I live in Mashhad, a city that draws millions of pilgrims each year seeking blessing and forgiveness at the shrine of Imam Reza — the holiest site in Shia Islam. The streets overflow with devotion, incense, and prayers offered to a system that promises peace but delivers only weariness. Since the failure of the 2015 nuclear deal and the tightening of sanctions, life in Iran has grown more desperate. Prices climb, opportunities vanish, and many are beginning to question the promises of our leaders and the utopia of Islam they once preached.

In this tension, the Spirit of God is quietly moving. People who come to Mashhad in search of truth are meeting Jesus instead — sometimes through dreams, sometimes through believers who share His love in secret. Even in this city, where the government’s control is tightest and faith in Christ is most dangerous, the gospel is spreading from heart to heart, home to home.

Mashhad, once known only for its shrine and its strict religious devotion, has become a hidden gateway for revival. The Church here walks carefully, but with hope — because the same city that draws millions to seek light in darkness is becoming a place where the Light of the World is beginning to shine.

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• Pray for pilgrims coming to Mashhad to encounter the living Jesus as they search for truth and forgiveness. (John 14:6)

• Pray for secret believers in Mashhad to be strengthened with wisdom, courage, and deep unity in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 4:31)

• Pray for the light of Christ to break through the spiritual darkness surrounding the shrine of Imam Reza. (John 1:5)

• Pray for the city’s leaders and religious authorities to experience divine revelation and turn their hearts toward God. (Proverbs 21:1)

• Pray for Mashhad to become a gateway of revival — a city once known for religion, now known for Jesus. (Habakkuk 2:14)