“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?” —Matthew 18:12
God is always looking out for us, no matter how far away He may seem or how difficult life may get. Jesus, the good Shepherd, constantly offers security, comfort, and safety, and when we are lost, He actively looks for us to carry us back to Him.
Beaten and threatened, Hannan feared for her life. She was hopeless until one day, she came to know Jesus and experienced an overwhelming sense of peace…
Hannan Beaten and in Fear for her Life
Hannan is a young woman from Syria and lives with her young daughter Noura.
When Hannan was 16, she got married to an ISIS member who would beat her and lock her up in their home. She gave birth to her daughter in an ISIS hospital where a medical error damaged her womb, causing her husband to look for a different wife because he wanted a son.
After three years of marriage, Hannan fled to a different city to live with her brother, but her sister-in-law did not want her there. In a state of desperation, she moved out and began working at a local beauty salon to provide for her daughter.
She soon learned that her husband had complained to the authorities that he wanted his daughter back and they were now looking for her. She immediately fled to a neighboring country to live with her sister’s family for a year.
Circumstances Worsen…
After Hannan fled, her circumstances continued to get worse…her brother-in-law molested her and beat her daughter. Without knowing where to turn next, she escaped with her daughter and went to live with a group of women for a month. Shortly after moving in with these women, she discovered that they were involved in prostitution, giving her no option but to return back to her sister’s house.
God Intervenes and Rescues Hannan
Hannan soon became hopeless. A friend told her about a local women’s shelter where her physical and psychological needs could be met — and she went. Four short months after living at the shelter, Hannan heard about Jesus Christ for the very first time.
After hearing about Jesus, she cried out to God and prayed to know Jesus as her own personal Lord and Savior. Now she tells everyone she knows about the overwhelming peace that she has experienced since knowing Christ!
Hannan has not kept quiet about her new faith. When she visited her sister’s house and told them about her faith, her brother-in-law and sister asked her not to return and visit. On top of that, her brother-in-law threatened to tell her husband her current location.
Help The Persecuted intervened, and Hannan is now secretly living in one of our Safe Houses with her daughter.
What Comes Next…
When Hannan is ready to leave our Safe House, she will need money to rent a house, cover her living expenses, and send her daughter to school. With the help of our team, she is taking English classes and working at a beauty salon to save up money for her own home. Through God’s grace and provision, we are just standing in the gap with Hannan as she continues to rebuild her life.
Even though Hannan is exiled from her family and fears for her safety, she is overwhelmed by the peace and comfort of God’s goodness in her life. Please join us in praying for Hannan — that she and her daughter would remain safe and that they would continue to grow in Christ and be a light in the darkness.