"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!