Nepal: Urgent prayer needed for teenager Sonu

Trigger warning – Sonu’s story isn’t an easy read. You can jump to the prayer points if you don’t feel up to knowing the details (we haven’t been explicit)…

Sonu’s* story is heartbreaking – we’ve just heard about her from our partners in Asia in the last week. She’s a teenage girl from a poor Christian family and lives in the Western part of Nepal. She and her sister are only Christian believers in her family. She explains how she became a Christian.

“We belong to an orthodox Hindu family that hates Christianity. In our village there were rumors that anybody who touches a Bible or reads it will die – hence I never dared to touch the Bible or accept Christ despite hearing the gospel many times from others. However, the thirst to know about the Bible dragged me to the church, and ultimately I accepted Christ as my Saviour.”

Because of her choice to follow Jesus, Sonu has faced regular physical and mental abuse from her stepfather. She’s had to run away many times and spending chilly and hungry nights in the safety of a nearby forest. As the abuse became more common, she realised she had to leave the house for good, and she’s currently sheltering in a local church. But things are difficult – especially when she’s trying to continue her studies. Despite the difficulties she faces, Sonu says, “Everything is in God’s hand and I feel secure in Him. He is faithful to His promises. I will never turn back from my faith.”

Open Doors partners have met with Sonu to encourage and support her.

*Name changed for security reasons