Little Boy Who Begged Obama to Bring His Dad Home From Iranian Captivity Before His Birthday Sends His Father a Party Invite and Gets a Touching Letter in Return

With the clock ticking and time almost sure to run out, it appears that a little boy's wishful plea to see President Barack Obama bring his father home from Iranian captivity before the child's seventh birthday on March 17 might not be granted.

Jacob Abedini, the six-year-old son of Pastor Saeed Abedini — a 34-year-old American citizen who has been detained in Iran for more than two years due to his Christian faith — asked Obama during a closed-door meeting in January, along with his sister, Rebecca, and mother, Naghmeh, if the president would be able to rescue his father in time to celebrate his birthday.

Naghmeh Abedini previously told TheBlaze that the moment, which took Obama by surprise, was intensely "emotional."

The invitation that Jacob Abedini sent to his father (American Center for Law and Justice)

“President Obama said, ‘When is your birthday?’” she recounted. “And then there was a look of shock [when Jacob responded] and he kind of stepped back and he said, ‘I don’t know if I can do it that quick’ and he said, ‘I will try.’”

Abedini added, “I could see in his eyes that he’s a dad and for him to see that that’s what Jacob wants — it was a really emotional moment.”

Fast forward seven weeks and Jacob, who turns seven in just a few days, is still hoping for a miracle, even sending a party invitation to his father's prison cell. That invitation was recently hand delivered by a family member who visited Saeed Abedini in prison.

His father, who has suffered abuse and threats on his life while being held at Iran’s Rajai Shahr Prison, wrote a response to Jacob after receiving his birthday invitation, telling the child — who he called his "hero" — that he is heartbroken that he cannot be home for his birthday.

"I long to be there for your birthday and to make this reunion happen, but my chains are keeping me from you," Saeed Abedini wrote, according to a copy of the note published by the American Center for Law and Justice.

Read the letter in its entirety below:

To my dear beloved son Jacob,

I saw your beautiful birthday invitation that you had made me and I know how much you want me to be there on your birthday. Daddy loves you so much.  I long to be there for your birthday and to make this reunion happen, but my chains are keeping me from you.

I want you to know that although I might NOT BE THERE and you might feel my absence, there is One who always IS. One who is always there with you and who can meet all of your needs under any condition. I might not be there on your birthday and that breaks my heart as your father. But I know the One who is there on your birthday who is there for you and cares for you more than anyone could imagine. HE IS THERE with you and His name is I AM WHO I AM.

I AM WHO I AM. It means that God is there with you in every situation that you are going through. This is the name that God introduced Himself when meeting with Moses in the burning bush when God’s people were crying out to Him and were feeling His absence. Today there are many people around the world who are experiencing the same things that the people of God were experiencing and that you are experiencing. They are crying out to God and might not be feeling His Presence. They are wondering where is God in all of this. But I want you to remember that despite what you feel, He is always there with you.

Even though I AM NOT there with you, I AM is there with you. God came in human flesh in Jesus Christ all the way from heaven to the earth to give us the gift of salvation by being crucified on the cross for the punishment of our sin. So on this special day, I want you to accept this gift of salvation. Invite Jesus into your heart as you have invited me to your birthday.

So happy birthday to my big boy and my hero, Jacob Cyrus Abedini. Thank you for standing strong with me in this battle for the Glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Your proud Dad,

Saeed

As TheBlaze reported earlier this week, problems continue for Saeed Abedini in prison, where he recently was made aware of the brutal beating and execution of six of his fellow prisoners — an experience that left him "shaken."

Obama told Abedini during the aforementioned closed-door, 10-minute meeting back in January that securing her husband’s release is “a top priority” and that he will do everything possible to bring Saeed home.

Since that meeting, Abedini and the American Center for Law and Justice have met with David Sapertsein, U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, to express their concerns and urge the administration to continue pushing for her husband’s release.

Naghmeh Abedini has been fighting for the release of her husband from the Iranian prison system (Image via Twitter/@NeghmehAbedini)

Saeed Abedini has reportedly been injured due to intense beatings and has fallen prey to threats from Islamic State militants while incarcerated.

He was first arrested in 2012 on charges stemming from meetings he had with other Christians inside private homes — an act that is not illegal in Iran. As the DeMoss group noted, he was later “convicted of undermining the national security of Iran for working with Christian house churches between 2000-2005.”