GOD BEGAN TO CHALLENGE ME

WITH HIS LOVE FOR OUR

ENEMIES.

HE SAID THIS, "DAN, ASK ME

WHAT I THINK ABOUT THIS

MAN."

AND HE ASKED ME THE QUESTION

ABOUT THE MAN WHO WAS MY

INTERROGATOR, THE MAN WHO

BEAT ME AND WHO SEEMED TO

MATE ME THE MOST.

IT WAS A FEW DAYS INTO IT,

AND I FINALLY SAID, GOD,

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS

MAN.

AT THAT MOMENT, MY HEART

OPENED UP AND I BEGAN TO SEE

GOD'S LOVE FOR THIS MAN.

HOW HE LOVED HIM FROM THE

BEGINNING.

HOW HE MADE HIM.

HOW HE LOVED HIS FAMILY.

I'LL NEVER FORGET THE LAST

DAY I SAW HIM.

I REMEMBER ON THIS DAY

THINKING, OH, MY GOSH, WHAT

IS HE GOING TO DO TODAY.

AT THAT MOMENT, I REMEMBER

LOOKING AT HIM, AND I SAID

THIS.

I SAID, "SIR, IF I'M GOING

TO SEE YOU THE REST OF MY

LIFE EVERY DAY, WHY DON'T WE

BECOME FRIENDS."

AND HE SAID, NO, THAT IT'S

IMPOSSIBLE.

AND I SAID, SIR, YOU CAN

START BY TELLING ME YOUR

NAME.

I STUCK OUT MY HAND TO HIM

AND I SAID, SIR, LET'S BE

FRIENDS.

AND HE JUST STOOD THERE AND

HE FROZE.

AFTER A FEW MINUTES, HE

STARTED TO SHAKE.

ALL OF A SUDDEN I SAW HIS

HAND CREEP TOWARDS MINE AND

HE SHOOK MY HAND.

AND AS HE IS SHAKING MY

HAND, I SAW THESE TEARS

START TO ROLL DOWN HIS

FACE.

FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES HE JUST

SHOOK MY HAND, TEARS

STREAMING DOWN HIS FACE, AND

HE FINALLY LOOKS AT ME AND

HE SAYS THIS, HE'S LIKE,

DAN -- AND HE CALLED ME BY

MY NAME.

"MY NAME IS RESOC AND I

WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR

FRIEND."

AND IT CAUSED ME TO SEE

THERE IS NO HEART TOO HARD

FOR JESUS.

THAT HE CAN CHANGE THE

HARDEST HEART.

GOD TAUGHT ME TO LOVE MY

ENEMIES.

I HEARD THESE GUARDS TALKING

ABOUT THE FOREIGNERS, ME AND

MY FRIENDS.

THEY'RE CHRISTIANS, THEY

FOLLOW JESUS.

AND ANOTHER ONE SAID, OH.

THESE FOREIGNERS, THEY KNEW

THEY COULD HAVE PROBLEMS

WHEN THEY CAME MERE, BUT

THEY HAVE PURPOSE.

THEY HAVE A REASON TO LIVE

AND A REASON TO DIE, AND

THAT'S WHAT I WANT.

I HEARD THREE OF THESE MEN

SAY, YEAH, TODAY WE ARE

GOING TO FOLLOW JESUS.

WE ARE GOING TO FOLLOW THE

WAY.

AND IF THAT WAS PART OF THE

REASON WHY GOD ALLOWED ME

DOWN THERE, YEAH, SO BE IT.

AND JUST LIKE, YEAH, THOSE

GUARDS IN PRISON, I LONG FOR

PEOPLE TO KNOW TODAY HOW

GOOD JESUS IS.

THAT HE CAN RESCUE US IN THE

MIDST OF PAIN.

IN THE MIDST OF OUR SHAME,

OUR BROKENNESS, HE WANTS TO

MEET US, AND THAT HE IS GOD,

NO MATTER WHAT WE'RE GOING

THROUGH.

AND THAT HE LOVES US.

I FOUND OUT INDIRECTLY I WAS

UNDER TWO DEATH SENTENCES,

ONE FOR BEING A MISSIONARY,

AND ONE FOR BEING A SPY.

AGAIN IN THAT PRISON, I

HEARD EXECUTIONS, YEAH,

QUITE REGULARLY.

AND IT WAS MY MOMENT IN THE

COURTROOM, AND I STOOD ON

THE STAND, HUNDREDS OF

PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, VIDEO

CAMERAS AND JUDGES, AND THEN

CAME THE QUESTION: TELL US

TODAY, SIR, WHY, WHY DID YOU

COME TO IRAN?

SOMETHING ROSE UP IN ME, THE

POWER OF GOD, AND I REMEMBER

LOOKING AT THE JUDGE AND

SAYING THIS: I CAME TO IRAN

TO TELL YOU ABOUT JESUS

CHRIST.

AND WHEN I SAID THAT, I'M

LIKE, OH, WHAT DID I SAY?

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I SAID

IT AGAIN, AND I SAID IT

AGAIN.

AND SOMETHING STARTED TO

GROW IN MY HEART AND FOR

ABOUT 20 MINUTES I JUST

PREACHED THE GOSPEL.

AND I TOLD EVERYONE IN THAT

COURTROOM AND EVERYONE WHO

COULD HEAR ME, ALL ABOUT WHO

JESUS IS.

ALL ABOUT HOW MUCH HE LOVED

THEM.

ALL OF A SUDDEN I REALIZED

SOMETHING, I AM FREE.

I AM FREE.

SO WHAT IF THEY KILL ME.

MY LIFE IS BOUGHT BY THE

BLOOD OF JESUS.

MY HOME IS IN HEAVEN AND NO

ONE CAN TAKE THAT AWAY.

AND I REALIZED THAT IN THE

MIDST OF DEATH ITSELF, GOD

GAVE ME THE GRACE TO STAND

UP AND SPEAK THE TRUTH.

AND IN DOING SO, IT BROUGHT

FREEDOM IN MY HEART, KNOWING

THAT THIS LIFE ISN'T IT.

THERE IS MORE.

AND I'M GOING HOME ONE DAY,

AND NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT

AWAY.