I always thought that only Christians in Iran were severely oppressed, but with the statistics given in this lesson about other countries, my thinking changed a lot.

During the course I had a lot of stress, but now that I assess my feelings, I feel I have found more courage to deal with persecution. I think this was the best thing I needed to hear.

I decided to share this with my Christian friends when I return to Iran. I also take security issues more seriously. I plan to have a new strategy to face up to the conditions of arrest and detention, and knowing these lessons will help me to get the right response.

Throughout the lessons, the fear of persecution in me was diminished and I found myself more prepared to confront persecution. I also want to reevaluate my past activities and, by thoughtful practice, avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. I also submit my thoughts and will to the Lord. I had already felt a lot of fear in the face of the persecution (and particularly being arrested for my faith). Many times in prayer I had asked God not to put me in such a situation because I felt that I, like Peter, would deny him. But these lessons changed my feelings.

I never had an interest in hearing about persecution, because I was afraid of confronting the reality of it. But as the lessons went on I became more interested to hear the contents. I also decided to serve God with wisdom and take things more seriously and change my ways. By the end of the course, I realised how crucial it was for me to take this course.

I previously thought about what my response should be if I was arrested for my faith. Sometimes I asked this question in church, but I was always deterred by others from asking so. “God forbid!” they would say. “Do not even mention it!” But today I face the fact that persecution in the lives of Christians is an inevitable fact. I decided to follow the security measures from now on, especially in my digital communications and telephone conversations. Also, if I am arrested, I will keep my calm with the power of God and the preparation I have already done.