This week, Sydneyanglicans.net speaks with John Fry, a member of St John's, Beecroft, about his ministry to the Iranian community for the past seven years. Mr Fry has visited Iranian detainees in Villawood Detention Centre and is helping new migrants settle into life in Australia through Neighbours and Friends, an organisation he co-founded with Amir Mesrinejad.

How did you come into contact with the Iranian community?

Almost the very first Iranian person I met was Amir (Mesrinejad) " we struck up an instant friendship. My first visit to Amir was with Stewart Binns. Amir was in Stage One at Villawood, which is the bad section, but even though he had been invited to move up to Stage Two, he stayed in that hellhole to provide ministry support to the Iranians there. He and I did a lot of work together while he was in Villawood.

Many of the Iranians I met in Villawood were boatpeople. I instantly took to these people. I had only been visiting Villawood for three weeks in 2001 when Christmas came " I was showered with Christmas cards and greetings. For me to have this sort of welcome, that Christmas was a very special time in terms of the spirit of Christmas being showered on me in abundance, particularly by the Iranian detainees. I quickly became firm friends with many of them " I would go out to visit them each week and we would write letters for them and so on" Most of them were quite resilient, but like all of them there was concern about their visa situation.

In October 2002, I accompanied the pastor of Roxbury Downs on my one and only visit to Woomera Detention Centre. There I met a number of Iranian people. All of them I immediately warmed to, and some of them had friends in Villawood. I visited a family who had been in Woomera for 18 months. He was very depressed, she was suicidal and their son had started to cut himself. I spoke to the lady and her husband shuffled out of the bedroom in his pyjamas, he had a long beard. I extended my hand in friendship and he held his hand out with his head down. I cried and apologised for the people of Australia because of what we were doing at Woomera. That had a tremendous impact on me " I had already decided that mandatory detention, especially long term, was totally in vain and evil, but this experience affirmed my resolve.

What characteristics have you seen in the Iranian community as you have come to know many of them?

In June last year when I went to St Paul's Carlingford six or seven of the Iranians were going along there and I was warmed immediately by the fellowship of these people, their friendship and their lovely singing. Many arrive as Muslims, but when I ask them why they come, they say "We love the friendship of this place " we have nothing like this in Iran, and we love to learn about Jesus."

They are just really lovely people who happen to have a lousy government. They are sensitive but also very warm and friendly and they're very interested in each other's welfare. They tend to live as a community, but with the notable exception of some who prefer to become immersed in the wider local community.

Most of them are very conscious of their personal presentation, and they like nice food. When you visit their homes, they are very well presented and everything is tasteful. They tend to be very attractive, quite vibrant and very intelligent too and quickly pick up on the English language.

I have been welcomed into their homes and shown extraordinary hospitality and they have become to me a very important part of my life and I love them all very dearly without exception.

What challenges have you seen Iranian people face as they hear the gospel?

They eagerly devour the Scriptures but some things are not easy for them to understand" One of the challenges is for them to understand the operation of the Holy Spirit, letting go and letting God, as they have come out of a strict regime which is unforgiving and graceless. Another challenge for them is learning to trust and that material things are not the most important things in life, relying on the Lord and not getting too stressed over their visas because the Lord Jesus has their best interests at heart. These are some of the challenges but I have to say that they are quickly coming to grips with these things and these are issues which they are dealing with day by day and week by week.

They come from an oppressive culture where life is lived by rules and they get accustomed to it " they get freedom out here, but freedom is something they have to learn to handle.

What other aspects of life are difficult for them?

They are very family-oriented people and it must grieve them to be parted from loved ones back home, especially as they've converted to Christianity and have in many cases alienated themselves from loved ones who are still Muslims. I can't begin to imagine how difficult that must be for them, never to see their loved ones again because of the fear of going back. But despite some of their painful experiences, I rarely see any of that having a negative impact on any of them as people. They are not bitter.

The obvious reason is that as they devour the Scriptures, they have the Lord speaking to them in their hearts and preaching such things as forgiveness, love, acceptance and hope, and these are vital for them as people " they soak it up.

They find an extraordinary release in Christianity and being in Australia and embracing their faith compared to the strictures of life in Iran.

In what ways have you found Iranian people to be most receptive to in the gospel?

At the heart of it all is the person of Jesus as God, who also became a man who loved us so much that what happened happened. And that the love the Father has for the son is no less than the love that he has for us as Jesus' people. This is an amazing comparison to Allah who operates on whims and there is a lack of certainty about salvation.

I think their acceptance by Australian Christians and also the faithfulness of Christians who continue to meet with them in the long haul and who accept them for who they are and as demonstrated in many and varied practical ways.