A REQUEST FOR HELP

Hi Simon (and Grace City Portland), thank you so much for being willing to help this Iranian pastor and his family. I am overwhelmed by your response. This email highlights the main points of their situation and our response.

An Every Nation pastor and his family fled to Turkey from Iran because of intense persecution. They have been in Turkey for several years as refugees and planted a church in Mersin – the area where the devasting earthquake hit last year.

Last year, Pastor Mark from Iran (who miraculously escaped a death sentence himself) asked if we could help three families get to Canada who served as leaders in the Iranian church. Pastor Manoucher and his family were in the most dire situation. We have built a relationship with them, and Pastor Brian Milligan (our EN pastor in Istanbul), can vouch for their integrity and their predicament.

We helped them get their UNHCR status, and the plan was to apply for a sponsorship slot when they became available in January 2024, but the new Turkish government wants to purge the country of immigrants, regardless of their status. This family is now in imminent danger of being deported back to Iran (possibly within two weeks), which is certain imprisonment or worse.

We have asked certain EN churches to unite in prayer and financial resources to get Manoucher’s family to Canada immediately. We anticipate that $50,000 is needed for legal fees and re-settlement costs. To help, we created a five-minute video for you and your church. (see below)

We set up an agreement with Pastor Seth Trimmer’s church (Grace City in Corvallis) to collect the offerings in the States and send them to Canada. The Canadian churches can send their offerings directly to ENV.

Here is a letter Manoucher recently wrote us:

Hi Glen,

I hope all is well with you and Carole. As you know we are facing a difficult situation right now here in Turkey. The government has changed plans for the refugees here. The new head of the department of immigration has a new strategic plan for refugees, both with or without the acceptance of the UNHCR, to send all the refugees to their country of origin as much as possible.

Although we have the acceptance, last week during our monthly police report, they did not let one of my sons, Parsa, to sign the report. The police said that his refugee identity card is closed and in order to re-open it, he needs to be interviewed. The problem is, this is a trap for us as a family to make an appeal and we know that this is a strategy to change our case.

My wife contacted the UN and advised us to appeal. They are creating a problem for us. I explained to the immigration police that how come, after 8 years, they are saying that he has to go through an interview and why only him. This is insane my brother! He was 11 years old when we applied as a refugee and both of my twin sons are under our case in my name.

When you are interviewed as a refugee, and you received a negative answer (which is always the answer) you will be given 15 days preparation for deportation and if you exceed 15 days, they will imprison you on a room with full of same refugees in it without letting you to go to the restroom until you cannot tolerate the smell of the room and declare your deportation.

Honestly, my brother Glen, although I know God is with us, I am very terrified of how brutally they are deporting the refugees here. We need your prayers and Every Nation's support for such a time as this. Have mercy on us and if it's possible help us to proceed with the application for our sponsorship. I do appreciate your time, support and help. We hope that God's grace and favor will help us to go through these challenges.

Your Brother in Christ, Manoucher

There are no guarantees in these kinds of situations. So, we ask for your churches to pray and trust God for miracles. Again, thank you so much for your faith and support.

Blessings,
Dr. Greg W. Mitchell