People have a lot of ideas about individuals from Iran. But after attending a recent Persian Training Conference, Adam Navis, Words of Hope’s Persian Ministry Coordinator, can say that one thing is true without a doubt: Persians love to sing!
“Every day when we would get together we began by singing a few songs,” Adam says. “There are some Persian worship songs, but not as many as in English, so we would sometimes sing a tune I recognized or even a song with English lyrics. Two favorites were ‘Father Abraham’ and ‘This is the Day.’ I’ll admit that these are songs I associate with kids and campfires, but you should have seen the enthusiasm with which these people sang. If you’re ever lucky enough to travel with Words of Hope to one of these conferences, know that you’re going to be inspired. But know too that the penalty for being late to a session of Bible study is having to sing a song by yourself in front of everyone!”
Our Persian Project Leader Saman explains: “I might let them sing as a group of two or three, but they had to sing if they were late. Persian people love to talk and be together. They will talk all through breaks if I don’t make them come back.”
But after a pause and a smile he adds, “But this is true with people from North America too. They get caught up talking and don’t want to return. But I make them. Or they sing!”
