The Children of the Persecuted Church
Sarah finds courage in Immanuel
Sarah is an incredible example of the power of mentorship. But more than that, her story reminds me why it’s so important for believers to come together to encourage each other. And help each other grow in their faith.
As Sarah will say, it was only her faith in Christ that kept her hope alive as her city, Aleppo, came under attack. And while her story is difficult, I believe you’ll be moved by her faith and courage. Maybe even challenged…
Sarah's story: In her own words
I wanted to live a normal life like all youth around the world. I wanted to participate in all kinds of activities, wanted to travel, to have the best education. Then the war turned everything upside down for me.
There was so much fear and destruction. Daily shootings. So many bombs. And the fighting never stopped. My family faced a lot of danger, because so many different groups were attacking. For five years, we lived knowing we could die at any moment. I was afraid.
But things eventually got better for me because of my faith.
I had almost lost all hope
I had almost lost all hope, but then I started going to the church when they had meetings. I found people I could talk to about the situation we were facing…and about our future as Christians.
We prayed together. We encouraged each other.
More than that, we started praying for Syria. In that moment, we suddenly knew we are all together. That gave us hope to face this war. We as youth need to get stronger. And make our hope in God grow bigger and bigger. We pray to God to give us hope and to keep us going with that hope.
Don't pray for us, pray with us
Aleppo is my city. I was born there; I love Aleppo. I can’t imagine ever leaving. I have to stay here. Because I want to be a part of rebuilding this beautiful city.
Don’t pray for us, pray with us. That gives us strength.
Pray for peace in our country. Pray in faith and with hope that things will get better. I thank the Lord for those who pray with us. That gives us hope and helps us to keep going.
God is with us…
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Meeral is willing to risk everything for Jesus
The religious climate in Pakistan has changed in recent years.
For a long time, Christians lived in relative safety, with relative freedom to express and live out their faith. But over time, and with the rise of Islamic leadership, tolerance for Christianity—and Christians—has slowly waned, placing believers in Pakistan at risk of persecution.
But for 6-year-old Meeral, she’s willing to risk everything…
"A boy hit me because I am a Christian"
When it comes to Jesus, Meeral is fearless in her unshakable faith in her heavenly Father’s protection. And at even such a young age, she claims she would give her life for her Jesus if she had to. “After all, He did the same for me!” she says.
Recently, Meeral came home from school with a couple of bruises and cuts. She tried to hide them, but had to tell her parents about a scuffle at school.
Meeral had been thrown to the ground and kicked over and over again, while her classmates hurled nasty comments at her for being a Christian. Thankfully, Meeral’s brother intervened and was able to get Meeral away from the mob of students.
But even after a month, Meeral is still limping. An injury to her leg from the scuffle still hasn’t healed. She says, “It’s okay. A boy hit me because I am a Christian. He does not like Christians, but Papa reminded me that Jesus was also hit and wounded, and even killed. So it’s okay. Mama says to look at it as a reminder of Good Friday at Christmastime.”
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7 young girls pray for a miracle
“Allahu akbar!”
The rebel soldiers shouted as they entered the schoolyard in a small town tucked away in a dark corner in the Middle East. Many of the students were shocked by the sudden attack. They believed this area was safe, but they found themselves running for their lives.
Chaos followed for a number of hours as the fighters searched the campus, threatening to kill anyone who resisted.
But little did they know, 7 young ladies hid trembling beneath their beds. The attack came too quickly for them to escape. And instead of risking exposure by running, they hid themselves in the darkness of their bedroom.
A text for help
They didn’t want to think about what would happen if they were captured. They’d heard too many grizzly stories of violence, torture and even death. So they did the only two things they knew to do:
Pray for God’s deliverance
Send word to Pastor A. for help
Pastor A. is one of our partners on the ground in the area. When he received an urgent text from one of the girls, telling him they were in hiding while soldiers ransacked their school, he immediately contacted the authorities.
But Pastor A. also started to request immediate prayer from his large network of faithful believers—in his surrounding area, through Open Door contacts and around the world.
Praying for a miracle
I can’t imagine what heaven sounded like that day. The millions of petitions laid at the feet of our King in His throne room—asking for His deliverance of these 7 young women.
And our God heard, and orchestrated what can only be described as a miracle…
Ground forces of the local army nearby were quickly notified of the attack. And they wasted no time in launching an assault against the terrorists.
--------------------------
Please pray for all the persecuted children of the world.
opendoorsusa
Sarah finds courage in Immanuel
Sarah is an incredible example of the power of mentorship. But more than that, her story reminds me why it’s so important for believers to come together to encourage each other. And help each other grow in their faith.
As Sarah will say, it was only her faith in Christ that kept her hope alive as her city, Aleppo, came under attack. And while her story is difficult, I believe you’ll be moved by her faith and courage. Maybe even challenged…
Sarah's story: In her own words
I wanted to live a normal life like all youth around the world. I wanted to participate in all kinds of activities, wanted to travel, to have the best education. Then the war turned everything upside down for me.
There was so much fear and destruction. Daily shootings. So many bombs. And the fighting never stopped. My family faced a lot of danger, because so many different groups were attacking. For five years, we lived knowing we could die at any moment. I was afraid.
But things eventually got better for me because of my faith.
I had almost lost all hope
I had almost lost all hope, but then I started going to the church when they had meetings. I found people I could talk to about the situation we were facing…and about our future as Christians.
We prayed together. We encouraged each other.
More than that, we started praying for Syria. In that moment, we suddenly knew we are all together. That gave us hope to face this war. We as youth need to get stronger. And make our hope in God grow bigger and bigger. We pray to God to give us hope and to keep us going with that hope.
Don't pray for us, pray with us
Aleppo is my city. I was born there; I love Aleppo. I can’t imagine ever leaving. I have to stay here. Because I want to be a part of rebuilding this beautiful city.
Don’t pray for us, pray with us. That gives us strength.
Pray for peace in our country. Pray in faith and with hope that things will get better. I thank the Lord for those who pray with us. That gives us hope and helps us to keep going.
God is with us…
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meeral is willing to risk everything for Jesus
The religious climate in Pakistan has changed in recent years.
For a long time, Christians lived in relative safety, with relative freedom to express and live out their faith. But over time, and with the rise of Islamic leadership, tolerance for Christianity—and Christians—has slowly waned, placing believers in Pakistan at risk of persecution.
But for 6-year-old Meeral, she’s willing to risk everything…
"A boy hit me because I am a Christian"
When it comes to Jesus, Meeral is fearless in her unshakable faith in her heavenly Father’s protection. And at even such a young age, she claims she would give her life for her Jesus if she had to. “After all, He did the same for me!” she says.
Recently, Meeral came home from school with a couple of bruises and cuts. She tried to hide them, but had to tell her parents about a scuffle at school.
Meeral had been thrown to the ground and kicked over and over again, while her classmates hurled nasty comments at her for being a Christian. Thankfully, Meeral’s brother intervened and was able to get Meeral away from the mob of students.
But even after a month, Meeral is still limping. An injury to her leg from the scuffle still hasn’t healed. She says, “It’s okay. A boy hit me because I am a Christian. He does not like Christians, but Papa reminded me that Jesus was also hit and wounded, and even killed. So it’s okay. Mama says to look at it as a reminder of Good Friday at Christmastime.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 young girls pray for a miracle
“Allahu akbar!”
The rebel soldiers shouted as they entered the schoolyard in a small town tucked away in a dark corner in the Middle East. Many of the students were shocked by the sudden attack. They believed this area was safe, but they found themselves running for their lives.
Chaos followed for a number of hours as the fighters searched the campus, threatening to kill anyone who resisted.
But little did they know, 7 young ladies hid trembling beneath their beds. The attack came too quickly for them to escape. And instead of risking exposure by running, they hid themselves in the darkness of their bedroom.
A text for help
They didn’t want to think about what would happen if they were captured. They’d heard too many grizzly stories of violence, torture and even death. So they did the only two things they knew to do:
Pray for God’s deliverance
Send word to Pastor A. for help
Pastor A. is one of our partners on the ground in the area. When he received an urgent text from one of the girls, telling him they were in hiding while soldiers ransacked their school, he immediately contacted the authorities.
But Pastor A. also started to request immediate prayer from his large network of faithful believers—in his surrounding area, through Open Door contacts and around the world.
Praying for a miracle
I can’t imagine what heaven sounded like that day. The millions of petitions laid at the feet of our King in His throne room—asking for His deliverance of these 7 young women.
And our God heard, and orchestrated what can only be described as a miracle…
Ground forces of the local army nearby were quickly notified of the attack. And they wasted no time in launching an assault against the terrorists.
--------------------------
Please pray for all the persecuted children of the world.
opendoorsusa
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