Persian Diaspora Partnerships (Radmard) Update September 2024

Radmard story: Fueling Fresh Starts

With August comes hope borne from fresh starts. Our young ones are experiencing new teachers and the fun of classmates reuniting. Our congregations are stepping into Fall with new series, studies, and opportunities. For The Outreach Foundation, August brought a visit with the men of Radmard, one of our partners in the Persian Diaspora. Radmard, which means “men of purity,” is a ministry offering Persian-speaking families around the world a fresh start through men transformed by Christ. Our visit in August opened our eyes to the breadth and depth of this ministry.

Blending truth from God’s Word with best practices in modern psychology, Radmard director and Pars graduate Reza Foroutan and his team help men heal. Each one has struggled with addiction or tried to find freedom from their history of abuse. In Jesus, they find hope and courage to live boldly as witnesses. Through Radmard, they experience a fresh start, learning to trust and discovering peace through healthy relationships with other godly men. 

Our visit in August lasted four days, and we helped facilitate a conference on shame and vulnerability. For most of our team, it was their first encounter with Iranians. For many of the men from Iran, it was their first encounter with Americans. We stand in awe of the Holy Spirit’s miraculous work. Here are two of their incredible testimonies (names are changed for security reasons):

From Bill (a believer for three years): I was a very angry man before discovering Radmard. I became a believer after seeing Jesus heal my wife from a life-threatening disease during COVID. On the night it seemed she was going to die, Jesus appeared to me in a dream and showed me that she was walking in a light. When I woke up, I saw her surrounded by light in our kitchen. I thought it was a vision, but it was real. She was healed. Despite this, I struggled with a lot of anger from the abuse I experienced. Two years ago, I met Reza, and he invited me to Radmard. I learned to share my problems and how to heal from the anger that was destroying me. I am now leading my family in peace and with the forgiveness and love of God in my heart. I am so thankful.

From James (a believer for 10 years): I had been addicted to drugs for over 15 years, and even when I became a believer, I still struggled with addiction. Jesus showed me that I had a hole in my heart that only He could fill, but I needed to put away the addiction. After 18 months of sobriety, I discovered Radmard, and this ministry is helping me complete my journey. Through the weekly meetings and the conferences, God has shown me I can trust other broken men in this safe place, and I am not alone. What God is doing here is miraculous. The things we talk about here are deep, things we don’t want to discuss, things from our past that God wants to heal. This ministry has made me a better man, father, husband, and friend to other men.

THE OPPORTUNITY
We returned inspired and grateful to have engaged with these men for a season. If you or your congregation has a heart for what God can do through the healing of men, we encourage you to fuel the work of Radmard. In addition to donations, we are working with Reza on another conference for the summer of 2025. Please contact Tom Boone (tom@theoutreachfoundation.org) for more details. The Outreach Foundation seeks gifts to support the mission and ministry of Radmard, which is a part of our Persian Diaspora Partnerships. All gifts of any size are welcome to help Radmard continue reaching Iranian men for the sake of the Gospel. You may make a gift by sending a check to The Outreach Foundation or by giving online via the link below.