Letters for persecuted, orphaned teen

Hernan and one of his sisters
(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

Colombia (MNN) ― A teenage boy, Hernan, and his siblings face an unknown future because their parents wouldn’t back down from sharing Christ.

Two years ago, Hernan’s father was ministering God’s love to the people of Colombia, and many came to know Christ.

When Colombian rebels tried to recruit new believers to their cause, they were turned down. The rebel group saw Hernan’s father and his ministry as a threat, so they killed him.

After Hernan’s father died, his mother carried on the ministry. The rebels were still angered and killed her on January 7 this year.

Hernan at the time was not a Christian and wanted to take revenge on the rebels who killed his parents. But Open Doors USA worked with Hernan in their program for the persecuted church. Hernan’s heart was changed, he accepted Christ as his Savior and was baptized.

Currently, Hernan is in charge of his two younger sisters: Rosmy, 9, and Jaqueline, 7. They temporarily live with their older brother and an aunt and uncle.

One month after their mother’s death, the kids were visited by Open Doors staff. The staff told Hernan, “We’ve come to learn what your needs are and to tell you that Christians all over the world know your names and are praying for you.”

“I give thanks from the bottom of my heart to know this,” Hernán said. “My little sisters are going through a particularly difficult time.”

Open Doors wants to uplift Hernan and his siblings especially as they try to figure out future unknowns. You can write a letter of encouragement to Hernan through Open Doors. Click here to learn more.

Please pray for Hernan and his family. Pray for their faith to grow in Christ and for their witness.

Parents, Islamic Extremists Beat Young Woman in India

Christian in West Bengal cast out of home for her faith.

NEW DELHI, March 20 (CDN) — A young woman was thrown out of her home this month for daring to give thanks for healing in Christ’s name in a predominantly Muslim village in India’s West Bengal state, and then her parents helped Islamic extremists to beat her nearly unconscious.


The attack on Rekha Khatoon, 22, took place on March 9 in Nutangram, Murshidabad.


“I boldly told those who beat me up that I may leave my parents, but that I will not leave Jesus,” Khatoon said. “Jesus has healed me, and I cannot forget Him.”


In a village where hard-line Muslims have threatened to kill the 25 families who initially showed interest in Christ, leaving only five frightened Christian families, Khatoon was returning from worship with Believers Church at Al Hamdulillah Hall when her parents and Muslim extremists attacked her, she said. They called her a pagan, among other verbal abuse.


The mob also harassed the Christian woman who encouraged Khatoon to trust Christ as Lord, Aimazan Bibi, said Bashir Pal, pastor and founder of the village Believers Church.


“On the same night, Rekha Khatoon’s father, Nistar Shaike, and about 20 Muslim radicals surrounded Aimazan’s house, shouted anti-Christian slogans, threatened to harm her and her family and falsely accused her of ‘luring’ Rekha to convert to Christianity,” Pastor Pal told Compass.


After finding herself alone on a road after the beating, Khatoon had taken refuge in Aimazan Bibi’s home.


Khatoon had met Amaizan Bibi last year and told her about a reproductive ailment that caused her to bleed heavily, and the older woman had shared both the gospel of Christ and His healing power with her, Pastor Pal said.


“After Rekha Khatoon came to know about her ailment, she met one of our church members, Aimazan Bibi, and she shared her physical problem with her and told her that her illness was getting worse as she was not able to purchase medicines anymore,” he said.


Aimazan Bibi also invited Khatoon to attend church. On Dec. 23, Khatoon came to the worship center, where Christian women laid hands on her, he said. The pastor and congregation prayed for God’s healing touch in Jesus’ name.


“She received healing from Christ, and thereafter she attended the worship services whenever she could,” Pastor Pal said. “On Jan. 17, Khatoon attended one house church meeting in her village and once again testified that Jesus has healed her, and that she had not taken any medicine since Dec. 23.”


He said the Muslim extremists warned Khatoon not to have contact with Christians. West Bengal is 25.2 percent Muslim, with Hindus in the predominantly Hindu country making up 72.5 percent of the population in the state, according to Operation World. The state, which borders Muslim-majority Bangladesh, is only 0.6 percent Christian.


Upon learning that she was attending Christian worship meetings, her parents had strictly warned her not to have any relationships with Christians and not to attend their fellowship, Aimazan Bibi said.


“However, she told them that she cannot forget Jesus and His love for her,” she said.


Pastor Pal’s wife, nurse Anasea Pal, added that at another house church meeting, Khatoon brought her sister and talked about the healing she had received from Christ.


Khatoon has since relocated to another area, where she lives largely confined for her own protection.


Khatoon and her mother had attended worship services at the church previously; they began there in 2009 until area Muslims, furious to hear that several women were attending worship services, warned them to cease all contact with Christians or else they would face harm. The local mosque then offered Khatoon’s mother a job carrying food for the local Islamic leader to ensure she stopped all contact with Christians.


She also stopped Khatoon from attending Christian meetings.


Tensions prevail in the area, with enraged Muslim radicals threatening to hurt the five Christian families on the slightest pretext. In addition to harassing Aimazan Bibi, Islamic extremists have ruined her son Sirajul Shaike’s business, throwing away all his vegetables and chasing him out of the village market.


“It is very difficult for them now, since selling vegetables was the main source of income for the family,” Pastor Pal said.


Christians in the village have endured all manner of physical torture and social boycotts at the hand of Muslim extremists, Pastor Pal said. He added that the extremists are not allowing Christians to enter the village.



END