Heartbreaking Letter

This was his third Christmas in prison.

It’s been OVER 2 YEARS since American pastor Saeed Abedini was imprisoned in Iran for no other reason than being a Christian. He’s been beaten and is still suffering from injuries that haven’t been treated. His wife and 2 kids here in the States miss him like crazy – especially as they get ready to celebrate another Christmas without their husband and father.

In his Christmas letter to his family this year, he talks about how cold the prison is, and his treatment from guards and other prisoners. But he still holds on to his faith and his hope. Here’s what he said:

These days are very cold here. My small space beside the window is without glass making most nights unbearable to sleep. The treatment by fellow prisoners is also quite cold and at times hostile. Some of my fellow prisoners don’t like me because I am a convert and a pastor. They look at me with shame as someone who has betrayed his former religion. The guards can’t even stand the paper cross that I have made and hung next to me as a sign of my faith and in anticipation of celebrating my Savior’s birth. They have threatened me and forced me to remove it. This is the first Christmas that I am completely without my family; all of my family is presently outside of the country. These conditions have made this upcoming Christmas season very hard, cold and shattering for me. It appears that I am alone with no one left beside me.

… Christmas means that God came so that He would enter your hearts today and transform your lives and to replace your pain with indescribable joy.

Christmas is the manifestation of the radiant brightness of the Glory of God in the birth of a child named Emmanuel, which means God is with us.

Christmas is the day that the heat of the life-giving fire of God’s love shone in the dark cold wintry frozen hearts and burst forth in this deadly wicked world.

The same way that the heat from the earth’s core melts the hard stones in itself and produces lava, the fiery love of God, Jesus Christ, through the virgin Mary’s womb came to earth on Christmas to melt the hard heart of sin and wickedness of the world and removes them from our life. In the same process, the work of the Holy Spirit is a fiery rain of God’s Holiness and Mercy that flows into our body, soul and spirit and brings the light of Christ into us and through us making this dark, cold, wintry world into radiant burning brightness. He is turning our world into a world full of peace, joy, and love that is so different than the dark, cold, and wintry world that we used to live in. Hallelujah!

You really should read his whole letter. It’s amazing that he can keep such a good attitude in a horrible situation.

Saeed’s wife Naghmeh read part of the letter on Fox & Friends. She gives a great summary of what Christmas is about towards the end of this video!

When we celebrate the New Year, we can’t forget those who are in chains for being true to the gospel. Please keep praying for Pastor Saeed and his family in 2015. And then sign the petition for Pastor Saeed’s freedom.

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