Leaving his home and a family who rejected him, Ashkan* relocated to Tehran, Iran’s capital city with a population of 8 million. Lost in a sea of people who were strangers to him, Ashkan became ill and lost the will to live, before he met the living God. He telephoned SAT-7 PARS to share his story.

Today is Norooz, Persian New Year, and SAT-7 CEO Designate, Rita Elmounayner, reflects on how this celebration can remind us all of the hope and new life we have in Christ.

“Nothing in the world could bring me any joy,” says Ladan*, a SAT-7 PARS viewer from Iran, as she shares her radical testimony. “I chased everything you can imagine, but instead of finding peace I found myself drowning in darkness.”

Thousands of believers in the Persian-speaking world face discrimination and persecution, often suffering in silence and alone. Even their names and faces remain anonymous for their own safety. But we have the privilege of connecting with some of them.

“It was about a year ago that I grew in faith through watching the programs on SAT-7 PARS,” writes Toofan* from Afghanistan. “It was through Facebook that I first came across SAT-7. I then joined the message groups on WhatsApp and Telegram and came to understand Christianity.”

Darab* and Afsoon*, from Afghanistan, were disillusioned with life and religion until they came across SAT-7 PARS’ Biblical teaching programs and gained a whole new perspective.

Many SAT-7 viewers in Iran live with fears of arrest and betrayal. Yet their testimonies to God’s grace and goodness are an inspiration, says Hephzibah, who has translated many of their messages.

Open worship, free of fear, is something that Christians can often take for granted, but it is a freedom many Persian-speaking Christians in countries such as Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, cannot currently enjoy.