Little girl’s favourite TV show changes family
Hovan* grew up in a strict religious environment in Iran, but he never believed in God. It was only when his daughter started watching a children’s show on SAT-7 PARS that Hovan became curious about Christianity.
“I grew up learning about religion, but I just couldn’t accept it in my heart,” Hovan remembers. “I wanted to avoid religious events and every time someone wanted to talk about religion I would debate it with them.”
However, everything changed when his six-year old daughter found a new cartoon program on TV.
“You know how when little girls find something they want to watch, they won’t let anyone change the channel!” Hovan laughs. “Our daughter started watching a children’s show on SAT-7 PARS. She really loved it, so we saved the channel in our favourites so she could watch it regularly. Then my wife and I started to watch the channel, and we got interested in the programs.”
FINDING FAITH FOR THE FIRST TIME
“In our small hometown in Iran there was no information about Christianity, so we first learned about it through watching the channel,” Hovan explains.
Around the same time, he reconnected with a friend who happened to be a Christian. His friend was able to answer many of his questions and give him a Bible. Soon, both Hovan and his wife decided to follow Jesus.
“I was always thinking about how I wanted to be a good person,” Hovan says. “I had a normal life and wanted to be a good person, but then I realised that being a good person is not enough, we need to believe in Jesus.”
A NEW LIFE
Hovan was so passionate about his new found faith that he wanted to share it with others, and even started to make his own videos and films about the Bible. However, when the authorities found out they confiscated his phone and the projects he had been working on.
Realising that he would not be able to worship freely in Iran, Hovan made the difficult decision to move with his family to Turkey.
It’s now been six years since Hovan and his family first heard about Jesus on SAT-7, and their lives have been completely transformed. Hovan still watches SAT-7 most days when he comes home from work, and he talks passionately about how the programs have impacted him.
“The programs and movies are so helpful to people, we can learn so much from them. I can apply the lessons in my own life and I can teach them to my children too.”
*Names have been changed for security purposes.