Standing in the Gap: A Heartbreaking Legal Delay for Brother Mehrdad

Waiting on a breakthrough is exhausting, especially when a person’s literal freedom is hanging in the balance. As many of you know, we have been standing in prayer for nearly a year with Iranian Christians International for our brother Mehrdad. Back in March, we praised God when the Immigration Court officially granted him a Withholding of Removal, ensuring he cannot legally be deported back to severe persecution in Iran. However, because his asylum was denied, he has remained locked behind bars in an ICE detention centre while his legal team fights for his supervised release.

This week, the ministry shared a deeply disappointing update regarding a federal court petition that was meant to secure his release. While this legal hurdle feels like a painful setback, it is not the end of the road. We know our Creator is sovereign over bureaucratic timelines.

Below is the urgent letter and update sent out by Iranian Christians International. Please read it to understand the exact legal technicalities we are facing:

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Dear Beloved of the Lord,

We want to give you a brief update on Brother Mehrdad’s situation.

After the Immigration Court granted withholding of removal, meaning Mehrdad cannot be sent back to Iran, Mehrdad’s lawyer filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court asking for his release from detention.

This week, the federal court denied the petition without prejudice. While this is disappointing, it does not mean the case is over, and it does not mean the court rejected the danger Mehrdad faces in Iran. The issue was timing.

The judge ruled that, for purposes of this federal petition, the clock begins from the date Mehrdad’s removal order became final, which was April 25, 2026, rather than from the date he was first detained by ICE in June 2025. Because of that, the court considered the habeas petition premature at this stage.

In simple terms, the court is allowing ICE more time to try to carry out the removal process, including looking for a possible third country. However, Mehrdad still cannot be deported to Iran because the Immigration Court already granted withholding of removal to Iran.

Mehrdad’s lawyer believes he will be able to refile the habeas petition after the required period has passed. So, while this is not the answer we hoped for right now, it is not the end of the road.

Brother Mehrdad has now been in detention for a whole year. This has been a long and painful road for him and for all of us who love him. Yet we remain hopeful, and we are continuing to pray and advocate for him so he can return to his life.

Please continue to pray with us:

• Pray for strength and peace for Mehrdad as he continues to endure detention
• Pray for wisdom for his lawyer as he prepares for the next legal steps
• Pray that no third country would become an option for Mehrdad’s removal

Thank you for standing with Brother Mehrdad through this long journey. Your prayers, visits, encouragement, and giving have meant more than words can express.

What then shall we say of these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Rom 8:31

With much love,
Iranian Christians International

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The Wisdom of Yosef: Purpose in the Prison

As I processed this news, my thoughts immediately flew to Yosef (Joseph) and his years of false, forgotten imprisonment. From a human perspective, Yosef was trapped in a dark dungeon by an unfair system. But the scripture that stands out so vividly right now is Bereshit (Genesis) 50:20: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

What the enemy has meant for evil, Hashem will use for good.

This unexpected delay means Mehrdad has been given a divine assignment inside those walls. Let us pray in deep gratitude for the miracles that will be brought into the lives of the people he is meeting in prison. Our Father has positioned him there to be a light. We can pray with expectancy that Our Creator will miraculously supply not only for Mehrdad's daily needs but also for the needs of the doubters and skeptics around him, so that hearts will be turned completely back to the One who saves.

Let us anchor our hearts in that truth tonight. The enemy wants us to feel defeated by legal delays, but our prayers have power to pierce through detention walls. Please keep lifting Mehrdad up in your daily quiet times, and please share this post to keep our community covering him in prayer.

If you missed the previous update detailing his court case and how the Withholding of Removal was originally granted, you can read that history in my About the Author

Sister Su is a survivor through her Saviour and has been blessed to see many miracles in her life. Currently digging her way out from under a mountain of debt while battling chronic illness, she dreams of one day earning her doctorate in practical theology.

For more information, visit her Linktree- Sister_Su.

Urgent Prayer for Canada’s Orcas & Salmon: Stop the Tilbury BC LNG Expansion

How can we look at a river teeming with life and allow it to be sacrificed for industrial profit?

"Tehillim (Psa) 24:1-2 CJB

[1] By David. A psalm: The earth is Adonai’s, with all that is in it, the world and those who live there; [2] for he set its foundations on the seas and established it on the rivers.

https://bible.com/bible/1275/psa.24.1-2.CJB" — Tehillim 24:1-2 CJB

There is an urgent need to stand in the gap for the fragile Fraser River ecosystem in Delta, British Columbia. Energy developers are aggressively pushing for a major Tilbury LNG expansion project that threatens critical salmon habitats, neighbouring communities, and the feeding grounds of endangered orca pods.

Will we silently watch the destruction of God’s creation? Join us in urgent prayer to protect Canada’s orcas and the fragile Fraser River ecosystem from the Tilbury LNG expansion.

As believers who love the Lord’s creation, we cannot stay silent. The Tilbury LNG environmental assessment is approaching its final government decision phase. This means right now is a critical, window-of-opportunity moment for the power of prayer to move mountains.

Please take a moment to read these urgent prayer points, share this post to spread awareness, and lift this situation up to the Throne of Grace:

🙏 Critical Prayer Points:

Meek? Lost in Translation: The Truth About Being "Meek"

Yeshua Was Far From Meek!

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how often the "truth" we cling to is really just a shadow—a flicker of a message that got lost in translation. In our walk as Messianic believers here in the North, we often talk about HaDerech—The Way. But what happens when the very words we use to describe that walk have been hollowed out by the world?

Today, I want to talk about a word that has been used to keep many of us small, silent, and frankly, a bit spiritless: "Meek."

The "Meek" Warhorse

To understand what Yeshua meant in Matthew 5:5, we have to look back to the original Greek: Praus (πραΰς). In the ancient world, this wasn't a word for a coward; it was a military term for a warhorse!.

Imagine a massive stallion with the power to crush a man and the speed to gallop into the heat of battle. Now, imagine that horse under the total control of its rider. It doesn't move until it feels the slightest nudge of the Master’s knee. It hasn't lost its power; its power is simply harnessed and redirected. Why on earth would praus have been translated as meek? I can only imagine, but it certainly seems like a very interesting power play to me. If you want to control a lot of people you feed them a lie.

The "Meekest" Man and the Weight of Anav

We see this lived out in the life of Moses. Numbers 12:3 tells us he was the "meekest" man on earth. The Hebrew word here is Anav (עָנָו), which carries a dual meaning:

• To be bowed down by choice: A heart that is intentionally humble and reliant on the Creator.
• To be pressed down by circumstance: A soul "afflicted" or weighted by a heavy calling.

Moses wasn't "soft." This is the man who stood toe-to-toe with Pharaoh, the most powerful empire-builder on the planet! His "meekness" wasn't a lack of backbone; it was his ability to be "pressed" by the weight of leading a nation while remaining entirely submitted to the Creator.

The Wisdom of the Wolf: A View from the Land

This reminds me so much of the First Nations teaching on Humility, symbolized by the Wolf (Mahingan).

A wolf is a creature of immense power. It knows it has a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth that could rip an adversary to shreds. Yet, when a wolf approaches its pack or a leader, it often bows its head. It isn't because the wolf is "weak." It is a conscious choice to tuck away its power for the sake of the community. It is the wolf saying, "I have the strength to destroy, but I choose the grace to connect."

Final Thoughts

Don’t let the world tell you that your gentleness is a lack of spine. When you choose to forgive instead of retaliate, you aren't being weak. You are being "meeked." You are a warhorse for the Kingdom—powerful, battle-ready, and entirely submitted to the King.

What part of your strength is the Lord asking you to "meek" today?

B’shem Yeshua HaMashiach,

~ Su

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About the Author

Su is a teacher and a Messianic Métis woman who is passionate about reconnecting with the Creator's original calendar and Holy Days . Through her blog, Turtle Dove Thoughts, she shares her journey of faith, her love for the land, and the lessons she learns while navigating life with chronic illness . She believes that even in stillness, there is a powerful work of renewal taking place

Pray for Seki Diamond Leaders During Tammuz!

Important Spiritual Warfare Needed

Why Pray for Seki Diamond Executives During Tammuz?

If you have been following the massive, breakneck expansion of Artificial Intelligence, you know that our world is running straight into a wall—a literal thermal wall. The sheer amount of physical heat generated by high-power AI infrastructure is draining our energy grids and threatening local ecosystems.

But there is a quiet, brilliant gatekeeper in this space: Seki Diamond Systems (and their parent group, Cornes Technologies).

Seki manufactures the definitive, ultra-specialized Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) equipment capable of growing the synthetic diamond composites needed to cool next-generation AI hardware. Because they hold the literal key to solving the industry's thermodynamic crisis, they have entered an incredibly high-stakes corporate crosshair.

The Battlefront: The Executive Suite & Legal Teams

Dignity in the Dust: A Call to Messianic Mercy

Prayer Request:

As we walk through our cities and neighbourhoods, it is impossible to ignore the growing number of our brothers and sisters living in tents and temporary encampments. Often, these spaces are viewed with fear or judgment, but as followers of the Messiah, we are called to look deeper—to see the inherent dignity of every person created in the image of our Creator.

On a personal note, I want to say thank you to everyone who prayed protection over me when I was living on the streets. Your intercession was a lifeline, and it is in that same spirit of community that I invite you to pray for others still in that position.

I am asking you to join in a season of prayer for those experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Let us move beyond "words or speech" and enter into "actions and in truth" through our intercession.

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Scriptural Foundations for Our Prayer

• The Divine Duty of Dignity: "Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honours the Creator" (Proverbs 14:31).
• The Command to Champion: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:8-9).
• The Messiah’s Mandate of Mercy: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).

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Points for Prayer

1. For Dignity and Respect: Pray that those living in encampments are treated with the respect they deserve as human beings, and that societal stigmas are replaced by empathy.
2. For Compassion from Leaders: Pray for city officials and leaders to seek human rights-based solutions that prioritize the safety and well-being of the vulnerable over mere displacement.
3. For the Response of the Faithful: Pray that we do not "hide ourselves from our own flesh" (Isaiah 58:7), but instead open our hearts and hands to support our neighbours in tangible ways.

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A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Creator, 

We come to you in the name of Your Son - Yeshua HaMashiach. 

You are the refuge for the poor and a strength to the needy in distress. We lift up those living in tents and on the streets tonight. Soften hearts to see them not as a "problem to be solved," but as neighbours to be loved. Grant us the courage to advocate for their dignity and the humility to serve in the way of the Messiah. Amen.

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About the Author

Sister Su is a Messianic Metis teacher who taught for many years in the public school system. During the pandemic, she suddenly found herself homeless due to illness. Her homelessness experience while battling Lupus complications was a real eye-opener for her. For more information, see her Linktree.