give us courage to stand through...

21 ST CENTURY WILBERFORCE INITIATIVE | 405 NORTH WASHINGTON ST., SUITE 300, FALLS CHURCH, VA 22046 571-297-3177 | [email protected] | WWW.21WILBERFORCE.ORG SPEAK FREEDOM TEXAS Give Us Courage to Stand Through Persecution Collected by the 21 st Century Wilberforce Initiative, May 2017 Tags: Somalia, Prison, Family Stolen, Matthew 28:20 When Abdullahi was a nine-year-old boy in Somalia he had a dream. In that dream a sound flooded his mind, a sound he had never heard before. A voice spoke into his ear and said, “Follow me, my name is Jesus.” He awoke and immediately gave his life to Jesus though it took him six years to find a Bible. Unfortunately, his family found him studying that Bible and gave him to the authorities. At the age of fifteen he was incarcerated for his faith for six months. When asked what he remembered about those six months, he shook his head and said he did not really want to remember. They were months filled with beatings and torture. However, throughout this time, the words based upon Matthew 28:20 kept coming to him and sustaining him, “Do not fear. I will be with you always up to the very end of the world.” As he clung to this promise even in the midst of the beatings, he was able to proclaim his faith, and two of those who were torturing him became believers in Jesus Christ. Many years later Abdullahi was married and continuing to serve as a key leader among an underground church in Somalia. He and his wife had four children. But seeing the needs of their society, they had brought in five others who had no family of their own. Together they were helping parent nine children between the ages of 13 and 2. But in 2016, his wife’s family realized that the wife and their children had decided to follow Jesus. They said that they would not interfere with the husband’s personal beliefs but that it would be unacceptable to allow their daughter and her children to follow the false religion of Christianity. In the context of a very strong familial clan structure, the wife’s broader family came and stole away the wife and children. It left him, in his words, “heartbroken.” Every night he goes home to his house to find again toys that have not been played with and the empty bed that was shared with his wife. As difficult as was the time of incarceration, for Abdullahi this was the most heartbreaking experience of his life. And as far as he could see there was no hope for change or reunification. Yet after describing this depressing situation, he looked up and said with resolve: “This is my prayer, ‘Lord will you give me joy? I am trying to be the light and the salt.’ And when those who know what has happened to me, how my family has been stolen, they will ask, ‘how can he have joy?’ And then I will be able to share with them about Jesus.” Even in the midst of this tragedy, Abdullahi’s first concern was to look for an opportunity to live a witness filled with grace. At the conclusion of the interview, Abdullahi was asked, “If you could share one prayer request with churches outside of Somalia, how would you ask them to pray?” Abdullahi quickly concluded: “Do not pray for an end to the persecution because without it we would die. But pray that the Lord will give us the courage to stand through it.”

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21ST CENTURY WILBERFORCE INITIATIVE | 405 NORTH WASHINGTON ST., SUITE 300, FALLS CHURCH, VA 22046 571-297-3177 | [email protected] | WWW.21WILBERFORCE.ORG

SPEAKFREEDOM

TEXASGiveUsCouragetoStandThroughPersecutionCollectedbythe21stCenturyWilberforceInitiative,May2017Tags:Somalia,Prison,FamilyStolen,Matthew28:20WhenAbdullahiwasanine-year-oldboyinSomaliahehadadream.Inthatdreamasoundfloodedhismind,asoundhehadneverheardbefore.Avoicespokeintohisearandsaid,“Followme,mynameisJesus.”HeawokeandimmediatelygavehislifetoJesusthoughittookhimsixyearstofindaBible.Unfortunately,hisfamilyfoundhimstudyingthatBibleandgavehimtotheauthorities.Attheageoffifteenhewasincarceratedforhisfaithforsixmonths.

Whenaskedwhatherememberedaboutthosesixmonths,heshookhisheadandsaidhedidnotreallywanttoremember.Theyweremonthsfilledwithbeatingsandtorture.However,throughoutthistime,thewordsbaseduponMatthew28:20keptcomingtohimandsustaininghim,“Donotfear.Iwillbewithyoualwaysuptotheveryendoftheworld.”Asheclungtothispromiseeveninthemidstofthebeatings,hewasabletoproclaimhisfaith,andtwoofthosewhoweretorturinghimbecamebelieversinJesusChrist.ManyyearslaterAbdullahiwasmarriedandcontinuingtoserveasakeyleaderamonganundergroundchurchinSomalia.Heandhiswifehadfourchildren.Butseeingtheneedsoftheirsociety,theyhadbroughtinfiveotherswhohadnofamilyoftheirown.Togethertheywerehelpingparentninechildrenbetweentheagesof13and2.Butin2016,hiswife’sfamilyrealizedthatthewifeandtheirchildrenhaddecidedtofollowJesus.Theysaidthattheywouldnotinterferewiththehusband’spersonalbeliefsbutthatitwouldbeunacceptabletoallowtheirdaughterandherchildrentofollowthefalsereligionofChristianity.Inthecontextofaverystrongfamilialclanstructure,thewife’sbroaderfamilycameandstoleawaythewifeandchildren.Itlefthim,inhiswords,“heartbroken.”Everynighthegoeshometohishousetofindagaintoysthathavenotbeenplayedwithandtheemptybedthatwassharedwithhiswife.Asdifficultaswasthetimeofincarceration,forAbdullahithiswasthemostheartbreakingexperienceofhislife.Andasfarashecouldseetherewasnohopeforchangeorreunification.Yetafterdescribingthisdepressingsituation,helookedupandsaidwithresolve:

“Thisismyprayer,‘Lordwillyougivemejoy?Iamtryingtobethelightandthesalt.’Andwhenthosewhoknowwhathashappenedtome,howmyfamilyhasbeenstolen,theywillask,‘howcanhehavejoy?’AndthenIwillbeabletosharewiththemaboutJesus.”

Eveninthemidstofthistragedy,Abdullahi’sfirstconcernwastolookforanopportunitytoliveawitnessfilledwithgrace.Attheconclusionoftheinterview,Abdullahiwasasked,“IfyoucouldshareoneprayerrequestwithchurchesoutsideofSomalia,howwouldyouaskthemtopray?”Abdullahiquicklyconcluded:

“Donotprayforanendtothepersecutionbecausewithoutitwewoulddie.ButpraythattheLordwillgiveusthecouragetostandthroughit.”

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