CENTRAL ASIA: MUM AND CHILDREN FORCED TO LEAVE BECAUSE OF THEIR CHRISTIAN FAITH
Open Doors Youth, PO Box 6, Witney, Oxon, UK, OX29 6WG
We serve Christians around the world whose brave faith in Jesus means they are, beaten, threatened, imprisoned, tortured, falsely accused, disowned and hated.
Please pray for Aisha* and her four children, who have been forced to leave their home and community after their christian faith was discovered.
Aisha is from Central Asia. She lived in a rural community in a country with a large Muslim population. Despite growing up as a Muslim, around 10 years ago, she and her husband, Halil, became Christians after visiting a church. As their faith grew, they got more involved in church life and even hosted meetings at their house.
Sadly, around two weeks ago, pressure and threats from other villages about their faith started to become more intense. Around 500 people gathered to try and force Aisha, Halil, their children and their extended family to leave the village.
Image: A boy at a youth camp in Central Asia
Faced with such pressure, Halil decided to deny his faith, and along with extended family members, declared himself a Muslim. But Aisha and her children, boldly refused to go back to Islam, committing to stay as a Christian, despite the consequences. It was a massively courageous call from Aisha to go against her husband – but she didn’t stop there, sharing about Jesus to those who wanted her to leave.
With no other option, Aisha and her children, aged 7, 9, 13 and 15) left the village. All her children share her Christian faith.
Aisha and her children went to a local city where Christians and churches can live with more freedom. She was helped by a big church, whose members have supported the family in finding a safe place to stay, with clothes and things for the children, and with getting the kids into new schools.
The family are safe, but the whole situation is really sad, with their lives being ripped up in the space of a few weeks. It must be especially hard for the children, having been rejected by wider family and community and having to adjust to new schools, a new place and the insecurity that comes with being known as a Christian. Please pray for the family using the points below…
*Names changed due to security reasons. All images are illustrative.
PRAY NOW...
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That Aisha would know God's peace, provision and that she would be able to support her children.
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That Halil, Aisha's husband, would support his wife and children and he would be inspired by Aisha's brave faith to choose to follow Jesus.
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That the children would know God's love, acceptance and care. Pray they would settle well into new schools and life, and that they would make good friends too.
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That the wider family would have been amazed and intrigued by Aisha's dedication to Christianity and begin to find out more about Jesus themselves.
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