Transcipt
Winter Sweet lives in Iran and for 20 years, she’d been married to a harsh man. Her husband had brought “the other woman” into their lives. She couldn’t take it anymore. So, she chose to leave her home with her three children. Without a job or resources, the only place they could find to stay was a storage room in a factory building.
When she first wrote to our ministry through our Farsi seeker site, she described her desperate situation, explaining that she just wanted to kill herself and free herself from this untenable situation.
Samira, the mentor, responded with words that encouraged her to not give up hope, inviting her to think of all the grief and sorrow such an act would bring upon her children.
Winter Sweet was angry... at the charities that offered so little help, at her husband who had harmed her so deeply, and even at God who did not seem to care. Samira responded boldly: “If this God cannot help you, maybe you are asking help from the wrong one. Maybe the one you are turning to isn’t God at all. The real God can help make you a new creation. He will lead you to life, not to death. That is my prayer for you.”
Weeks passed, and Winter Sweet was silent. After one month, Winter Sweet responded, “It’s like a miracle, I feel strengthened by the words you sent me.”
When Winter Sweet told Samira her need for furniture and a fridge, Samira prayed for her, but she also felt God urging her to go further yet. So, she contacted family and friends in Iran to ask them to help this woman out. And they did. After checking the truthfulness of her story, they helped meet her needs.
Recently, Winter Sweet wrote that she was no longer angry at God. Rather, she was at peace with him. The love, compassion, and empathy she received from Samira and her friends had melted her heart, and it was now tender towards God.
When Samira told her that they would be celebrating Pentecost on Sunday, Winter Sweet said she was going to go visit a famous church in Tehran. Samira explained that for Jesus, the Church is not a building, but people who have received him into their hearts. Then Samira invited Winter Sweet to watch the Jesus Film with her through WhatsApp, and at the end of that film is a prayer of invitation to receive Jesus.
Winter Sweet wrote that she had prayed with all her heart, and asked, "Why didn’t you share this with me sooner?"
Samira is rejoicing over Winter Sweet’s new faith, and is so excited to begin discipling her online. She is also helping her connect to an online church that will greatly help her to become established in her faith.