>> today on christian world news, they spent months in an iranian prison. we'll tell you how these two christian women ser vised -- survived that ordeal and spreading the message of hope. >> wendy: this home-schooled family fled germany and why does the united states deny them asylum. >> and a new book that explains the mysteries of the islamic faith and how to minister to muslims. ♪ >> wendy: inside iran's worst prison, two christian women describe their experience in evan. hello, everyone, i'm wendy griffith. >> george: and i'm george thomas. cbn news has been following the story of saeed abedini, the iranian american pastor serving an eight-year sentence for his christian faith. he is being held in the evan

prison, where he is suffering physical beatings and is denied medical care. >> wendy: mariam and her roommate spent seven months there. recently they shared their experience and rare inside look at what it is like inside that infamous prison. their story begins with a knock on their door. take us back to march 2009, when your doorbell rang. what happened? >> i looked through to the people, and i saw three guards. my mind was in shock. i just opened the door, and they entered our apartment. they ransacked everywhere, and they took both of us, with all of our belongings, like bibles, books, jesus movies, and everything that they had discovered in our apartment, and they transferred us to the security police. >> for our first day, and the first week was so difficult for both of us because we were so scared. and they threaten us to

physical torture. they told us we will beat you until you vomit blood. >> they sent both of us to a very small and dark and dirty cell in the basement. and every minute we were waiting for them to come and to take us for the physical torture. that day we were just hugged each other. we said good-bye. we were thinking it was our last day on earth. >> wendy: you both could have been released at any time if you denied your faith. why didn't you? >> we are in love with jesus, and we couldn't deny our faith. and, also, because jesus in the bible says that if you wish to follow me, you must pick up your own cross and follow me. so as a follower of jesus, it was very important for us to pass this test with victory. and also it was an honor for both of us to suffer for our faith. >> wendy: for two weeks you were in detention, both of you, and then you were moved to the notorious evan prison. what were the conditions

like? >> it is awful in evan prison. for the first 14 days, we didn't have anything to eat. and even in public, we could eat just the bread and cheese that they gave to prisoners for breakfast. and that was all we could eat. and i was poisoned once because of the food. and, you know, the medical situation was even worse. there was just this small and dirty clinic. and we couldn't visit the doctor. for nine months we were both sick. >> wendy: how did your faith help you keep your sanity where you were in prison. >> symes we couldn't pray in pharisee, our language. we couldn't find words. our mind was in shock. in those moments, we were just praying in tongues for each other. for example, when they took magsi for in interrogations, i was praying for her, and she did the same thing for me. the holy spirit really led us in our prayers, when we

were praying in tongues. >> we have many experiences with jesus. we had met him, felt his love, and had seen many miracles. and our personal relationship was very important. >> you know, we both believe that evan is really the heart and brute manifestation of tolas, and it is symbol of their strength over iran. this prison is notorious for raping and torturing many innocents. >> many of my friends told me you know about iranian prison, and iranian government. if they rape you in prison, if they torture you, what will you do? and i always know and trust god. i always told them that i'm sure that god will protect us. but if it happens, i'm sure that god has a reason for this. >> wendy: at first you all prayed to be released, but

then you're prayer changed. what happened? >> we had many great opportunities to talk with many prisoners, and there were many prostitutes, addicted people. and they most of them, they were so hopeless, sad, and disappointed. we had to pray and ask god to show us the right person to talk to them. but in that prison, we had more opportunity to talk about jesus with many women. and also about the prostitutes, it was very difficult to find prostitutes in iran because they are not in a specific place. but when we were in prison, we find out that there are many prostitutes here, even mamadams, and we had a great opportunity to talk to them and pray with them. and some of them, they cry and they confess their sins. and it was really like a church for us. and every day we would gather and pray.

and it was wonderful. >> wendy: wow, no wonder they released you. they're like, we've got to get these girls out of here, right? >> we were more free in prison to talk about jesus. >> wow, that's incredible. >> wendy: an incredible conversation with two very brave women, george. and picking up on what she just said there about being more free inside the prison than out. we got news this week that pastor saeed is out of solitary confinement. their family was allowed to meet with him, and they said he was glowing. glowing, george, because he had so much time and intimacy with god. and he could feel the prayers of so many around the world. so please keep praying for pastor saeed abedini. >> george: terrific interview. this week the u.n. called for a political transition in syria, and condemned the assad regime for its use of heavy weapons in populated areas. the u.n. backed an arab-backed resolution, calling for change in the re resolution.

107 nations supported the resolution, which is not legally binding by the way. there are two years of civil war and hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to neighbouring countries, like turkey, jordan, lebanon, and iraq. christians in those countries are reaching out to help those refugees. recently i spoke with jack for the association of baptist tistists for evangelism. jack shiflet has recently returned from the middle east where he saw the work of local churches helping refugees. he joins us via skype. can you describe the living conditions of these refugees and what their needs are? >> the living conditions are terrible. you're talking about one quarterly of the population of syria they're estimating is is outside of their own borders. and then within the country, you're talking about

5.5 million displaced people. so their lives, their homes are destroyed. they're in terrible conditions. they have need of everything. some have been on long journeys. a mother with six or seven children would actually hike for miles and miles to cross the border. to find refugee space or some hope, at least to get away from the violence. >> george: there are christian humanitarian groups and relief workers on hand. tell us about their work and the impact that they're having. >> to give you an idea of what we're running into, 80 that i 80,000 people have been killed in the last two years. that's the size of the city of youngstown, ohio. that would mean every man, woman, and child in that town killed and traumatized and fleeing out of there. that's what we're finding. the local churches -- maybe a local church of 15 to 70 people will be caring for

700. and they don't ask any questions about their religious faith or their ethnic backgrounds. and this is something that is absolutely astounding for the region. >> george: and in ordinary circumstances, these people might be considered as enemies, and yet they're reaching out to help. why? >> absolutely. they would be the enemies. most christian minorities live in fear and anger. that would be the way they look at it because their countries have been destroyed, they're a minorrity, an minorrity and lack of rights. but we've seen god work in the church. and they see the good samaritan, a fellow human being suffering, and they reache reach out to them. and they do it in the name of christ. and sometimes when they're ministering to these people, they will say, you know we're not christians, right? because they have no category for this kind of love.

and christians pause and they say, let us explain to you who this god is who cares for you. and they are absolutely amazed. they pray with them. and they say, god cares about us? he is not a god who is distant, but cares about our lives? so they're coming to the services. they're listening, week after week, to the good news, as a result of this war. >> george: and wendy, you were there recently and reported on the christian activities of syrian refugees. you can go and view those stories, from wendy and as well as chris mitchell. go to cbnnews.com. we'll be back right after this.

>> george: and welcome back to this show. in 2008, the romeike family fled germany for the united states because they wanted freedom to home-school their children. in germany, parents who home-school are hounded, persecuted, fined, and

sometimes jailed. the family has been told they cannot stay in america. dale hurd has that story. >> reporter: the appeals court upheld the obama administration's refusal of asylum to the romeike family. they fled germany in 2008, facing criminal prosecution for home-schooling. they live in tennessee. in 2010, they were granted political asylum by an immigration judge. but that decision was overturned by the board of immigration appeals last year. and tuesday the three-judge panel of the sixth circuit issued an unanimous decision against the family. they began home-schooling in germany because they didn't want their children exposed to things like witchcraft and graphic sex education that are taught in german schools. >> and also there were stories where they were encouraged to ask the devil for help instead god. and actually the devil would help. >> we found out what is in

the textbooks, it is exactly the opposite from what the bible tells us and teaches us. and we wanted to protect them. >> reporter: while the appeals court acknowledged that the u.s. constitution recognizes the rights of parents to home-school, it refused to grant that what german home-schoolers face amounts to persecution deserving of asylum. michael farus of the home-school legal association which represented the romeikes said they believe the sixth circuit is wrong and they will appeal the decision. he said the family is disappointed, but they said god is is in control. they know what they face in germany if they're deported. >> first they would fine us with increasingly high fines. and they would threaten us, to take away custody. there might be jail time, too. but the main threat, i think, is custody. because then, of course, the children are taken away from you completely. and, i mean, that's what no

family wants, right? >> reporter: dale hurd, cbn news. >> wendy: thanks, dale. in philadelphia, a jury convicted abortionist kermit gosnell of murder for killing babies born alive in his clinic. he has been sentenced to three life terms in prison, but some say more importantly his case may change the national debate over abortion in america. our john jessup has been covering the trial. >> reporter: throughout the eight-week trial, late-term abortion doctor kermit gosnell and his attorney maintained his innocence. but immediately after learning his fate, he had nothing to say. in the end, jurors found the evidence to convict gosnell on multiple counts of first-degree murder for killing three newborn infants after they had been born alive. and he was guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 41-year-old immigrant who died from a

drug overdose from a botched abortion. it took jurors 10 days to convict gosnell on those charges, and more than 200 other counts violating pennsylvania's abortion laws. >> i respect what jurors do. i don't always agree. but they should be commended for their efforts. >> reporter: gosnell operated this clinic in west philadelphia for 30 years before it was ultimately brought down for illegally prescribing painkillers. burt what investigators found was far worse. they described his clinic as a house of horrors, with blood-stained walls, unsterilized medical equipment, and feet ta fetal remains stored in the employees' refrigerator. >> it is clear that this person was not following the rules. we have a rule in society of making sure that people who don't follow the law pay the consequenses of not following the law. >> reporter: it is a case that has left a dark stain on philadelphia, one some hope to remove. >> this year alone, just in these last four months, we received 10 babies.

the most recent was just a week ago. >> reporter: elaine russo runs the hope center pregnancy center. the center is the brainchild of pastor her be lust, who moderates in the heart of the city. >> one out of two african-american pregnancy are aborted. >> reporter: lust says he decided to start the center after he noticed women in the church who, in his words, were pregnant one sunday and no longer pregnant the next. >> i kept seeing them and wondering what is going on. and realized with all of the abortion mills in our neighborhood, tha that many of them were using abortion almost as birth control. at that point i knew i had to do something. >> reporter: even now, with the clinic closed and dr. gosnell convicted, many in the pro-life movement say the fight is far from over. they worry there may be many other clinics that may be operating under the radar, just like kermit gosnell's

clinic did. john jessup, cbn news, fil philadelphia. >> george: up next, understanding islam and its followers. the new d.v.d. that is c2lping christians introduce musls to jeses christ.t.

>> george: how should christians respond to islamic terrorism? it can cause some people to fear their muslim neighbors. a new d.v.d. is instructing christians about islam and how to share their faith without fear. it is all being done with the help of former muslims. gary lane shows us more. >> reporter: most muslim immigrants come to north america for educational and economic opportunities. others come to escape oppression. on a rare occasion, some, like these brothers, harm the nation that has welcomed them. watchti is a former islam from sudan. >> suddenly when they come here, they change.

they change to be fanatic. >> reporter: the government can only do so much to protect us from islamic fanat cism. how should we respond? a few christian d.v.d. teaching series provides spiritual and educational responses. >> i think it is going to help our nations, our countries, to be well-equipped to deal with terrorism and to also deal with the people here that we need to take care of, the muslim people that god brought here for us to give them the gospel right here. >> reporter: the truth unlocked d.v.d. series provides an understanding of islamic religious beliefs. tim clemens is co-producer of "truth unlocked." >> this came about with our kids interacting with other muslim kids within their school. and i felt very ill-equipped

and ignorant with another culture that moved in. >> reporter: this talk show host appears on the "truth unlocked" d.v.d., and she is a former muslim and says westerners should understand them before they start a relationship. >> a man and a wife are welcoming a couple into their home, and the man of the house would extend the hand to shake the hand of the wife. instantly she is offended because she is veiled and she is not supposed to be shaking a man's hand. right there he broke, you know, a rule. so it takes a while for us to correct these things. >> reporter: terror attacks like th the boston marathon bombings, may cause people to shy away from pursuing a relationship with muslims. she says christians should not be afraid. >> when a christian person comes and presents to me the

god that he loves and worships, that is an eye-opener, and a heart opener to many of us. we see when muslims are offered the freedom to se christ, they do, by the millions. >> reporter: and christians don't have to read the quran before witnessing to muslims. >> i think it is a lot more important for them to understand what the gospels say, how to relate the gospels to them, to the muslims. >> reporter: she says christians should tell the truth. >> ask him about what is that god -- who is that god you're worshipping. and tell them the truth, we don't worship the same god, and let me tell you why. >> reporter: a followup d.v.d. called "far from home, a different west," will be available in the near future. >> the big difference is one is designed for joe average in the north american pew. the other is designed specifically to give to a muslim. it is going to be a tool that can be used to reach

muslims around the globe. >> reporter: most evangelism tools are made by christians. this one is done by former muslims who now follow jesus. >> it is explained in the christian mindset, and now you have kind of a convert, a believer in christ, from the same background, who understands exactly what they're going through because we went through it. >> reporter: one that addresses muslim misconceptions and christians about christianity. >> as a muslim, i also wondered how can god come down and come as a man to earth? >> i think the question is, why would god want to do that? >> the problem was resolved when i knew that god is not stooping down to the level of man. god levels man. >> exactly. >> it is my neighbor, it is my co-worker, it is my child's school mate -- they are individuals who need

christ as much as anybody else, as much as i needed christ. >> reporter: a revelation replacing acts like this with more of this. ♪ >> reporter: gary lane, cbn news. >> george: okay, we'll be back right after this. we've got

>> george: folks, there is a man who works behind the scenes and has been doing this for 10 years, his name is steve little. he has been here 10 years, and we would like to honor him. take a look at this video. >> he is ove right over there. >> you're one of the kindest and smartest people i have ever known. >> i'm honored to be working with you. >> graduations on 10 years with cbn. >> here is to 10 more. >> i am so happy to work with steve. >> you have a heart for telling good stories, stories of what god is doing around the world. >> god bless you and hope you have another great 10 years. >> george: we have steve little on set today.

thank you so much for all you do. we appreciate you so much for what you guys do every week. you're awesome. thank you so much for making the name of jesus christ famous around the world. you get a chance to say good-bye. read the script. [laughter] >> thanks for joining us this week. until next wee good-bye and god bless you. [applause] [cheers]

>> jeremiah: hello, i'm david jeremiah. as a teacher of the scripture for more than 40 years, i have found that the bible speaks to every situation we face in life, and throughout my ministry, i have discovered a profound truth: that when the word of god intersects with our lives, there will be a turning point. discover how the power of god's word can transform your life you join me on turning point. >> larson: watch turning point with dr. david jeremiah right here on this network.