By Rae Burnett
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Africa Director Rae Burnett with children of persecuted believers. |
I just returned from five months in Africa. I spent one month visiting underground indigenous missionaries in three nations closed to the gospel. In one place, I met with 11 women who have been beaten and thrust out of their homes because they are believers.
They live with their children in a small house provided by missionaries supported for many years by Christian Aid. There they are protected from persecution and spend time working the garden that provides their food, and studying the Bible, usually through tapes, because most are illiterate. I am honored at the trust they showed me and privileged to know these suffering servants ready to give up everything for the Lord.
Acts 5:40... and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. (41) And they departed... rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. (42)... they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
Marya is 33 and has two children. She is one of the prominent leaders among the women. This is her story.
In 2007 Marya’s husband, Amed, found her Bible and a teaching cassette on the cross of Jesus. He listened to the cassette with her and told Marya that he also was not a Muslim any more. She began happily and enthusiastically to share the good news with him.
Africa Director Rae Burnett recently met in North Africa with indigenous underground missionaries who started a discipleship center with funds from Christian Aid.
Amed eventually told her that he was not a Christian, but a true Muslim, and that he pretended to be a Christian in order to know exactly what she was doing. Immediately he locked her in a room and left her there for one week without food or water. Her mother-in-law also intensely abused her every day with physical beatings.
After that they took her to a marabou (Islamic witchdoctor). He said that she had become crazy, and only he can help her become normal again. She refused to cooperate and answered, "It is you who are not sane."
They decided to take her to the head imam of the mosque, who told the husband to put her in prison with instructions to torture her at every prayer time (five times/day).
When a missionary leader helped by Christian Aid Mission heard of her dilemma, a group of believers started praying for Marya and sending encouraging messages to her in prison.
The husband finally decided to release her so that he could take her to another imam of the mosque for help. This imam told them that there was only one way he could help. Marya had to divorce her husband and marry the imam, then divorce him, and remarry her first husband. He said that she was very sick, and this was the only way to help her.
The husband said that if this was the only way she can be healed of being crazy, then he would agree to do it. When Marya found out what they wanted to do with her, she began praying with a lady from the group of Christian believers that God would provide a way for her to escape.
One morning when the imam went for prayers at the mosque, Marya and her children fled to the bus station where the Christian sister was waiting for her. They escaped to the center the missionaries prepared for them where they are protected and discipled along with other women and children with similar stories.
The husband is looking for them and has no idea that she and the children have received help from other believers.
The women from the home asked me to thank Christian Aid donors for their generous and loving help without which there would be no place of protection.
Monthly support is needed, and several of the women would like vocational training so they can support their families and help others who are suffering persecution. Most would also like to have literacy classes so they can read the Bible.
