Dear Friends and Partners, 

We would like to take this opportunity to give you some wonderful news: as a result of international pressure, Maryam and Marzieh, the Iranian Christian converts whose story of courage and dignity in the face of their persecutors has been an inspiration to all of us, have been acquitted of all charges and have left Iran.Please continue to pray for these courageous young women as they recover from their ordeal and adapt to a new culture and environment, that they will be able to use their story to glorify God and help improve the lives of their fellow Iranians. Please also continue to pray for the Iranian government and people, and especially for the Christians, converts and other minorities in Iran, that they would be able to freely exercise their faith without having to leave their families, homes, and country to escape persecution.

Update: Operation Horizon of Hope

In the meantime, we recently sent an alert highlighting Rev. El Shafie’s upcoming return mission to Afghanistan. Rev. El Shafie will be leaving soon on this mission to encourage our troops, but also to meet with Afghan government officials in order to challenge the government about human rights issues in the country.

This mission is rapidly approaching and so we are re-sending the alert to encourage you that now is the time to send your letters and donations in order to make this mission a success. We must receive your cards and letters of support by June 15th in order to ensure that Rev. El Shafie can deliver them. Please stand with us and with our troops through your notes and letters, as well as your prayers and financial support for this important mission.

You may recall that Rev. El Shafie travelled to Afghanistan almost three years ago to support and encourage our troops who are sacrificing their comfort and risking their lives on our behalf to help bring peace and freedom to the Afghan people. He presented the troops with several cards signed by over 2000 of our friends and partners, including several members of parliament and the prime minister. The visit and your messages of support clearly meant a lot to the troops so before he left, Rev. El Shafie promised to return. He is now preparing to fulfill that promise by travelling back to Afghanistan where he will be visiting Canadian, American, and NATO soldiers.This is a critical time in the mission for Canadian troops. As they prepare to come home next year in accordance with the government’s decision, they will face great dangers. At the same time, questions over Canada’s role in the treatment of detainees by Afghan authorities have grown into a full-blown controversy. OFWI supports any necessary, legitimate, and democratic investigation into the detainee issue in accordance with Canadian law; however, we must not let this controversy overshadow the sacrifices our troops continue to make. After all, those who are demanding information and documents from the government are only able to do so because our soldiers once fought to defend our freedoms here in Canada as they are doing today in Afghanistan. The purpose of OFWI’s mission is not to get involved in the political debate, but to show our troops that we have not forgotten them and that we support and pray for them regardless of what happens on Parliament Hill.

Rev. El Shafie is inviting a delegation of Members of Parliament from both major parties to join him in this mission. In addition to encouraging the troops, Rev. El Shafie and his delegation will meet with Afghan officials to discuss their progress in the area of human rights and to stress the importance of ensuring equality and the human rights of all Afghan people both now and after Canadian troops leave.

OFWI would like to give you the opportunity to participate in this mission. Once again, we are asking our friends and partners across the country to sign one of six cards of support and appreciation for the troops that are currently circulating. Also, some of you may not have the chance to sign the large cards, so we would like to give you the opportunity to send personal cards or letters of support which Rev. El Shafie will deliver to the troops together with the joint cards. Simply prepare your card or letter and send it to One Free World International marked “Operation Horizon of Hope”, making sure we receive it by June 15th.

Finally, as you know, OFWI is fully supported through the voluntary donations of our friends and members without whose support none of our work would be possible. Please join us by participating financially in this important mission so that we can make it a reality. Your donations are important and will have a lasting impact on the Afghan people by encouraging our troops and through the contacts Rev. El Shafie will be able to make. Please note that your donations are not tax deductible because OFWI has chosen not to seek charitable status so that we can pursue our goals freely, without the limits placed by law on charities.

Canadians can disagree about whether we should be in Afghanistan and OFWI does not take a position on this question. However, the reality is that Canadian soldiers are on the ground risking their lives daily on behalf of peace and freedom for the Afghan people and for Canadians. These brave men and women are doing their jobs and need and deserve our support.

Please pray:• for all the details of this mission to come together smoothly and for Rev. El Shafie’s safety throughout the mission;

• for the government and leadership of Afghanistan, that they would commit wholeheartedly to human rights, democracy, and equality and that they would have the strength of will and political leadership to implement these goals effectively for the benefit of all Afghan people;

• that the troops would be encouraged and uplifted by Rev. El Shafie’s visit; and,

• for the continued safety and protection of the troops who will then stay behind on the battlefield while Rev. El Shafie returns home to the safety of Canada. Pray particularly that the troops would have unusual wisdom and compassion in dealing with the Afghan people whom they are trying to help and that they would have supernatural discernment and intuition in order to prevent attacks by the Taliban that could harm them and ordinary Afghan people.

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