FROM PERSECUTION TO MINISTRY
April 28, 2026
By Harpak Hosseinkhanihezaveh
A Testimony of God’s Grace in Our Lives
My name is Harpak. Together with my wife, Ghazal, I have the privilege of serving God in Türkiye. When I look back on our journey—from persecution and refugee life to ministry, illness, theological education, and pastoral calling—I can say one thing with confidence: without the grace of God, we would not be where we are today.
Harpak and Ghazal with Pastor Fred and Kelly Shin during a visit to Pisidian Antioch in Türkiye in 2021, sharing a time of fellowship, encouragement, and spiritual companionship during a difficult season of their journey.
A New Life in Christ
My journey of faith began in 2016, when Ghazal introduced me to the church. At first, everything was new and unfamiliar to me. But little by little, the Word of God touched my heart.
The love of Christ was no longer simply an idea; it became something I experienced deep within my soul. Jesus Christ changed my life and opened a new path before me. In time, God joined Ghazal’s life and mine together, and we were married.
But following Christ came with a cost.
In Iran, we faced threats because of our Christian faith. Ghazal was arrested, and after her release, the situation became increasingly dangerous. They wanted her to hand me over to them. We experienced fear, pressure, tears, and uncertainty.
Yet in that darkness, the presence of God became more real to us. We learned that faith is more than beautiful words. Faith means holding on to God even when the road ahead is uncertain.
Becoming Refugees—and Learning to Serve
Harpak during a 2021 visit to Pisidian Antioch in Türkiye—a time of fellowship, rest, and encouragement along his journey.
In 2018, Ghazal and I had to leave Iran. With broken hearts but living hope, we came to Türkiye and became refugees.
Beginning again in a new country was not easy. We faced the challenges of refugee life, separation from our homeland, uncertainty about the future, and many daily pressures. But through all of it, God remained with us.
That same year, God opened a door for us to serve others. Through the Big Dream School ministry, we began teaching English to Afghan refugee children.
This ministry was about much more than teaching a language. We had the opportunity to stand beside children who had also experienced migration, insecurity, and uncertainty. Through simple moments in the classroom, we began to understand that Christian ministry often starts in ordinary ways—loving, listening, teaching, and simply being present with people who need to know that they are seen and loved.
Equipped for the Journey
In 2020, God opened another door for our theological and ministry development. Through Pastor Fred Shin, we were introduced to Grace Mission University and began our M.Div. studies.
Pastor Fred and his wife, Kelly, became more than those who helped us begin our theological education. They walked alongside us as mentors and ministry partners through some of the most important and difficult seasons of our lives. Their prayers, encouragement, guidance, and example became a meaningful part of the way God prepared us for ministry.
Our theological education was not simply about earning a degree. Through studying God’s Word, we were being shaped for ministry and prepared for responsibilities we could not yet fully see.
A Home Church Takes Root
An early Home Church gathering in Kırıkkale, Türkiye, in November 2022, where believers shared a meal, studied God’s Word, prayed, and grew together in faith and fellowship.
While we were still studying and growing, God began placing another vision in our hearts: to build a community where believers could worship, study God’s Word, pray, care for one another, and grow together in faith.
On November 13, 2022, we began gathering as a small Home Church in Kırıkkale.
There was no large congregation or established ministry. We simply began with what God had placed in our hands—opening our lives, gathering people, studying the Bible, praying together, and building relationships.
What began in a home gradually grew.
With the prayer and support of those who walked alongside us, the Home Church eventually moved into a dedicated worship space. On March 12, 2023, we began worshiping there together, and this growing community became Grace Church Kirikkale.
Today, the church continues to gather throughout the week for Bible study, community outreach, ministry to children, discipleship, and Sunday worship. What began as a small gathering in a home has become a place where we pray that people can encounter Christ, grow as disciples, and learn to serve others.
Given Life Again
At almost the same time that this new ministry was taking root, another difficult season began in my own life.
In 2022, I became seriously ill with liver cirrhosis. My condition grew worse, and my body became weaker. It was an extremely painful season for both Ghazal and me.
Yet even in the hospital, in weakness and waiting, and in moments when the future was unclear, God did not take away our hope. We learned that sometimes God is present even in silence, and that His strength can become most visible in our weakness.
Harpak receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Ankara, about a 90-minute journey from Kırıkkale, during his battle with liver cirrhosis—a difficult season of repeated hospital visits, waiting, and trusting in God’s grace.
In 2024, by God’s grace, I received a liver transplant.
For me, the surgery was more than a medical procedure that saved my life. It felt like being given life again. I came to understand more deeply that my life no longer belonged to me. Whatever years God gives me are to be lived for the glory of Christ and in service to His people.
From Students to Pastors
Harpak and Ghazal with Rev. Paul Ki Hong Han, President of Grace Ministries International, following their ordination as pastors in Türkiye on April 17, 2026—a milestone marking their journey from theological students to pastoral ministry.
By December 2024, Ghazal and I had completed all the requirements for our Master of Divinity degrees at Grace Mission University. In June 2025, we officially graduated.
Looking back, those years of theological study had unfolded alongside refugee life, ministry, church planting, illness, and recovery. God was teaching us not only through books and classrooms but through life itself.
Then, in 2026, Ghazal and I were ordained together as pastors.
Harpak and Ghazal joined fellow candidates, ministry team members, and participants for a group photo following the MEGL program and ordination ceremony in Türkiye on April 17, 2026—a joyful celebration of calling, fellowship, and ministry.
For us, ordination was not a recognition of our own ability or worthiness. We see it as another testimony of God’s grace.
The God who carried us through persecution also protected us through refugee life. The God who allowed us to serve refugee children also prepared us through theological education. The God who sustained us through illness gave us the opportunity to help establish a church and then called us to serve His people as pastors.
The Journey Continues
Today, as we serve at Grace Church Kirikkale, our hearts remain especially close to people who have experienced fear, migration, loneliness, sickness, and hopelessness.
Harpak and Ghazal with the Grace Church Kirikkale community in Türkiye, where they now serve together as pastors, walking alongside individuals and families through worship, discipleship, fellowship, and care.
We know something of that road because we have walked it ourselves.
Our desire is that our lives and our church will testify that Jesus Christ is alive—that He saves, restores, guides, and can bring new purpose even from the most broken paths.
We are deeply thankful for GMI, Grace Mission University, our professors and pastors, Pastor Fred and Kelly Shin, and everyone who has stood beside us through our education, ministry, illness, and growth. Their prayers, love, and support have shown us what it means to be part of the Body of Christ.
Our story is still being written. We are still learning, still growing, and still depending on God’s grace every day.
But when we look back—from Iran to Türkiye, from persecution to ministry, from refugee life to pastoral calling, from a small Home Church to Grace Church Kirikkale—we can say with confidence:
The God who has brought us this far will continue to lead us on the journey ahead.
May all glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ.