FROM R.K.’S CORNER – AN INTRODUCTION
In 1994, 25 years ago, one of our Dutch Bridge Directors, introduced Steve and me to Sargon Daniali Chamaki whom he had met in Istanbul where the Bridge was co-sponsoring a Christian conference. An Assyrian, born and raised in Iran, in order to avoid persecution as a young believer in Jesus Christ, Sargon had fled his homeland to Turkey. He had a broad vision to see the Muslim nations in Central Asia and the Middle East who first were Christian nations before Islam conquered the region, again embrace their Christian heritage and come to a living relationship with Jesus Christ!
We began sponsoring Sargon, and sent him to Almaty, Kazakhstan where he attended Bible College, married and raised four children while being actively engaged in bringing the love of Jesus to the Turkish– and Farsi speaking peoples living there.
In 2007, his heart was rekindled toward the Iranian refugees living in Turkey, and he has since then been engaged in Apostolic work among his people. Below, is Sargon’s Report:
In 2007, and throughout the following year, after having been away from Turkey and Iran for 13 years, I began to miss my Iranian people. I felt an increased desire to return and more actively serve and love them. Twice, a few months apart, while visiting two different cities, the Holy Spirit woke me up and impressed upon me that I needed to hurry up. I did not know then that, due to the new wave of government crackdown on the protesters in Iran, thousands of Iranians had fled to Turkey as refugees. So, from 2009 on, I visited Turkey once a year, where I attended several Farsi meetings and Central Consultation conferences. Friendships were built, and I entered into many good relationships, which I cultivated long distance. 
Three years later, I received an invitation from a few Iranian churches and old friends in Europe to join their conferences in Turkey. The following year, I participated as guest speaker in three of those conferences in the cities of Istanbul, Izmir, and Ephesus, and was also invited as guest speaker at one conference in Sweden. While visiting the city of Chankri in Turkey, God spoke to me, “I called you to this region; I will open gates before you and cover your paths with oil.”
During 2013 and 2014, my travels to visit Iranians in various cities in Turkey increased. The Lord impressed upon me that a new church would be planted, and that we were to follow His guidance to do it the Biblical way.
In October 2015, as a result of weekly, nonstop Bible teaching and evangelism for three years, both online and in person, a church in Kayseri was planted. By the help of The Bridge International, an apartment was rented and furnished to host the church, as well as be used as my residency and office whenever I would visit that city.
The Bible teachings continued; the number of conferences kept increasing in frequency, from once a year in 2015, twice in 2016, three times in 2017 and four times in 2018. The speakers came from Bosnia, South Korea, Tatarstan, and Australia. They were conducted in the cities of Istanbul, Ankara, and Kayseri. New churches were planted in Nev Shehir in Turkey, and in three cities within the country of Iran: Tehran, Karaj and Kerman. The number of believers also increased in other cities of Turkey and Iran.
These new churches are named The Evangelical Apostolic Church of Iranians, derived from the official name The Evangelical Apostolic Church of the East, the church at the East of the Euphrate river, within the Persian empire and clear up to China. They have already baptized approx. 150 people, and many are awaiting baptism.
In the summer of 2017, the Jireh Church near Seoul, Korea sent us $10,000 which enabled us to buy a van for our ministry.
In October 2018, some of the believers in the church in Kayseri opened a language school in the church facility for Iranian and Afghan refugees, both children and adults, to teach them the Turkish language, thus help them assimilate in local schools and the work arena.
In November 2018 we started our new Seminary to train our first generation of internationally ordained ministers. In January this year, by the financial support of the Window Missionary Training Center, we were able to rent a three-story building in Istanbul to function as an Iranian Missionary Center.
Last year, due to the continued financial support from partners of The Bridge International, I was able to move my wife, Nadia, and our two youngest children (our two oldest boys are already in college) from Kazakhstan to Turkey, where we live in a nice rental apartment. Not needing to frequently travel between the two countries any more has given me much more flexibility to focus on the ministry among Iranians in Turkey.
A few weeks ago, the Farsi branch of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) invited me to teach in their Bible School in Turkey. They also offered us to establish a Radio – TV internet, and we began raising funds for the channel and establish a studio. The Bridge International funded the equipment for the studio, so in March the studio opened, and a new home church was planted in the facility of the Mission Center in Istanbul.
Recently, I was informed that The Kernel University in California has approved the establishment of their Middle East Branch in Istanbul. They have invited me to help the work out the logistics on the Turkish end, as everything is ready to go in America. This is really good news!
We have been warmly welcomed by our Iranian friends and believers living in Iran, as well as those who are refugees in Turkey. Together we are praying about establishing a Center in the capital city of Tehran, like the one in Istanbul. It would be operated under cover by a company owned by Christian believers, where a home church and other needed Christian activities would flourish. We believe we are coming close to the time when the phase of the Satanic grip of oppression on Iran and her people is about to loosen its stronghold!
IF YOU WANT TO BECOME A PARTNER WITH US IN SPONSORING SARGON AND HIS MINISTRY TO THE IRANIAN PEOPLE, PLEASE CLICK ON THE DONATE BUTTON ABOVE AND MARK YOUR CONTRIBUTION 8341 IRAN/TURKEY WORKERS. THANK YOU!
