Rashin Soodmand was 13 years old when her father, Pastor Hossein Soodmand, was executed in Iran for the crime of apostasy. His body was quietly buried in an unmarked grave in a part of the local cemetery reserved for “the cursed.”

Yet only three days later, Rashin wrote a letter to God promising to follow Christ boldly, just as her father had—even if it meant great sacrifices. Today she is living out that promise, including ministering to the church inside Iran.

Her father wasn’t the only martyr of the Iranian church Rashin knew well. In this second part of our conversation, Rashin shares some of the things she remembers about the other martyrs she knew personally: Haik Hovsepian, who preached at her father’s funeral; Mehdi Dibaj, who encouraged her to attend Bible school; and Pastor Mohammad “Ravanbakhsh” Yusefi.

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Rashin; if you missed Part 1 of her amazing testimony, listen here. To learn more about the current ministry activities of Rashin and her husband, Amir, visit the Torch Ministries web site.

Rashin Soodmand was 13 years old when her father, Pastor Hossein Soodmand, was executed by the Iranian government for the crime of apostasy—leaving Islam to follow another faith. Listen as she shares how her family’s life was changed, but also how proud she is of a father who chose to lay down his life rather than deny Christ.

Listen as she recalls the man her father was, loving his congregation and loving his family, and how people were drawn to his kindness and love.

Rashin will tell how church leaders encouraged Pastor Hossein to take his family, leave Iran and go somewhere safer; hear his exact words as he flatly refused, saying that to do so would discourage the hearts of his congregation.

She’ll also describe the last time she saw her dad, and the day she heard that he’d been executed.

This is Part 1 of our conversation with Rashin; click here to hear the second half of her story, including how God has used the loss of her father to equip her to minister to hurting people inside and outside of Iran to this day. To learn more about the current ministry activities of Rashin and her husband, Amir, visit the Torch Ministries web site.