Pastor Saeed Abedini's wife, Naghmeh, said in a Fox interview that, "I couldn't stop my tears and I'm ready to welcome him home. I'm getting ready to fly out to Germany to see him." She added that the children are also really excited to see him and that they've made welcome home signs.
Many have referred to the final release of Pastor Saeed Abedini as an answer to prayer. Abedini was one of four prisoners that were released as a part of a prisoner swap with Iran, which was offered seven.
In a statement on his Facebook page this morning, Franklin Graham wrote: "I talked with Saeed Abedini from Germany today, and I know he appreciates everyone's prayers. He and the other hostages that were released are at a U.S. military medical center there, and there is no specific word as to when he will be able to leave. Continue to keep him and his family, as well as the other former hostages, in your prayers."
There have already been responses to the post in which Christians have promised to continue to intercede for the family even as they praise God for Abedini's release.
In a CBN interview, Naghmeh said that around 7:30 Saturday morning Mountain time that she received several phone calls: "I got calls from people in Iran saying that the Iranian government had announced that they had released four Americans."
As soon as she got off the phone, she said, " I woke up my kids at 7:30 in the morning our time and told them that, 'Daddy was coming home!'"
She said that the kids, "got out of bed and just started jumping up and down, rejoicing. It was very loud, very joyful and I could see a heavy weight lifted off their little shoulders."
Their children, Rebekka and Jacob, have been separated from their dad for nearly four years. He had been arrested when he was on a trip home to visit with family and work on an orphanage.
In a previous interview, Naghmeh said that, "As a woman, God's given me the grace to go to Him for comfort, but as a Mom it's a stab in my heart to see them struggling, My son's character has changed. He's not as talkative. My daughter, as a girl, cries a lot, 'Daddy, daddy...where are you?' They draw pictures of sad children crying, missing their daddy."
In November of 2015, Naghmeh had made public that there were some marital challenges that the couple had faced previously. While she is looking forward to his return to the family, she also said, "I love him, but there are serious issues that we need to deal with once he is home.
Naghmeh expressed gratitude to all who have been standing in prayer with her: "Outside my faith in Jesus Christ, I'm so thankful for the millions who prayed, who trusted God with me, who did not give up, who sent me messages and letters saying, 'We are not giving up, we have not forgotten him.'"