Mahdi’s life was starting to look a bit like the desert he grew up in – short of possibilities.
Mahdi tells of his childhood on the Iran/Iraq border. In particular he recalls the stifling summer heat – up to 50°C. He says there was nothing to be done except stay inside and wait for the cooler evening to come. Politics was stifling too. Mahdi’s dad had spoken against the regime, and he was on the government’s list. Mahdi’s father did not wait to be arrested. He took his family, left Iran behind, and headed, as so many in similar circumstances do, for the relative safety of Europe.
The family arrived in Belgrade, where life in Serbia was very different to that in Iran. Sure, they weren’t under immediate physical threat, but the opportunities for Mahdi’s father to make a living were extremely limited, so he took the decision that they would go to Germany to seek a new life there. But for Mahdi there was bad news. The car had no room for him, and he was left behind…
Mahdi found himself in a special home for abandoned young people, but this was being run as part of an EU funded project which was coming to an end. Mahdi’s life was feeling a bit like the desert of his old home in Southwest Iran – drying up and no relief likely. Thankfully, the director of the project knew about the House of Opportunity in Belgrade, and Mahdi was able to join the programme in 2022.
Mahdi is a polite young man, bright and energetic, with an enquiring mind. He already spoke three languages, but now he was adding Serbian and attending school. The House team helped him to find a part-time job and he got involved in the social enterprise programme run by our Serbian partner organisation, Centar Zvezda.
One of the strengths of Centar Zevzda is its connection to local churches. A group of volunteers from one church spend time with House of Opportunity residents on a regular basis. Their friendship and support impressed Mahdi greatly. He wanted to know why they were doing what they were doing. In his experience, this was not normal. For much of his life the lesson taught seemed to be that you need to keep your head down and look after yourself. Mahdi was learning to build trust in his new friends. What made them so different?
Mahdi began to attend their church. The pivotal moment came when he attended a Christian camp in the summer of 2023 with three other young people from the Belgrade House of Opportunity. Mahdi gave his life to Christ and was baptised!
Mahdi continues to work hard. He is finishing high school and has plans to begin university later this year. He wants to stay in Serbia and trusts that the Lord has plans for him there.
In the meantime, Mahdi provides his House mates with a taste of his old home by preparing sweets, meals and bread, and he shares about Iranian culture, religion and customs. But if you were to ask Mahdi if he would swap everything to go back home, he would say that he is very happy where he is right now, thank you.
