Persecution can have a devastating long-term impact on Christians—which is why so many who have suffered need the loving support of the wider body of Christ.
Kidan* is one example. Kidan spent more than seven years in a barbaric and remote prison in Eritrea for her faith in Christ. She had been incarcerated to break her spirit.
By the time she was released, her husband, Dawit*, had already been deported to neighbouring Ethiopia and she was left with nothing.
By the grace of God she had remained faithful to Christ in her suffering. By the generosity of Christians she and her family now have a means of living.
Will you, at this time, consider giving to Release International’s ministry, as we seek to support those who have suffered for Christ?
Kidan was one of 40 people arrested in her church, in western Eritrea. The authoritarian regime in Eritrea has, for years, banned all religious activity that does not come under the umbrella of Sunni Islam, or the Orthodox, Lutheran or Catholic churches. For more than two decades, evangelical Christians have suffered harsh clampdowns for their witness.
Kidan was held in a police station for four months, before being transferred to a remote military site, encircled by mountains. There she was harassed and regularly goaded to sign a renunciation of her faith. She didn’t.
‘When they brought us there they wanted us to experience this mental torture. They were saying, “We brought you here in order to break your spirit.”’ Instead, by the grace of God, Kidan and other Christians were able to patiently show the love of God to their guards.
Looking back on that time, Kidan says, ‘It was long, but there was always hope in our heart. The Spirit of God was always giving us hope when we read the Scriptures. We were ready to be faithful unto death.’
To make matters worse, in the whole of her time in prison she had just one brief visit from her son—and never saw her husband. By the time she was released, Dawit, who is half Ethiopian, had also been arrested for his Christian faith and had been deported to Ethiopia. Kidan arrived home to an empty house.
Her church was able, in the short term, to help her. Eventually Kidan and her son were able to move to Ethiopia to be reunited with her husband.
Through our partner for Eritrea Release International had been able to offer some support to Kidan while in prison, and, after her move to Ethiopia, our partner bought the family a tuk-tuk, a three-wheeled motorised vehicle used in many parts of the world for short-distance taxi transport or food delivery.
‘That’s how we’re supporting our family now,’ said Kidan. ‘It’s paying for our house, our rent, our food. It is also supporting our son’s education. It is everything to us.’
Could you send a gift of £35 or more to Release International, to help us support persecuted Christians like Kidan and her family?
Kidan continues to live out her Christian faith. She is active in an Eritrean refugee church in Ethiopia where she is heavily involved in a women’s group. Life continues to be difficult, and rising petrol prices are a strain on their modest but life-sustaining tuk-tuk business.
Your gift of £35, £60, £100, £250—or whatever amount you are able to give at this time—can make a real difference in the lives of so many Christians who have suffered, and who, very often, continue to suffer persecution for their faith and witness.
Thank you for your concern for persecuted Christians around the world.
* Name changed and image disguised to protect identity
