Parisa* was born into a devout Muslim family in Iran. As a young teenager, she was forced to marry a much older man who severely and regularly abused her. She eventually managed to escape to another town, but she was taken in by a man who forced her into prostitution. When Parisa’s father and brother finally located her, they dragged her from that house, beating her nearly to death. They told her that they were going to take her back to her husband, but instead, they stopped the car in a very remote area, dug a trench and buried over half of her body in the pit. A small portion of her upper body was out of the pit. Their intention was to stone her, according to the Shariah Law. Soon, she fainted, and her father and brother fled the scene.

Hours later, Parisa woke up, and was feeling massive pressure on her chest. It was dark, and she was losing air and hope … Parisa called out to God. A vehicle was approaching the area. Light and hope appeared from nowhere. The car stopped. Suddenly light and hope turned into fresh air as the young couple – travelers– began to frantically dig her out by hand. They explained that, while in prayer the night before, Jesus had told them to visit that very place in the desert the next day.

Once she was safe at the couple’s home, Parisa opened a Bible they had laying on a table. As she read about Jesus calling Lazarus from the grave, she broke into loud weeping. The couple led her to faith in Jesus that night, and soon after, she received her first Bible due to the work of the Bible Society. Her faith remains strong to this day!

God is on the move in Iran! Though the Iranian government claims 98 percent of the country’s population is Muslim, and though conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal, we are hearing more and more stories of people there coming to the faith in Jesus Christ.

Despite a scarcity of Bibles in the country and the constant risk of government persecution, house-church networks are growing rapidly, and they need Bibles. In response, the Bible Society is working to print, transport, and deliver 1 million free copies of the Bible to Iran by 2025.

We are so grateful for our partners for sharing the light of God’s Word in countries like Iran where Bibles are so urgently needed!

*Names changed for privacy