Mission Network NEws (press release)
Ministry’s broadcast still interrupted after elections
Posted: 10 July, 2009
SAT-7’s broadcasts are being interrupted in Iran. (SAT-7 photo)
Iran (MNN) ¯ Protesters gathered yesterday to mark the tenth
anniversary of a student uprising against the Islamic regime. Calm
seemed to have resumed following the June 12 elections, but this
recent gathering was dispersed violently.
An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people assembled at Tehran University, the
site of the 1999 uprising.
Yesterday’s events were foreseen, according to some news sources who
report that Iran’s government had not given a demonstration
permit. The government has cracked down on civilian freedoms and
interactions since the unrest after the elections– including
restrictions placed on cell phone and satellite signals. SAT-7 ‘s
Terry Ascott said their Christian broadcasts have suffered.
"The truth is that many of the satellite channels, including ours, are
blocked from certain parts of the country, and I’m not sure how
they’re doing it. It’s some new technology, because until now, it’s
not really been possible to block multiple satellite channels coming
into the country without up-linking interference to the satellite,"
said Ascott.
Ascott doesn’t believe that the problem is going to go away anytime
soon as far as peace is concerned. "There’s been a fundamental
undermining of trust in the regime, so this is a new dynamic. It’s not
something that can be put back, if you like, in the bottle–it’s
out. It’s something that’s going to be on the agenda for the coming
year unless it’s resolved quickly."
The interruptions of satellite signals are happening mostly in Tehran.
The programs that do make it through there and elsewhere are meeting
ready hearts. "People caught up in this kind of change are, perhaps,
more open than ever to the Gospel of Christ," said Ascott.
SAT-7’s programs address living in tension and include encouraging
verses such as 1 Peter 5:7 which urges viewers to "cast your anxieties
on Him, for He cares for you." SAT-7 planned to send Scriptures to
viewers who have registered a mobile phone or e-mail address.
Ascott shared the story of an unbeliever who saw one of SAT-7’s
programs in Iran. The man was a carpet weaver who was beginning to
lose his eyesight. After losing his job, he began to worry about how
he would be able to support his children. During a SAT-7 program, he
began praying that God would protect his children. In the middle of
that night, his daughter called from Armenia where she was living. She
told him that during the time that he was praying, a man dressed in
white had come to her house saying her father had sent him to warn her
that there was a gas leak. She called her dad to ask him how he’d
known, but he’d been too afraid to tell her that he’d been watching
Christian television. Instead, he wrote a letter to SAT-7 telling them
his story. Though he said he is not yet a Christian, he is in awe of
their God.
The ministry of SAT-7 is having a powerful effect on people who live
in areas where the message of Christianity is not well
received. Ascott asks for prayer that the broadcasts will stop being
interrupted and that the the programs will give hope despite the
tension and uncertainty about the future. Pray also that the economic
downturn will not affect SAT-7’s ability to financially support
broadcasting in Iran and other nations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
