"How can I understand unless someone helps me?"

(Acts 8:31 CEV)

'Exodus from Darkness'

'Searching for Truth Together'

'Eternal Confidence is only found in Jesus Christ'

Latest news on the ministry of Daniel and Mary Shayesteh: September 2006

This update provides the latest news on Daniel’s work in the USA, Australia, South Africa and Namibia during July, August and September – including a front page newspaper article about Daniel published in the Lima Ohio USA News.

We thank you for your interest in and prayers for the ministry of Daniel and Mary Shayesteh and ‘Exodus from Darkness’. We pray that as you read these newsletters you will grow in your ability to love and understand Muslims and people of other faiths. We pray that fearfulness, ignorance and passive tolerance will be replaced by confidence, knowledge and the freedom to share the truth about Jesus with people of all nations.

Daniel and Mary would appreciate your prayers for Daniel’s mission trip to New Zealand from September 22 to October 16. Daniel has been invited by the Christian & Missionary Alliance of NZ to speak in their churches and to be their Speaker at their ’06 Annual Council – Oct 13 -15. He will also participate in some activities with other churches and communities in NZ while he is away.  

In our lead article Daniel continues his series on “The West has not seen the worst of Jihad yet”

Contents:

1. “The West has not seen the worst of Jihad yet” – Part 3 by Daniel and Mary Shayesteh
2. Upcoming Events – New Zealand and America
3. News reports on Daniel’s visit to Lima Ohio - published in a Lima Ohio newspaper
4. Participating financially and practically in the ministry of Daniel and Mary Shayesteh
5. Report on Daniel’s ministry during July through to September
6. Exodus from Darkness Prayer Requests
7. Daniel's Books
(A web-based version of this e-newsletter is available at http://www.ministryblue.com/exodus.html)

1. “The recent proposal by the Muslims in England has really shocked us?! by Daniel & Mary Shayesteh (Pt. 3 of “The West has not seen the worst of Jihad yet”)

The So-Called Moderate Muslim Leaders in England have proposed that the British Government accept that the only solution to combat the threat of terrorism in Great Britain is “Shari’a”, the law of Islam.

After reading this, I was shocked at how manipulative the Muslim leaders in England are. They are even more destructive than the terrorists in trying for the legitimization of the “Shari’a”.   In Islam, this manner of destruction is called Taqiyya, which is one of the most efficient arms of jihad, for winning the war against infidels. 

These Muslims do not have even a little mercy towards Britain despite using the advantages of this nation.  How do you get rid of terrorism through “Shari’a”?  Is “Shari’a” a real solution to terrorism, or is it the real gate-way to terrorism?  Let us closely and briefly see what these Muslims mean by proposing “Shari’a” as the solution?

1. Shari’a says: The true religion with Allah is Islam (Q.3:19).  No religion other than Islam shall be accepted (Q.3:85).  Christians and Jews and polytheists are the worst among creatures and they go to hell (Q.98:6).  So, Shari’a means, as in all Islamic countries, that Islam must be the only dominant religion at the cost of demolishing all other religions.

2. Shari’a says:  You (Muslims) are the best folk that has been raised up unto mankind (Q.3:110).  Muslims must not befriend non-Muslims (Q.4:89,144; 5:51).  Christians and Jews must pay to Muslims in order to stay alive.  They have to be humiliated.  They belong to hell (Q.9:29-30, read the whole chapter). Take therefore none of them for friends, till they have fled their homes for the cause of Allah.  If they turn back, then seize them, and slay them wherever you find them (Q.4:89). So, Shari’a means that the only solution for Christians and non-Muslims to overcome this humiliation is to become Muslim. 

3. Shari’a says:  Prepare against the infidels whatever arms and weaponry you can muster so that you may terrorize them (Q.8:59).  Both the Qura’an and the Shari’a commands Muslims to prepare themselves for terrorizing (Hujum in Arabic) Christians and non-Muslims.

If you are a committed Muslim or you are able to understand what is in the heart and mind of a committed Muslim, you will be able to understand the real meaning of this Muslim proposal.  It means that these younger Muslims want you to accept Islam as your religion; otherwise, they are not going to stop terrorism.  To stop fighting against infidels is a sin in Islam.

However, if you do not understand Islam and the will of its followers, your only choice is to be deceived by these sorts of Muslims.  This is the reason that England and other European countries have lost a great deal to Islam.

2. Some of Daniel's upcoming ministry events

Daniel has many opportunities to be 'salt and light' around Australia and overseas. Please remember him and the Shayesteh family in prayer as they respond to these opportunities to testify to Jesus.
September 22 – October 16: CMA Churches, New Zealand
October 21/22: Epping Church of Christ, Sydney
October / November: USA
Dec 12: Aglow Southside Sydney
March 25 – 29 2007: South Africa
May 5/6: Church of the Good Shepherd, West Ryde, Sydney
May 2007: Mosques and Miracles, Melbourne
June/July 2007: Africa
October 2007: USA

3. Front page news reports on Daniel’s visit to Lima Ohio USA - published in the Lima News newspaper (including complaints to the editor and Daniel’s responses)

Former Muslim: Islam causes Middle East violence
By DOMINIC ADAMS
07/20/2006
                                                                      
Iranian immigrant Daniel Shayesteh is director of the interdenominational organization Exodus from Darkness. Shayesteh is also an evangelist for The Christian and Missionary
Alliance in Australia.  http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=27795

 LIMA — Daniel Shayesteh knows firsthand of the fighting in the Middle East.  And he said he knows why Hezbollah militia is fighting Israel from Lebanon.

“Islam is not a peaceful religion,” Shayesteh said. “We see that Islam is fighting all nations. They blame America..... No - look at the Quran. Quran is saying this.”

Shayesteh, 50, was born in Iran and was a self-proclaimed militant Muslim. He helped Ayatollah Khomeini rise to power and force the Shah of Iran into exile in 1979. Israel and Lebanon have been fighting since July 12. Two Israeli soldiers were captured by Hezbollah guerillas and prompted an aggressive offensive response from the Jewish state.

“The current situation really is not the fighting of two groups of people. It’s the holy war of Islam against the Jews, and it stems from the pages of the Quran,” Shayesteh said. “The Quran is clearly written that Jews should be demolished, and tradition says there should not be a single Jew in Israel.”

Shayesteh has been in Ohio since Monday speaking about his interdenominational organization, “Exodus from Darkness.” A converted Christian, he will speak at 9 a.m. Sunday at Shawnee Alliance Church, 4455 Shawnee Road. He also spoke in Wapakoneta and in Lima on Wednesday.

“Unless we read the chapters of each others’ lives, a good relationship will not be possible in our society,” said Shayesteh, who became an Australian citizen in 1991. “Let us search for the truths together. Come out from your personal zone and research other religions. You pick the best one, and I guarantee you’ll come to Christ.”

Ralph and Beth Miller invited Shayesteh to stay in their Lima home for two days.
The three of them discussed Shayesteh’s life in Iran late Tuesday night.
“He’s got a passion and his first love is the Lord, and he wants that for everyone,” Beth Miller said. “I don’t think we can understand what he’s been through.”

If Shayesteh returns to Iran, he will be executed. His mother and brothers are still in Iran.
“It makes us realize our freedoms,” Ralph Miller said.

A violent ideology
The people in Iran cannot stand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Shayesteh said. He said more than 95 percent of Iranians hate their government. Iran fuels the fighting in Lebanon, and Shayesteh said Iran funds Hezbollah.
“This Iranian president is a suicide bomber,” Shayesteh said. “He is just ready to die for Islam and demolish Israel.”

Muslim ideology is cloaked in violence because of the status of its creator, Muhammad, Shayesteh said. He said because the prophet fought in ancient wars, the Muslim holy book seeps with violence. Following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. government vowed to eliminate terrorism and any factions that harbored the individuals responsible. President George W. Bush focused his sites on capturing Osama bin Laden. Laden is not the problem, Shayesteh said.

“Osama bin Laden is the servant of Islam. Islam is the enemy of this country,” he said. “Osama bin Laden can be changed, but Islam cannot. Osama bin Laden is just a tool in the hand of Islam.”

Shayesteh was heavily involved in the Iranian Fundamentalist Revolution and taught Islamic and religious philosophy in Iran. After Khomeini was in power, Shayesteh helped spread propaganda and gain support from other militant Muslims near his hometown of Talesh in northern Iran. His candidacy for the Islamic parliament forced Shayesteh to be on the run for the rest of his life.

Ruling with fear
When Shayesteh attended university in Iran, he deepened his militant Muslim ideologies. Iran was in political turmoil when Shayesteh aligned himself with Khomeini.

“Anyone who followed Ayatollah Khomeini must be a radical Muslim,” Shayesteh said. “We were eager to overthrow the kingdom in Iran, and to do that you have to be a militant and radical Muslim.”

Khomeini put Shayesteh in charge of a revolutionary army that had a primary goal of killing all Jews in Israel and recapturing the Holy Land for Arabs. Shayesteh then began spreading propaganda and training young Muslims.
“That was our main goal to mobilize all the boys and girls of the country and to teach them the terrorist actions,” Shayesteh said. “You have to terrorize Christians and Jews by frightening them. By killing them, you can take Islam to the countries and to the rest of the world. Islam is a harsh religion. There is no ‘why’ in Islam.”

However, when questions crept into his mind, Shayesteh wanted to discuss them in parliament. He was silenced, sentenced to death and thrown in jail for six months. A friend released him and he fled to Turkey in exile.

“Islam does not believe in freedom and democracy. You have to blindly follow the leader,” Shayesteh said. “If you criticize Islam and Muhammad, your fingers should be chopped first and then your head.”

Reluctant convert
Once in Turkey, Shayesteh began visiting a Christian church that was harboring Iranian refugees. He only went there because there were people there in his situation. He was not interested in Christianity.

“We as Muslims were always taught, ‘Do not touch Christians. They were impure,’” Shayesteh said. He returned to the church week after week and grew interested in its message. Christians preaching respect of their enemies amazed Shayesteh. One night he had a dream and Jesus spoke to him, he said. He was in his father’s house. There were people dying around him, and he was scared to leave the house. The next week’s sermon spoke of what Shayesteh dreamed.

“He said, ‘Come out of your father’s house, which is the house of killing, of revenge and of pain and live in the house that Jesus has built for you,’” he said. “It is a house of absolute joy, of freedom and peace.”

Shayesteh has been spreading the word ever since.

EFD Editor: Daniel is a ‘voice of experience’ who helps Christians to understand the world view and values of radical Islam. The following two letters indicate that many people find his story and views confronting. Daniel responds below to each of these letters.

Introduction to these letters from Daniel: I read both of the following Newspaper articles in the Lima News, “Poor decision with Islam article” by PATRICIA and “Fundamentalist under any name” by NEERAJ. Below, after each article, I express my view on their views about Islam.  I am concerned about the Islam they are speaking of, as it is not the Islam that the Qur’an speaks of. 

LETTER: Poor decision with Islam article
PATRICIA, Lima

I am still mentally fuming about the coverage The Lima News gave to an article authored by Dominic Adams on Thursday: banner headline “Blaming Islam.”
To my way of thinking, this borders on sensationalism and a poor journalistic decision. I believe it belonged either on the Religion page of Saturday’s newspaper or on the Commentary page. Certainly not on the front page.

Daniel Shayesteh has the right to express his opinion and describe the events leading up to his conversion to Christianity. He is correct in using the term “Islamist fundamentalists,” but painting the religion of Islam with the brush of “religion of violence” is highly incendiary and inaccurate. Moderate Muslims in our community and other communities where he travels to speak will be lamenting his depiction while sympathizing with his past experiences living in Iran under the harsh religious demands of extreme fundamentalism and a theocratic government.

Perhaps readers are not aware that the largest community of Iranians living outside the country of Iran live peacefully in Tehrangeles: Los Angeles’ Iranian Community. The community now numbers 500,000 and is comprised mainly of immigrants who fled after the Shah’s government collapsed following widespread uprisings in 1978 and 1979. The Pahlavi Dynasty was succeeded by an Islamic government under Ayatollah Khomeini. NPR did a story on June 8 and that can be accessed at www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5459468 .
Perhaps this will help to give some balance and perspective to the story you printed Thursday.

My response to Patricia:

Patricia is not aware that the violence of Islam, as a religion, not only has covered the front pages of all newspapers today, but also the pages of people’s lives in many countries.    Have Patricia ever reacted fumingly after seeing Osama bin Laden in the front pages of newspapers hundreds of times?  So how can she mentally fume at someone when they see a person who has come from a brutal background, and who now teaches the absolute love of Christ, who unconditionally loves all nations, and is reported on the front page of a newspaper?  However, it does not matter for me whether or not I am in the front or back pages of the newspapers, I only love to see the Name of Jesus and his amazing values in the first pages of newspapers so that all who live in American will appreciate their freedom which is based on Judeo-Christian values, not even on the moderate Islamic version, which does not exist in the Qur’an and has not been able to establish such a democracy in the entire Islamic world.  I am also speechless as to why Patricia is not aware that the freedom in America she has does not exist in any Islamic country in the world, even though the majority of Muslims are against radicalism, including Iranians.  Why is she not aware that now on the throne of Cyrus and Darius (the two famous ancient kings of Iran who believed in the freedom of religion) and the Dynasty of Pahlavi sits a man, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who represents Islam and wants to destroy Israel and others?  Why is she not aware that even people from Muslim societies in America and in other parts of the world have started to question the hundreds of violent verses of the Qur’an against Jews, Christians and pagans, and the verses that say that no other beliefs and religions are accepted but Islam; or the verses that say ladies are inferior to men and men can beat their wives, etc?  Does not Patricia know that people carry the value of their beliefs to wherever they go; and if this is the case they then need to open themselves to read and hear and choose the one that can produce peace and harmony among people?

Patricia needs to understand that the majority of Americans want their Los Angeles to remain as Los Angeles, not Tehrangeles.  It was not Tehran that was able to open its arm to the millions of its discriminated-against people, but Los Angeles and the whole of America.  Let us not disturb these beautiful names in such subtle ways for the sake of political correctness.  Patricia needs to learn the gentleness of Jesus Christ towards humankind and His uneasy attitude towards ideological terrorism.  It was Jesus who said love your enemy and fight against evil and inhuman spirits.  I am so sorry that Patricia did not realize in my words that I said that even Osama bin Laden can change (even to the level of nominal Muslims or even to become a Christian like I am) but it is impossible to change Islam.

Dr. Daniel Shayesteh

LETTER: Fundamentalist under any name
NEERAJ, Lima

   Your front-page article “Blaming Islam” (Thursday) left me aghast at the blatantly ignorant and simplistic views about Islam expressed by Daniel Shayesteh. Having extensively studied Islam and spent significant time in the Middle East, I feel compelled to correct the erroneous claims made by Shayesteh, and to restore some semblance of objectivity to this very important discussion.

Shayesteh is a former “militant Muslim,” which is particularly telling, for he continues to display two prime characteristics of religious militancy: a poor and incomplete understanding of Scripture, and a tendency to spew inflammatory rhetoric. His claim that Islam is an inherently violent religion is simply a reflection of a radical interpretation of Islam and not Islam itself. Had Shayesteh dug deeper into the roots of his former religion, he would know, for example, that Jews and Christians have historically been held in especially high regard among Muslims as fellow “People of the Book.” He would also recall the 12th-century Muslim hero Saladin, who rather than killing the Jewish scholar Maimonides (fleeing persecution in Spain) instead appointed him as a special advisor to his royal court. Or the 16th-century Muslim emperor Akbar of India, who convened the world’s first-ever inter-religious council and regarded religious freedom as a pillar of civilization.

Religion is by nature open to interpretation and misinterpretation, and Islam is no different. But are we to judge the actions of a loud and violent minority to be the “one true voice”? If so, then Shayesteh should feel some measure of discomfort knowing that some of the worst atrocities in the world, such as the Spanish Inquisition, the Holocaust and European colonialism, were heralded under the banner of Christianity. Yet it appears Shayesteh has ignored this fact and merely abandoned one brand of religious fundamentalism in favor of another.

My Response to Neeraj:

I am afraid to say that Neeraj is speaking about the folk Islam of the Middle-East instead of talking about the Islam of the Qur’an and the Hadith (the recorded sayings of Muhammad) and the Sira (the story of Muhammad’s life) and the Shari’a (the Islamic law).  The Islam that committed Muslims in the West present to people is in contrast to its reality.  They rely completely on the first thirteen years of Muhammad’s life.  In those thirteen years Muhammad had not yet decreed the slaughtering (qatala in Arabic) of Jews, Christians and pagans.  However, in his last ten years he received thousands of verses from Allah to kill for the establishment of the kingdom of Allah on earth.  The Kingdom of Allah on earth would mean the elimination of all other religions.  At the top of the list are Judaism and Christianity.  I am so glad that many people in America and in the world, including the Muslim world, have started to realize that if they want to know about Islam or Christianity or Buddhism or Hinduism, they need to refer to the scriptures of these religions rather than the words of some who do not speak with reference.  I can only challenge my readers and listeners to read the Qur’an and see the truth for themselves, rather than rely on Neeraj’s claim of having studied Islam for many years.  I am concerned that Neeraj is misleading society by ignoring thousands of verses instructing the killing of so many by Allah and Muhammad in the Qur’an, most for the sake of the spread of Islam.  Islam is the only religion that decrees the demolishing of other religions even to the cost of killing their followers unless they follow Muhammad;

- You (Muslims) are the best folk that has been raised up unto mankind (Q.3:110).
- Muslims must not befriend non-Muslims (Q.4:89,144; 5:51).
-  The people of the book (Christians and Jews) belong have to be killed unless they buy their lives in exchange of a certain amount of money every year and accept to be humiliated by Muslims (Q.9:29-30).
- Kill pagans (those who join other gods) (Q.9:5).
- Take therefore none of them for friends, till they have fled their homes for the cause of Allah.  If they turn back, then seize them, and slay them wherever you find them (Q.4:89).
- Allah has sent his apostle with a religion of the truth, that he may make it victorious over every other religion (Q.9:33).
- The true religion with Allah is Islam (Q.3:19). 
- No religion other than Islam shall be accepted (Q.3:85). 
- Christians and Jews and polytheists are the worst among creatures and they go to hell (Q.98:6).
- Prepare against the infidels (Christian and Jews) whatever arms and weaponry you can muster so that you may terrorize them (Q.8:59).
- So fight them (non-Muslims) until there is no more disbelief (in the whole world) and all submit to the religion of Allah alone (Q.8:39).
- Those who oppose Allah and Muhammad their finger-tip and heads have to be chopped off (Q.8:12-13).
- …………..

Are these verses simply the reflection of a radical interpretation of Islam rather than Islam itself?   Is it that Neeraj has seen these verses but tries to hide them (as this hiding is a law in Islamic evangelism called “Taqiyyah”), or is he ignorant?  Has Neeraj himself really dug deeper into the roots of Islam, and does he know that it is a sin if any Muslim regards Jews and Christians as fellows?  Does Neeraj know that the Qur’an says Muslims are better than Jews and Christians and others? (Q.3:110)  Isn’t Neeraj’s manner of criticism similar to the preferred mannerism of Muslim leaders and scholars who blame the critics of “ignorance”?  Is it ignorance when these critics are reading the Qur’an to discover what it speaks of? I wish Neeraj would read the Gospel of Christ too, so that he can see that Jesus and his followers never said ‘kill’.  Rather, he says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”  (Matt. 5:44).

Even though Neeraj claims to have spent significant time in the Middle-East, he still loves to hide the fact that no Muslim can revere Saladin and Akbar of India above Muhammad and his successors Abubaker, Omar, Othman and Ali.  The latter Muslims never encouraged compassion towards Jews and Christians; their overriding focus was to get rid of Christians and Jews.  Saladin’s and Akbar’s niceness was not because of Islam, but as a result of their national cultural values which go beyond Islam and are from their non-Islamic Zoroastrian and Hindu forefathers.  In fact, it is for over 13 centuries that Iranian culture has been in war with Islamic culture and has, as a result, sacrificed many of its people.  In the same way, the terrible things the so-called Christians have been doing throughout history have not stemmed from the words of Christ who says; love others as you love your own body.  What I want to say is that Saladin did not follow the Qur’an and as a result became nice, but Hitler did not follow the Gospel of Jesus and became cruel.

Dr. Daniel Shayesteh

4. Invitations to participate

Participating financially in the ministry of Daniel and Mary Shayesteh

We invite you to give generously to the ministry of Exodus from Darkness so that Daniel and Mary's transformational message about Christ can continue to bear fruit around Australia and overseas. Full details for contributing to their ministry are at the end of this email.

Participating practically in the ministry of Daniel and Mary Shayesteh

The above list (section 2) shows that Daniel has a regular stream of events throughout the year. We would like to invite you (young or old) to consider coming along with Exodus from Darkness on one of these events. This is a great way to support Daniel practically while at the same gaining practical skills and experience in walking the bridge between East and West in Jesus’ Name.

You would need to cover any personal travel and accommodation expenses and we’d need to explore with you which events are suitable for Daniel to have extra people with him. Taking part in an ‘Exodus from Darkness’ mission trip is an experience that’s just like ‘walking through the pages of the book of Acts’; so please give this invitation your prayerful consideration.

5. Report on Daniel’s ministry during July through to September – HEADLINE - Around a million people learn about Daniel’s story in Ohio!

We invite you to come along for the journey as Daniel reflects on his experiences and opportunities during the past few months. Our journey will take us through Ohio (USA), Sydney, South Africa, Namibia and Perth (Western Australia). How wonderful to see Daniel’s testimony to Jesus being shared with the world! We pray for hearts to be opened to Jesus as people search together for Truth.

“July 8, Saturday evening: I attended a "Missionary Dessert Night" at a house meeting (attended by people from Fairhaven Alliance Church in Dayton USA, city of the Wright brothers).  I was asked to speak about the ministry of Exodus from Darkness.”
 
“July 9, Sunday morning: I gave my testimony in two services at Fairhaven Alliance Church.  People were moved by my life story, rejoicing in the radical change that has happened in a radical Muslim’s life. Sunday evening:  I lectured about "Evangelism with Certainty and Intellectual Capability".  There were about 150 people, both from Fairhaven Alliance and other churches in Dayton.”
 
“July 10, Monday morning:  I was taken for a Christian Radio Interview (CDR Radio).  The Radio station was one hour far from Dayton.”
 
“July 11, Tuesday morning:  I spoke at the pastoral staff meeting of Fairhaven Church about "Judeo-Christian Values of the West are Under Threat".  The Spirit of God convicted the hearts of people at this meeting leading many in repentance about their complacency even as we received the refreshment of the Spirit of God.”
 
“July 12, Wednesday evening: I gave my testimony in a small meeting arranged by Salem Church of God in a town called Clayton.”
 
“July 13, Thursday mid-day:  I gave my testimony at the staff meeting of a church called Ginghamsburg church.”
 
“July 14, Friday evening:  I gave my testimony in an Indian home fellowship (a Fairhaven ministry).  There were some Hindu believers.  I challenged them to open themselves up to reading and learning about the beliefs of others. This creates the opportunity to discover the Truth in the context of the world.”
 
“July 15, Saturday morning:  I spoke at a Fairhaven Alliance men’s breakfast; I gave a very brief version of my testimony for the sake of those who had not heard me before; I then spoke about "boldness in Christ" by telling them about how Christians are ready to die for Christ in Iran and in persecuting countries. Immediately after the men’s breakfast, I was driven to Columbus which took around two hours.”

“July 16, Sunday morning:  I gave my testimony at the First Alliance Church in Columbus for 45 minutes.”
 
“July 17, Monday morning:  A Christian couple drove me (over two hours drive) to visit Dr. Ken Ham, the president of "Answers in Genesis" in Kentucky.  I spoke in their chapel and was given a very warm welcome.  They are building an amazing Christian Museum in Petersburg Kentucky. After lunch with Ken and some of his staff, I was taken back to Columbus.”
 
“July 18, Tuesday afternoon:  Pastor Dave Noel, the pastor of First Alliance Church drove me to the city of Lima.”
 
“July 19, Wednesday full day:  I was interviewed by two secular newspapers, by two secular TV stations, by one Christian Radio station, and spoke at a secular humanitarian club called, “Noon Sertoma Club”. I also spoke at a small meeting at Cable Road Alliance Church.”
 
“The outcome of all this media exposure was that close to one million people saw me on either the TV, or heard me on the Radio or saw my picture on the front pages of the newspapers. I spoke to them about the tension in the Middle-East and they heard about my solution for this tension in the Middle-East and for the crisis Islam has created in the world.  (Some of the text from the Newspaper reports is at the end of this update.)  This city is the city where Neil Armstrong comes from (first man to walk on the moon).  Wherever I went people showed the newspapers to me and said that they saw me on the TV and heard me on the Radio. I praise God for this opportunity to talk about the grace of Jesus and his beautiful values.”
 
“July 21,22:  Evening house meetings with adults and then young adults from Shawnee Alliance Church - answering their questions about my life, Islam and Jesus.”

“July 23, Sunday morning:  I gave my testimony in two services at Shawnee Alliance Church.”

“As I left America to come back home, two defenders of Islam opposed the decision of one of the newspapers who put my picture and comments on their front page. The newspaper published their complaints and invited me to respond. I pray that these events will cause many people to think more deeply about Christ and his values.” (The newspaper article, complaints and my response are in Section 3 – earlier in this update)

“July 29 I attended a Men’s Outreach Dinner at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church in Cranebrook Sydney, where I gave my testimony.  Many of the men had Muslim friends and they were eager to learn how to share Christ with them. They were encouraged strongly by hearing my testimony. I pray for them as they tell their friends about my story and the uniqueness of Jesus. The following Sunday evening, I spoke in the home of an Egyptian Christian to about ten Arabic Christian believers.  I gave my testimony to them and encouraged them to break the traditional silence, imposed on them by Islam, and to share the good news of Jesus courageously - because our Lord has overcome the world and has made us victorious (John 6:33; Rom.8:37).”

“From August 2 until August 23 I took part in the ‘Mosques and Miracles’ (M&M) trip to South Africa and Namibia. The reception we received from people during our South African M&M tour was amazing. Our host during the tour was Open Doors.  We have wonderful brothers and sisters in Africa and Namibia whose hearts beat for the sake of the persecuted church.  I believe and feel that their concern for the persecuted church was the major reason for the highly successful nature of the M&M conferences.   The truth is that more than 60% of persecuted churches in the world are in Islamic countries, and our talks were exposing to them the nature of Islam.  Also, the growth of Islam in Africa is vast and subtle.  The Muslim population in South Africa is only around 2%, but in the political arena their presence is 24%.  This is a dangerous signal for Africa.   However, Open Doors wonderfully and very generously looked after us while we traveled.”

“Our first meeting was in Johannesburg.  Two times I spoke in this conference (as I did in all the other conferences in South Africa and Namibia).  I gave my testimony on the evening of the first day of the conference.  On the second day, I spoke about “Guidelines for Conversational Evangelism”.  We had two other M&M conferences in Nelspruit and Cape Town where we followed the same format as we did in Johannesburg.  In addition to the M&M engagements, I spoke in a big church called Maranatha in Johannesburg, in a small church in Cape Town, and at a Tuesday evening city wide Christian gathering that was held in a Hall at Port Elizabeth.  In all these three meetings, I talked about my life story.  This amazed people highly as they reflected on how God had changed a radical Muslim and now uses him for His glory.  Our last week was in Namibia.  We held one M&M conference in the capital city, Windhoek, and I gave my testimony in two services in a Church.  I also was interviewed three times on Christian radio.  The receptivity of Christians in Namibia was very high, and the hospitality shown to us by Open Doors was enormous.”

“Open Doors, both in South Africa and Namibia, arranged tours for us of the cities we visited as well as visits to National Parks.  We really enjoyed our trip and our experience of Africa, because of the generous brothers and sisters from Open Doors who cared for us.  I have been invited to visit Africa again next year and I am looking forward to this second opportunity to share about Jesus and my journey from Islam to Christ.”

“On 26th August I was interviewed in Sydney by the Wesley Mission “Rise and Shine” TV show for about 7 minutes, about my life and some other social issues.  This will be shown on channel 9, at 5.30am on 22nd October 2006.”

“From 27th August to 1st September I visited YWAM Perth:  On the Sunday, I flew to Perth so that I could lecture for five days at the YWAM College about Islam, its mission for the world, and our Christian response.  I had a time of blessing with the missionary candidates.  In the last lecture, I taught them that, not withstanding the Lord’s call to them as missionaries to a particular country, they need to be broad-minded Christians walking with their Lord to the ends of the earth.  In other words, Christians need to be aware of what is happening in the world and, at the same time, take action through offering Christian solutions for the issues and challenges that the world faces.”

“On the 2nd of September I spoke at a meeting of the Australian Christian Nation Association:  This meeting was arranged by Rev. Fred Nile at Eastwood Baptist on this Saturday evening.  I was one of the three speakers.  I spoke about my life story for the first 15 minutes.  Then for 30 minutes I spoke about “Unveiling the Nature of Islam”.  At the end, all three speakers answered the questions of people.  As usual, I was encouraged again by Fred and Elaine’s heart for this nation and also for their support of what I am doing.”

“On 3rd of September I visited Nowra Church of Christ:   Early Sunday morning, I traveled 2.5 hours to Nowra to speak at both their morning and evening services. This is the second time I have spoken at their church. In both services, I spoke about influential evangelism.  The Spirit of God was present in both services.  All of us, ministers and the audience, were humbled by the presence and conviction of God.  Praise the Lord for the support of Nowra Church of Christ for our ministry, and for their zeal for the Lord.”

“On 7th September I visited Christian City Church College at Oxford Falls:  For twenty minutes, I gave my testimony and then for 70 minutes, I lectured about “Conversational Evangelism” – about how to reach the hearts of non-Christians.”

“On 8th September I visited St. Paul’s Anglican at Oatley Sydney speaking at three services. It was pleasure to meet with this community and to share my message and testimony with them”

“On Sunday 17th September I spoke at Asquith Church of Christ Sydney. The church was packed full and many were encouraged and spurred on to share the love of Jesus with others.”

6. Exodus from Darkness Prayer Requests

Please praise the Lord with us for all that has been achieved through the ministry of Exodus from Darkness. Exodus from Darkness is a ‘Specialised Apologetics and Evangelism Ministry’ with three major goals: Raising up Middle- Eastern evangelists, awakening non-Christians and Christians to the uniqueness of Christ and caring for our societies.

It is nearly five years since Daniel, Mary and Michael, supported by their families and many other people, started working together in ‘Exodus from Darkness’. Since the early 1990’s hundreds of thousands of people have heard Daniel speak in person around the world in English, Azerbaijani, Turkish or Farsi and we estimate that millions have now heard Daniel through books, CD, DVD, radio, newspapers and television.

Please pray for Daniel and Michael as we fellowship with the Lord Jesus and look to him regarding the following goals:
1. Raising funds so that Daniel and Mary can minister together in places that desperately want his help but who can not afford to fund Daniel’s time with them and his travelling expenses e.g., Africa and Pacific Islands
2. Development of our website over the next few months
3. Realising our capacity to influence the world, particularly through more co-workers, through opportunities to minister both in Australia and overseas and through education of children and young people. Development of educational resources that deliver world’s best practice learning outcomes will be part of this.

We speak in Jesus' Name to many hearts across the world, that they will be challenged in this era of globalisation to search for the Truth with all their heart. Please pray for Daniel while he ministers in NZ for several weeks.

Please pray for the Lord’s guidance and creativity to be poured out upon us so that we can work together with churches to share the gospel persuasively with local communities.

Please pray for all the people who hear Daniel’s testimony to Jesus. Please pray that these people, and all the people they influence, will grow in their courage to walk the bridge between east and west in Jesus’ Name.

Please pray for the continuing provision of all Daniel and Mary's financial needs. They have sacrificed much to ensure Daniel could lecture and share his testimony across Australia and overseas. A donation to help them would be a blessing for them.

We thank God for a group of people who are supporting Daniel and Mary's ministry spiritually and intellectually as we consider the most effective ways for their ministry to grow in the years ahead. Please pray that the Shayesteh's ministry will be guided along the path of greatest fruitfulness for the kingdom of God.

7. Daniel's books
Many people have been blessed through the special insights into Islam and other religions that are provided by Daniel's books. Always accompanying these insights is Daniel's testimony to the uniqueness of Christ our Lord in every dimension of life.
Please make use of Daniel's books listed below and share them with your churches, bible colleges and friends.
'The Difference is the Son' compares the Qur'an and the Bible against the backdrop of Islam's early history and Islam's contemporary message. Daniel concludes that the difference between these two books in all dimensions of life is the 'Son' - our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the only source of eternal confidence.
"A Journey from 'gods' to Christ" looks at the nature of 'god', sin and salvation in all the world's major religions, while at the same time challenging the conscience (God given!) of every human being to search for the Truth.
'The Difference is the Son' - suggested donation $20 + $5 for postage
"A Journey from 'gods' to Christ" - suggested donation $15 + $5 for postage.

For contact details for ordering these books, please see the end of this email.

I close with the words of Jesus.
"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:37,38 (CEV)