by Dowell Chow
AWR President

Part 1

Daniel* grew up in a close-knit Muslim family in Tehran, the capital city of his native Iran. As with most devout young Muslims, Daniel was interested in spiritual matters. However, his vision of the world was limited to the teachings he received from his strict Muslim parents and Madrasa (religious school) teachers. Nevertheless, he wanted to know more.

In Daniel’s heart, there was a yearning to understand more of the world beyond the one he grew up in, and he would often look for foreign radio stations, such as the BBC, on his family’s shortwave radio. That little radio receiver was his only window to the outside world – a window that would one day lead him not only to a brand-new horizon in his personal world but more importantly, to the saving knowledge of a better world in Jesus Christ!
I recently met Daniel in an undisclosed Middle Eastern country, where he told me his amazing journey.

“One day, I was searching the radio dial for the BBC World News Service on our shortwave receiver,” he said. “For a while, I was unable to find it, but then I bumped into Adventist World Radio’s Voice of Hope broadcast in the Farsi language.”

At first, Daniel recalls, he was surprised to hear the speaker talk about the Bible, a book he had heard about and had always wanted to read. He quickly jotted down the address given by the speaker, with the intention of one day writing to the program.

Shortly after his first encounter with the Bible through the radio program, he says, “I was walking down the street in Tehran one day, and a street vendor had some books displayed on the curb for sale. I stopped to browse through his wares and spotted a small book: it was a New Testament!”

Trying not to reveal his enormous enthusiasm and emotion, he immediately purchased the book. He was so intrigued that he could not wait to read it, so he began reading as he walked down the street, completely immersed in his new purchase. Nothing else mattered; he had found such a rich treasure that he had to devour as much of it as possible before reaching his home.

Back in his room, Daniel had a small safe box in the closet where he kept his valuables. That is where he placed the New Testament. When I asked why he did that, with sadness in his eyes he told me that he was hiding it from his own family. He dared not disclose the book to his mother, for fear of being totally alienated from those he loved so much and putting his own life in danger. A big struggle had begun in Daniel’ heart.

After writing to the radio program, he was instructed to go to the local Seventh-day Adventist church in Tehran, where the pastor would help him study the Bible. This was also a serious issue: while expatriates were able to worship rather freely, it was not the case for an Iranian.

To make things worse, when Daniel showed up at the church for the first time, he did not receive a hearty welcome, as one would expect. There was a reason for this, however. You see, in certain countries, such as Daniel’s, everyone distrusts everyone else. Although Daniel’s motives were pure, the church was not sure that he was a genuine seeker of truth … he could well be a spy or an informant for the government.

This is not as uncommon as one might think. I remember being in some countries where the local pastor pulled me aside and instructed me to be very careful with whom I spoke and what I said, including the church elders! Needless to say, I was shocked to hear this; when I asked why this was so, the pastor affirmed that there was the suspicion that informants might have even infiltrated the church officer group, and that it was better to avoid unnecessary problems.

Luckily, Daniel did not get discouraged from receiving a cold shoulder at the church. He was hungry for the Word of God, and he was determined to find a way to study it further.

Part 2

After Daniel* attended church for a while, the members felt that he was seriously seeking the truth and became more open to him, but there was another problem. The pastor could not go to Daniel’s house for Bible studies, and if Daniel was seen going to the church for Bible studies, he ran the risk of being discovered and creating a huge stir in the Muslim community and even endanger his well-being.

At the time, Daniel was running his own business as a handyman, offering his technical skills to people in their homes. He could fix any broken appliance and do all kinds of electrical work. So he would dress in his work clothes and, with his toolbox in hand, head for the church, under the pretense that he was fixing something there. In this way, he could avoid suspicion and meet with the pastor to study the Bible.

One of Daniel’s friends also became interested in studying the Bible, and in due course he, too, joined the Bible study. After a while, however, he was discovered and picked up by the police. For several days, Daniel did not know where his friend was, and he feared the worst.

After some time, his friend showed up. He revealed to Daniel the results of five days of continuous beating at the hands of the police while we was detained. The faith of both Daniel and his friend was being severely tested, and Daniel was shaken by his friend’s ordeal. This treatment could also happen to Daniel; their future was not looking good.

It is hard for some of us to believe something like this, but becoming a Christian in some places is a dangerous thing.

Daniel described to me the black and blue bruises and contusions on his friend’s back – from his neck to his lower waist – which were the result of merciless beating with a stick. But this did not deter either Daniel or his friend from their newfound love in Jesus; both were determined to follow the truth, regardless of the price. Eventually, his friend moved to America, where he continues to live today.

For Daniel, it was clear: he, too, had to leave his native Iran if he was going to make progress in his career and serve the Lord. He traveled to Turkey and quickly found the Adventist church there. After studying the Bible further, Daniel was baptized and became a member of God’s family in a foreign land.

God had an even larger plan for Daniel.

Today, Daniel resides in another country and is a faithful producer for Adventist World Radio in his beloved Farsi language. He is married and has two children, and the family all serves the Lord.

When I asked Daniel if he thought his programs in Farsi were actually being heard by his countrymen, he assured me that even today, with all the new communication technologies available, countless Iranians still depend on shortwave broadcasts. They tune in not only for information but also for spiritual nurture in a country where they are living under strict Islamic laws and have very limited access to information outside of what they received through the government-controlled news agencies.

From being a lonely seeker, Daniel has found the fountain of love in Jesus and is now the very voice tens of thousands of his own people hear every day, as he shares the good news of God’s love on Adventist World Radio.
Although conditions are still harsh in Iran, after hearing Daniel’s moving testimony, I am convinced that multitudes of our Farsi-speaking brothers and sisters are being harvested for the kingdom and will join the host of the redeemed from every nation on the sea of glass!

How true are these words written by Ellen White: “The worth of a soul cannot be fully estimated by finite minds. How gratefully will the ransomed and glorified ones remember those who were instrumental in their salvation! No one will then regret his self-denying efforts and persevering labors, his patience, forbearance, and earnest heart yearning for souls that might have been lost had he neglected his duty or become weary in well-doing” (God Cares, p. 301).
What a day that will be! Don’t you long for it to come soon?

* Name disguised for security.