The first thing you would notice about Malika is her young daughter standing next to her with big curly hair. She grinned and immediately sat next to Salam, one of our Field Ministers. Malika, initially reserved and weighed down with the sorrow of her story, sat across from Samar, who reached out and held her hand. “We’re here,” Samar said in Arabic, “and we want to hear your story.”
They sat in a Safe House in a closed country. Malika had taken refuge there after fleeing her home country because of persecution, but the story of her conversion started nearly two decades before.
Her father, a Muslim, would share stories about the prophets, including Jesus. “I would sometimes ask my dad, ‘What did the Prophet Mohammad ever do?’ He would beat me in response,” Malika said. Her interest in Christianity piqued, Malika began to study the Bible and soon found herself captivated by Jesus. She surrendered her life over to Him and became a Christian!
When she got older, she was forced to marry a Muslim, who treated her terribly. When she discovered she was pregnant, she cried for weeks, not wanting to bring a child into the world when her own life was so difficult. Eventually, she separated from her husband and began to teach her daughter about faith in Christ.
Then, one day, her daughter talked about Jesus…to Malika’s husband. He was enraged and threatened them, threatening to take the girl if she said the name of Jesus again. Malika fled, and her husband is trying to find where she is. If she returns to her home country, she might be arrested and lose her daughter. If she doesn’t, she must find a new country to go to because her visa is running out of time.
Malika broke down in tears several times as she shared her story. “I can’t lose my daughter,” she said, over and over again. “That’s all that matters; I can’t lose her!” Eventually our team asked for all of her paperwork, trying to assess her situation and the options. They talked about the lawyers they knew who were trained in immigration laws in various Islamic countries and pored over Malika’s huge files. “We will find a way,” they assured her. Their words were true: Finding a long-term solution for her and her daughter is going to take creativity, time, and resources—but we have faith that God will make a way.
Because of you, hope is possible for people like Malika and her daughter. In the most frightening and uncertain moments of their lives, we can shine the light of Christ, reminding them that they are not alone. Your generous giving means that our team can devote their time and resources to helping Malika and her daughter rebuild their lives. Will you pray for Malika and her daughter as the clock continues to tick? We need the Lord to intervene and open a door of safety to them. And please consider a gift, as you are able, to rescue more persecuted believers like them.