A TWO YEAR UPDATE ON OUR MINISTRY
MY FAMILY: In 2018, I moved more permanently to Turkey from Kazakhstan, and after a year, my wife and daughter joined me in Istanbul. They are adjusting well and learning the Farsi and Turkish languages. My two older sons are busy with work, church ministry and theological studies at a seminary in Kazakhstan of which I was one of the founders and Rector from 2006-2012. My youngest son is studying at the Christian University of Divine Grace in Chisinau, Moldovia, at the Faculty of Business Management and Foreign Languages.
We started a new mission center at a leased three story villa in the western suburb of Istanbul to serve as a regional office, guest house, a place to conduct seminars for our seminary students and a shelter for people in need.
A 14 seat minibus was purchased for the transportation needs of the church. I have asked all our church members to pick one day a week to do active evangelism. Everybody is excited about this. We are continually praying and believing that Iran will open up for the Gospel!
We have established daily, scheduled online meetings for worship, prayer and intercession. A new, online Church Radio program was launched with the purpose of sharing the Good News and provide transformational Biblical teachings among Persian speaking people worldwide. We continue to develop and broadcast online daily Bible studies and relevant programs on various faith-strengthening topics both among new believers and those more mature in faith.
Our church distributed food packages to victims of Covid-19 among Iranians and Afghans in Iran and Turkey, believers and unbelievers. We took care of basic needs for groups of refugees and provided various medical assistance to the poor: medicine, medical supplies related to high blood pressure and heart problems; also financially helped a sister have surgery to remove a cancerous tumor.
Our translation team completed the translations of two theological student workbooks (with their leader guide) into the Farsi language: A practical training in the discipling of new believers, via A. Abundant Life – The life of Christ in us, and B. The Life of Christ 1 – The first of a six book series titled, A compendium of Pastoral Theology, for training of ministers. We are also in the process of translating another book called Encounter Bible Manual for groups of 2-20 people. It’s a very strong tool for evangelizing, discipling and church planting.
A number of new believers were baptized, included my youngest son who made a commitment as an adult to continue following Christ. 
We conducted five seminars and conferences; two of them were even held in the midst of the Covid-19 restrictions.
TWO YEAR BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE REGION
The hardship to the refugees in Turkey is opening their hearts to the Gospel Message. Please pray for God to reveal His wisdom and strategy for continued reaching and ministering to the Iranian refugees in Turkey.
The situation in Iran has also become increasingly volatile as the banks are on the brink of collapse, and the economy suffers greatly. There is widespread famine and shortness of basic necessities. The price of gas has soared 300%. Demonstrations by the people and violent responses by the government happens daily. But God is using this situation to bring about a great spiritual awakening in Iran with many Iranians coming to Christ. Our ministry in partnership with like ministries have distributed 50,000 New Testaments throughout the country. Please pray for their protection and God’s provision for the believers! Praise Report: I have signed a three year contract for the translation of eleven more books into Farsi, two of which are completed.
Several of our home group leaders in Iran were attacked and arrested by the intelligence service, their books and computers confiscated. After three weeks they were all released, but they are under surveillance and have to report to the police at their bidding. A couple of them are awaiting court cases against them.
In spite of the restrictions Covid-19 brought, the Church overall has been doing well. Some churches and fellowships have been shut down, due to the virus. Our church members have been meeting, while following social distancing and encouraging our older persons to stay home and join us online. We have been gathering every day of the of the week, for two to three hours, both in person and online, for worship, prayer, and Bible teaching. I have had a revelation that God has been sending this plague to bring people’s attention back to Him.
The situation in Turkey for refugees is becoming increasingly difficult. There are currently 4.1 million refugees in Turkey and the allocated government budget to support them is decreasing yearly. This is bringing pressure on Iranian refugees. Joblessness and inflation is increasing in Turkey. Conditions in Iran are extremely difficult. Conditions across the Middle East are worsening. With no support in Turkey, and horrible conditions at home in Iran, the Iranian refugees have nowhere to turn. Please pray for our ministry to them.
At the beginning of the Corona epidemic crisis, tens of thousands of refugees from this larger war-torn region were forced to leave and go to Bulgaria and Greece, where they were denied entrance and had to return back. 50 Afghan and Syrian orphans without parents were flown to Luxembourg. We received a group of about forty people (seven families) to care for. I currently have one of the families living with me in the center. No one helped them except Christians. A ten year old girl prayed a sweet prayer thanking Jesus! These family members are followers of Jesus and very evangelistic. Please pray for them !!
In December, we moved into the newly leased Mission Center building. I have asked all our church members to pick one day a week to do active evangelism. Everybody is excited about this. We are continually praying and believing that Iran will open up for the Gospel!
In the midst of all the suffering and darkness, the Lord is requiring us to be salt and light! Matthew 5:15-16 “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”. The blood of Jesus is the cure for the virus of sin which can kill both body and soul. God is listening and He will answer our specific prayers!
F.Y.I. This link is a Christianity Today article on the expansion of the Christian faith in Iran: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/september/iran-christian-conversions-gamaan-religion-survey.html
FROM R.K.’s CORNER
The Bridge encountered Sargon for the first time in 1994 during a Christian conference we co-sponsored with a partnering ministry in Istanbul, Turkey. He was then a young, single Assyrian teacher having fled his homeland, Iran, due to severe persecution by the Iranian government against his church and pastor, who had been murdered. He had lived in Turkey for almost four years while serving refugee believers in Istanbul with the Gospel.
The Bridge decided to sponsor Sargon, and helped him move to Almaty, Kazakhstan to bring the Christian faith to Central Asia’s Turkic and Farsi speaking peoples. There he met his wife, Nadia. Together they have four children, three of whom are now young adults and have decided to walk in their parents’ footsteps in serving the Lord. Sargon’s personal journey is documented in two prior Bridge Reports:
https://www.bridgeinternational.org/pdf/november2009.pdf
https://www.bridgeinternational.org/2019/04/
This issue is an update on the last two years in Sargon’s family and ministry, and briefly touches on the challenges and triumphs the Christian church is encountering in the face of great opposition and hardship in the Muslim dominated countries where he serves. Please pray for him, his family and ministry; mark your gift: 8341 Iran/Turkey Workers.