom of our hearts, we sincerely thank you, our dear sisters and brothers in faith, who care about the food, clothing, and education of our children. Your love and generosity are a reflection of God’s heart.

Thanksgiving in the name of the Lord, and gratitude for the body of Christ and for all the dear sisters and brothers who serve faithfully and stand beside us in these difficult times.

Sister P

I want to sincerely thank you for this gift and blessing from God. I truly do not know how to express my gratitude for the way you supported us from afar, with no expectation in return. In these very difficult financial times, in the hard conditions of our country, where prices have increased many times over and our table has become smaller and smaller… we have not received our salary for about a month. Even our savings were spent on daily needs and installments, and we could not buy meat, chicken, and many basic necessities on time.

But through you and by God’s grace, this blessing reached us. I was able to fill my refrigerator… to fill my freezer… even if some things were in small amounts. I thank God who protects our dignity before our children.

Today I went shopping with joy and love, and truly this gift was so full of blessing that with everything I bought, there was still money left. I was able to prepare even more of the food and supplies we needed.

May God bless you… may He bless your lives and give you long life. I love you so much—you are the ones who share in the deepest parts of our hearts and lives.

Letter ZA

Many times when our refrigerator has been empty, at that very moment you have messaged to say you wanted to give support for food. That is a miracle—to have a need, and for God to meet it through His people!

I thank God for His presence… for you…for the church… and for all the sisters and brothers. Simply being together is itself a source of comfort and strength.

Letter from ZO

Tonight, with tearful eyes, I testify that God is alive! God does not forget! Even in the darkest moments, God does not let go of His children’s hands.

There was a day when I was at the peak of despair, when pressure from every side of life weighed heavily on my heart, when the pain in my body left me exhausted and worry about my children’s future took sleep from my eyes. In those very moments, the words of Christ became alive in my ears: “I am with you until the end of time…”

And suddenly a peace came that only comes from Heaven…

I am a single mother, with a body full of metal plates and pains that sometimes take my breath away, but I testify that in the very moments when I did not even have the strength to stand up, the Holy Spirit gave me strength, held me, saw my tears, and helped me stand for my two children.

When the love you sent for food supplies reached me, I cried, not only because of the food, but because I realized that God still sees me, still hears my voice, and touches me through your hands. Today, my children’s smiles were a miracle to me.

I testify that the Holy Spirit is a voice that never becomes silent, even if the answer seems delayed, even if the timing is not according to our desire. He is always working, always making a way, always changing hearts.

For my son, whose father did not accept him, you showed fatherly love and this healed the wound in a mother’s heart. I will never forget this love.

Today I know that every hardship I went through was turned, in the Lord’s hands, into a lesson for the growth of my faith. He did not only solve my problems, He changed my heart, He changed my perspective, He made me stronger.

From the bottom of my heart I say:

Thank You to the living God…

Thank You to the Holy Spirit…

Thank you to you, dear servants, who stood beside me and my children in hardship.

Letter from S

With all my heart, I thank God for the love, prayers, and support I have received from my spiritual family. In these difficult and sorrowful days in Iran, knowing that we have not been forgotten has been a source of strength for me and my children.

Before my faith, when there was no food in our home and I saw no way forward, out of desperation I would get into strangers’ cars just so I could provide something for my household. I was anxious, afraid, and broken. I only wanted my children not to go hungry. But since I came to faith, everything has changed.

The God who is alive has living ways. Since becoming a believer, God has supported me and my children in many pure and safe ways—without fear, without humiliation, without heartbreak.

Today, with tears of gratitude, I say:

Lord, thank You a thousand times for the gift of Jesus Christ. Thank You that I am no longer alone. Thank You that You are my true Father. Thank You that You provide our daily bread in the most beautiful way.

I thank God for each and every one of you who, through your prayers, love, and support, have become God’s hands in our lives.

Glory be to the Lord forever.

Amen

Sister M

Thank you for your presence, thank you that you are safe and that I have you. Thank you for the living God who takes care of us in every way and never lets His child remain alone. He sends His help, somehow and right on time. He is our supporter. He has breathed His Spirit into us so that even in the hardest days we do not collapse.

I have no guardian, no support except God. My husband is homeless, and for years the weight of life and the responsibility of my two teenage daughters has been on my shoulders. To provide for my children, I work in people’s homes. I clean, I scrub floors, wash dishes, tidy everything with tired hands but a heart that beats only for my daughters’ future. No job is too small for me when it comes to earning honest bread and protecting my children’s peace.

But because of the difficult conditions in Iran and the unstable situation, I became unemployed for a while. One by one they told me they had no work for now and I was left with a worried heart and an account that was becoming emptier each day. There were nights when I cried in silence so my daughters would not hear the break in my voice. I would only say to God, “Lord, this is all I can do, the rest is in Your hands.”

When that blessing was deposited into my account, my tears flowed uncontrollably. Not just because of the money, but because I understood that God had heard the sound of my kneeling prayers. When I told my daughters, the light in their eyes shone like brightness in the middle of darkness. With excitement they said, “Mom, can we go shopping together like other families?”

They even said, “Mom, it doesn’t matter if we don’t buy anything for ourselves, we just want to come with you.”

My mother’s heart broke and found peace at the same time. I realized their greatest wish was simply to be together, not to have more. In that moment, more than ever, I thanked God — for the pure hearts He entrusted to me, for not allowing me to remain ashamed before their eyes.

Our God is alive… the God who sees a mother’s tears… who hears the sighs of the night… and just when you think you have no strength left, He takes your hand and lifts you up.

Today, with a broken heart but steadfast faith, I say “Thank You for the God who is the Father of my home, who fills every place of lack, and Who still performs miracles.

Glory to the Lord.

Letter from ZH

Lord, my loving Father, in these hard and painful days, You alone are the One who cares for me. I am struggling with thyroid disease; my eyes have been affected and my pains feel endless, yet I still thank You that You do not leave me alone.

My job is difficult and dangerous. Every day I work with [dangerous chemicals}, while my eyes are weak and my body is tired. Even so, I continue trying to bring a small piece of bread to my family’s table, though our life is poor and full of shortages.

My mother, my dearest one, is blind and ill. At forty-five she suffered a stroke, and diabetes has worn her body down. Despite my financial weakness, I still pay for her medicine and treatment, because she is the support of my heart. We do not have a home that can be our place of peace, but I believe that You, Lord Jesus Christ, have heard my voice and will never abandon us.

In the days when our work was canceled because of war and conflict in Iran, still Your grace and blessing rained down from heaven upon us. In the darkest moments, You lit the light of hope in my heart.

Lord, thank You that Your name is rooted in my soul and heart. I believe that a near day will come when You will return; oppression and poverty will pass away, and people will live in light and freedom.

Amen, in the name of Jesus Christ, Savior and eternal hope.

Letter from KH

Thank You for the living God — the God who heard the sound of my sobbing in the darkest days of my life and answered me without delay.

Lord, thank You. From the day I came to know You and believed, You lit up my black and broken world with the light of Your presence. I went through very hard days… days when I couldn’t even afford to rent a house. My only wish was to have a small bathroom so I could bathe my children with peace and dignity.

I had two school-aged children, a husband trapped in addiction, and a heart full of worry and shame. Many times I broke down, many times I cried, but my God is alive!

When I believed, the first miracle happened in my home. By God’s grace, my husband was set free from addiction. Lord, thank You! I was able to rent a small house. But then a hard winter came, there was no job, no money, not even enough to buy basic food.

For two days I went to the mountains to collect acorns so I could sell them and maybe buy food for my children. There were not many acorns, my hands were full of thorns, they were burning with pain, but the pain in my heart was even greater.

Right there, in the middle of the mountain, I knelt down — with wounded hands and a broken heart — and through tears I said: “Lord, You are my Father… I am Your child… You who prepare food for the birds in this harsh winter, prepare something for my children too… Do not let me be ashamed before them… Make a way…”

And my living God answered quickly.

Lord, thank You that today, when I open my refrigerator, it is full — chicken, meat, eggs, rice, sugar, oil, cheese, pasta! Lord, thank You. You don’t just work,You create masterpieces. Thank You for the living God.

Thank You for my brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Sister M

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

I am an elderly mother who has endured many years of illness and hardship. My blood sugar has risen to its highest levels, I have suffered several strokes, I no longer have full control over my body, and today I spend my days in a sickbed. In poverty and loneliness, there were many times when I had nothing in my home to satisfy even my own hunger.

Yet even in these difficult circumstances, the Lord sent you — His church — with love, so that my empty hands would be filled. When you brought the basic necessities into my home, tears flowed from my eyes. Not only because of the bread and food, but because God showed me that I am not forgotten, that I still have a spiritual family standing beside me.

I thank the Lord for each and every one of you. Your kindness strengthened my heart and reminded me that even in weakness and illness, God reaches me through your compassionate hands.

May the Lord fill your lives with blessing, and may your love return to you a hundredfold.

Letter from ZR

Father, I thank You for all the hard days when You stood beside me — the days when I did not even have money to prepare food for my children, and my only wish was to place a small piece of bread on their table. In those bitter moments, You poured Your blessing over my life and did not allow me to bow before hardship.

Lord, from the time I believed in Jesus Christ, You have never allowed me to lack in my life. I feel Your presence in my heart every moment, and I am grateful that You have never left me alone.

Many times I found myself in situations where I saw no way forward, yet in less than a moment You revealed Your miracle. At the very time I called on Your name, You stretched out Your hand toward me and sent Your blessing. In that same moment I knelt down and said, “God, thank You that not even for one second do You abandon me.”

What great joy it was when my children’s faces shone with smiles, and I saw that You, loving Father, always take my hand in the hardest circumstances and pour Your blessing over my life.

Lord, I am thankful that Your name is rooted in my heart, and I believe that until the end of my life, You will never leave me alone.

Amen, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Letter from SHR

With a broken heart, with tear-filled eyes, yet with a hope that never went out, today I give thanks to God. I went through days when the pressure of problems came at me like heavy waves from every side. Days when the silence of my home was filled with my tears, nights when my pillow witnessed my cries and prayers, and my only companion was the gentle, fatherly presence of God.

In these difficult wartime conditions, when everywhere there was talk of layoffs and job insecurity, fear settled over my heart like a shadow. When I heard companies were reducing staff, when the future seemed uncertain, as the provider for my children I felt a responsibility heavier than ever on my shoulders. My heart trembled—not for myself, but for my children. For the roof that had to remain secure. For the table that could not be left empty.

Many times I knelt—not only from exhaustion, but in prayer. I knelt and asked God with all my being to place His fatherly hand over my home. I said, “Lord, You Yourself be the Father of this house… You Yourself release the blessing…” I cried, I prayed, and in all my weakness I leaned on His strength.

And the God of broken hearts, the God of hidden tears, did not leave me alone. He who has promised never to abandon His children took my hand at the very moment I no longer had the strength to stand. Not late… not less than I needed… but precise and right on time.

By God’s will and through the love of our dear brothers and sisters in faith, the needed help was provided, and I was able to purchase the essential items for my home. That moment was not merely financial assistance for me; it was the living touch of God’s love. A clear sign that He watches over us. That when we kneel, He makes a way for us to rise.

Today, with tearful eyes but a peaceful heart, I praise the Lord. I deeply thank all the dear ones whom God used so that this blessing could reach our lives. You were, for me, the reflection of God’s hands.

I pray that the same God who saw my tears will return laughter and multiplied blessings to your homes. May His love never depart from your lives.

All glory belongs to the Lord.

Letter from KJ

I always give thanks to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for everything. Lord, thank You for all the blessings You give us each day—even in the hardest days. Thank You that I am a daughter of God, and I believe that You are watching over us in every situation, even in these difficult days of life when nothing seems to be in its place and pressures settle one by one upon the heart.

Lord, I testify that in these past months, the situation for our family has been very hard. For several months, we were not able to provide meat or even rice for our home. With the events that happened in Iran, my husband could not go to work, because he is a simple laborer, and with the smallest تعطیلی or insecurity, the bread of our home is cut off.

There were days when, with trembling hearts, we asked ourselves, “What will happen tomorrow?”

Yet in the middle of this darkness, I saw the light of God’s love. Thanks be to the Living God who gives us our daily bread, even when we see no way. Thank You for the dear ones whom God used as His hands to care for us.

From here, with all my heart, I want to express my gratitude and thanks to Sister Mahsa. Through you, God reminded us that we are not alone. I ask Jesus Christ to provide the very best for you and for all the dear ones who stood beside us.

Thank You for the sisters and brothers God has given us; Thank You for love, for compassion, and for a faith that became stronger in hardship.

Letter from Sister A

I am a single woman and a mother who wakes up each day with concern for the health of her sick son. My son needs proper nutrition, yet in these difficult economic conditions in Iran, many times my hands were too empty to provide what he truly needs.

There were days when my heart trembled—not only because of the lack, but from the fear that I might not be the mother my son needs me to be.

But through all those hard days, one thing I knew with all my heart: the same God who cares for the birds of the sky surely cares even more for me and my son. And today I want to testify that God is faithful.

At the very moment when I felt I had no hope left, God brought food into our home through you, dear ones. Not only food— but peace, encouragement, and the deep message that we are seen.

Tears of gratitude filled my eyes when I realized that God is still watching, still seeing, still providing.

Lord, thank You for the hand stretched out from heaven, for the hearts that became instruments of Your love, and for the faith that has grown stronger within me.

From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful, and I pray that God will return His blessings to your lives many times over.