Naghmeh Abedini hasn’t seen her husband in more than two years.
In July 2012, while Saeed Abedini was building a government-approved orphanage in Iran, the U.S. pastor was imprisoned for crimes against national security. The charges grew out of Abedini’s involvement with Christian house churches in Iran.
Abedini is serving an eight-year sentence at Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj, Iran, where he reportedly has suffered beatings, malnourishment and lack of proper medical treatment. Just last week, when his Iranian mother went to visit, the man known as Pastor Saeed had to cut the meeting short.
“He couldn’t sit through the whole 20 minutes,” his wife told The Daily Signal last night. “He had a lot of pain.”
Back in Boise, Idaho, the couple’s two children—Rebekka, 7 and Jacob, 6—pray that they’ll see their father again.
Outside the White House last night, several dozen Americans from around the country joined the children in prayer. They gathered for a vigil commemorating the two-year anniversary of Pastor Saeed’s imprisonment in Iran.
By holding the vigil in Washington near the Oval Office they hoped to capture President Obama’s attention or that of Secretary of State John Kerry.
“I think high up, our president—[or] Secretary Kerry—I think there’s someone who can make that call … who can make that demand and get him home,” Pastor Saeed’s wife said.
Jordan Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which is leading global efforts to free the imprisoned pastor, said in a press release yesterday:
Pastor Saeed has become the face of the persecuted Christian church worldwide, one of many Christians around the world who face imprisonment, beatings and even death for their faith.
Here’s how some at last night’s prayer vigil joined in the effort to “Save Saeed”:
Cynthis Lundry, 48, Weber City, Va.
Lundry drove six and a half hours to attend the vigil for Pastor Saeed. “My heart is with his family,” she said. “This is a person who gave up his life to help others.” About the pastor’s family, she said: “Their sacrifice is big … hopefully our State Department will do something.”
Elder Maria Hopkins, 61; Pastor Judy Farmer, 61; Bishop Charles Farmer, 65; and Deaconess Therese Farmer, 31.
All Washington residents and members of Refuge of Hope Disciple Centers Church in the nation’s capital, this group said Pastor Saeed is being held by Iran simply because of his Christian faith.
“All he has to do is deny his faith to return home,” Bishop Farmer said, “but he’s not compromising that.” They hoped to increase awareness of Pastor Saeed’s plight. “If you never hear about persecuted churches on the news, then you never know what’s going on,” Therese Farmer said, calling the vigil a “huge success.”
“People kept coming up to me and asking what we were doing. They respected a quite vigil more than an angry, loud protest,” she said.
The Rev. Dan Cummins, 60, and his wife JoAnn, 59, Washington, D.C.
“We are reminded by Pastor Saeed Abedini’s imprisonment that our liberties and freedom to worship and practice our faith in the marketplace and public square are not free and have been purchased by those, like Pastor Abedini, who have paid with their lives,” Dan Cummins said, adding:
American Christians, above all others, must not take this gift of religious freedom for granted. We can protect this gift by prayer and exercising our God-given right to vote.
Cummins’ wife, JoAnn, said she admires Naghmeh Abedini’s strength during the ordeal. “How she stands so strong with her children, and has the strength when others are weak is incredible,” she told The Daily Signal. “We’re just here to support.”
Naghmeh Abedini (right), Boise, Idaho, 36
Her husband has gotten more emotional in recent months as he realizes he has missed three birthdays, Naghmeh Abedini told The Daily Signal. “But as hard as it has been on me and the kids, especially as a mom, seeing my kids miss their dad everyday, God has really been good,” she said, smiling. “This kind of suffering has allowed us to understand God in a deeper and more intimate way.”
Although she has not seen much in the way of encouraging signs that Pastor Saeed will be released early, Naghmeh said she is no longer fearful:
As Christians, we should never be afraid of bad news or suffering—God can use it to allow us to draw closer to him.
