Lana Silk, "Iranian daughter of destiny."

 

     "That religion that costs a man nothing is usually worth nothing."

                                      *Charles Spurgeon

                                                                   

   Lana Silk is extremely passionate about Iran. God has given her a calling and a mission to reach all Iranians with the gospel. She is currently the CEO of a ministry called, "Transform Iran."

  "Transform Iran" is about reaching all of Iran with the power and love of Christ," Lana proclaims. "There are 88 million people in Iran. We believe Iran is on God's agenda, and He loves the people of Iran. He has given us the mission and mandate to bring his life-changing love to all Iranians."

   Lana's incredible story began more than four decades ago during the tumultuous beginnings of the Iranian Revolution. This is her story, her calling, and her mission.

  September 8, 1978. Tehran 

  Famously known today as "Black Friday," More than 64 protesters were shot and killed during a confrontation with the military in Jaleh Square. Dodging bullets and racing toward the hospital, Lana's mother, Maggie Yeghnazar was just about to give birth. The violent and bloody incident marked the beginning of the end for the Shah and the Pahlavi Dynasty, ushering in the Iranian Revolution.

   Reflecting back on that pivotal day, Lana felt that God was honoring her by being born on such a dramatic historical day. It would be a day that would shape the course of the rest of her life. As a young child, growing up in Iran, Lana was forced to wear the hijab while attending elementary school. She remembers that young girls coming to school in blue jeans were instructed to return home and come back wearing the proper clothing according to Islamic law. The schools were segregated because of the new Islamic Republic and one of the daily mandatory rules required of all school children was to daily chant, "Death to Israel and death to America."

 In 1988 the long, exhausting war between Iran and Iraq finally came to an end. It was at that time the persecution of Christians began. The government was now able to focus its attention back on the issues in Iran. Lana's parents, Lazarus and Maggie distinctly remember a life-changing dream that God gave both of them, in which He instructed them to leave Iran. It was a devastating experience for them. They loved their people and didn't want to leave their flock. Immediately they discussed the dream with their pastor, Haik Hovsepian. Haik persuaded them both to stay, that their Christian ministry was needed in Iran. Ironically that night however, God spoke to Pastor Haik in a dream and made it abundantly clear that it was His plan for them to leave.

  Giving away everything they owned, Lana and her parents reluctantly left Iran, not sure exactly where God was leading them. For the next several years, they met with many Iranians in the diaspora, who like them, had to leave their country because of the growing persecution. Traveling across Europe, the Yeghnazar family prayed and worshipped with many Iranians in exile, sensing that God had a special calling for them to revolutionize their homeland with the gospel.

 When Lana turned 15, she remembers the second pivotal event in her life that shaped her calling. She was about to be baptized as a committed follower of Jesus, when her younger sister ran up to her in tears screaming, "They've killed him!" Their best friend and Pastor, Haik Hovsepian had been brutally murdered by government security forces.

  The death of Haik Hovsepian was a major wake-up call in Lana's Christian walk. She remembers the shock of his death caused her to seriously evaluate what she was living for and why she was following Jesus. "God used this event in my life, " Lana recalls, "To remind me, and to give me an eternal perspective that, we are here for something much bigger than ourselves."

  In 1991, God once again spoke to Lana's parents about the direction of their ministry. He impressed the number 222 upon their minds. Through careful research, they came upon a text of scripture in 2 Timothy Chapter 2, verse 2, which says,

   "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

  They immediately recognized this as a verse about discipleship and understood what the Lord was instructing them to do. Their mission was to train leaders who would then train others. The picture of God's calling had become very clear to them. Their passion was to train Iranian leaders for the underground church in Iran. They now realized why God had called them to leave Iran. He knew that the persecution would force the church to meet secretly underground. He had called them to teach and train Iranians to impact and lead the house church movement. Thus, The 222 Ministry was born, which would later become a worldwide ministry known as Transform Iran.

                                                                

  At this time, Lana was struggling with her part in the calling on her life. She had a burning passion in her heart for her homeland, for the people of Iran. Since living in the UK, she had earned college degrees in marketing, engineering, and fundraising. Lana wondered how her secular education could play a role in what God had planned for her life. Then one day, her prayers were answered. Lana's parents needed help in organizing a worldwide impact for their ministry. They asked her if she would use her skills and expertise in marketing, fundraising, and communication to oversee the outreach of the 222 Ministry. She happily agreed and once again, God had plans to move her to accomplish the next phase of her destiny.

  "You invest. You put down roots, but never assume that's where God will leave you," Lana tearfully remembers the day she left the UK to join her husband in America, while her parents kept her children. "Stretching your tent, expanding your ministry, God stretches us. It's uncomfortable, but you follow."

                                                                          

  Today, Lana is fulfilling the passionate but challenging call that God has on her life. She is the very busy CEO of "Transform Iran," a worldwide ministry whose mission is to preach the gospel to all Iranians, plant churches, and activate the body of Christ into nation-transforming missions. Her goal is to reach all of Iran with the gospel. At present, the ministry is just reaching the Farsi-speaking community with the gospel, but Lana has a vision for reaching the entire nation with the good news of Christ, where no churches are planted, and where Iranians speak different languages.

  Reflecting on the church in the West, Lana laments the reality that here in the West, we have a cheap grace, a cheap spirituality. "We have everything free. It doesn't cost us anything," she points out. "It's only when you are truly living for Christ, that it costs you something, and then your faith becomes precious." 

 There is a cost for following Jesus in Iran. If a Muslim changes his religion and converts to Christianity, it is considered apostasy and the result is either life in prison or execution. "The Ayatollahs force the people to believe in Islam. There's no choice," Lana explains, "This creates a hunger and thirst in them. In an environment where people are controlled, they are fighting and looking for water in a desert. We know that Jesus is the source of that life and they're finding him!"

  Lana is grateful for the pivotal events He has used to fulfill the calling on her life. One of her favorite quotes is by the famous British preacher, Charles Hadden Spurgeon, who once said, "That religion that costs a man nothing is usually worth nothing."

  The story, the calling, and the mission that God has placed on Lana's life has been very costly, but she is living out the dreams and the passions of her heart. From being a Sunday school teacher and worship leader in the UK to becoming the CEO of one of the largest ministries in the world is the fulfillment of a precious promise from the heart of God.

  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."  (Jeremiah 29:11)

  The Lord has indeed prospered and given this Iranian daughter an incredible future and an incredible destiny!

                                                                         

  

 

PM Netanyahu to Iranian people, "Israel Stands With You."

 

"The people of Iran should know, that Israel stands with you. May we together know a future of prosperity and peace."

                                                                

  Within days of a major military operation by Israel resulting in the death of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare direct message to the people of Iran, expressing hopes for peace and prosperity for both countries.

  Netanyahu declared that "Iran's puppets were being eliminated," emphasizing that "There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach and nowhere we will not go to protect our people."

 After explaining Israel's commitment to eliminating the proxy terrorists funded by the Islamic Republic, Netanyahu spoke more directly to the heart of all Iranians, exposing the regime's malicious treatment of their own people. "With every passing moment, this regime is bringing you, the noble Persian people, closer to the abyss. The vast majority of Iranians know," Netanyahu emphasized, "Their regime doesn't care a whit about them. If it cared about you, it would stop wasting billions of dollars on futile wars across the Middle East. It would start improving your lives."

 Netanyahu referred to the sanction relief monies given to the regime, beginning with Obama in 2015 and now more recently, The Biden Administration. The wealthy mullahs continue to finance terrorist proxy wars across the Middle East while neglecting their own people who are poverty-stricken and hopeless, struggling to survive in the midst of sky-rocketing inflation.

  "Imagine if all of the vast money the regime wasted on nuclear weapons and foreign wars, instead were invested in your children's education," Netanyahu pointed out, "In improving your health care, in building your nation's infrastructure, and all the other things that you need."

  As The Prime Minister reached the end of his personal message, He made sure to leave the Iranian people with the promise of a hopeful future. "When Iran is finally free, and that moment will come a lot sooner than people think," Netanyahu said optimistically, "Everything will be different. Our two ancient peoples, the Jewish and the Persian people, will finally be at peace. Our two countries, Israel and Iran, will be at peace."

  Netanyahu's face glowed with optimism as he stared confidently into the camera, "When that day comes, Iran will thrive as never before, Global investment, massive tourism, brilliant technological innovation. Doesn't that sound better than endless poverty, repression, and war?"

  Netanyahu concluded his speech with powerful encouraging words meant to instill hope in the desperate hearts of all Iranians.

  "Don't let a small group of fanatic theocrats crush your hopes and your dreams. You deserve better. Your children deserve better. The entire world deserves better. The people of Iran should know, that Israel stands with you. May we together know a future of prosperity and peace."

  It is a well-known fact, the hatred Iran has for Jewish people. But it is also a lesser-known fact, of the unique friendship that exists between the Jewish and Persian people. The Islamic Republic wants the destruction of the Jewish state, but the people of Iran don't share the convictions of their government. In April of 2023,  Israel reached out to Reza Pahlavi, the Crown Prince of Iran, and invited him to a historic meeting. The Crown Prince visited Israel a few months after the bloody uprising in Iran, when thousands of protesters marched in the streets, condemning the murder of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died after being beaten in custody for a Hijab violation.

                                                                          

 The purpose of Israel's invitation to Reza Pahlavi was to recognize and support  the Iranian's demand to overthrow the brutal regime and to establish a stronger friendship with the Crown Prince, identifying him as the central leader of the opposition. The main message that Netanyahu wanted to convey to the world as a result of their visit, is that Israel is in favor of a strong democratic Iran in the near future. During the visit, Pahlavi explained, "We have a strong Biblical relationship with Israel, long before it became a state."

  The relationship that Pahlavi referred to centers around Cyrus the Great, who is mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible. Cyrus reigned as king over Persia between 539-530 BC. It was under his rule that Jews were first allowed to return to Israel after 70 years of captivity. He actively assisted the Jews in rebuilding their temple in Jerusalem, by restoring their temple treasures which paid the expenses for the massive project. More than 150 fifty years before The Persian King lived, The God of the Bible, decreed that Cyrus would accomplish this great rebuilding project for his chosen people.

 "This is what the Lord says to his anointed," God declared, "To Cyrus, Whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him. I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor though you do not acknowledge me." (Isaiah 45:1)

  Last month, Reza Pahlavi gave a powerful speech at The Israeli-American Summit in Washington D.C, mandating a coordinated cooperation between Iran and Israel to overthrow the Islamic Republic. He declared, "Now is the time to do more than stand side by side. It is time to act hand in hand."

  The vile hatred and contempt that the Islamic Republic of Iran has against the Jewish people cannot sever the true friendship that exists between the Iranian people and the people of Israel. Both Netanyahu and Pahlavi have made that abundantly clear to the world. Their friendship goes back thousands of years ago when the God of the Bible orchestrated an amazing relationship between a great Persian King and a Jewish nation that was in exile. That same God is preserving that true friendship today in the midst of chaos and violence and the imminent threat of a third world war.

  While it is tempting for our hearts to be filled with anxiety about the powder keg in the Middle East getting ready to explode, Scripture comforts us with the truth that our sovereign God has "All wisdom and power and He controls the course of world events." (Daniel 2:20 NLT Translation.)