Watch: Ethiopian believer shares story of persecution, shame and restoration

Imagine what it would be like to lose your home, your business—forced to flee and live in a compound, unable to provide for your family like you once did.

And to know that all this is happening because you are a Christian.

This is the situation Jemal*, a successful Christian businessman and church leader, faced in Ethiopia when Muslim extremists attacked two years ago.

And the persecution is only growing, Jemal says.

“The abuse and injustice being done to us is getting worse. The abuse of Christians in Ethiopia should not remain hidden. So, we ask all Christians in the world to speak up for us.”

In this video, Jemal takes us back to the place where he and his family were displaced from their home for two months. Would you take a few minutes to watch Jemal share his story and pray with him and his family?
 

Because of your support and prayers—and the ongoing efforts of our local partners– Jemal’s family was provided for from day one, starting with emergency relief, to today. He received the help he needed to work through the trauma and restart his carpentry and metalworking business. Once again, he’s able to provide for his family—his “greatest achievement,” he says.

“You are the ones making it possible for my children to eat,” he shares, adding that he has realized believers around the world pray for and care for him and his family.

“They believed they had destroyed us, and that we would never return,” Jemal says. “But we responded, ‘We will not fail. We have people who stand by us.’”

But the situation is not resolved. There is still ongoing persecution. That’s why Jemal asks us to speak up. And across sub-Saharan Africa, Christians face violence, oppression and displacement for their faith. If you haven’t already signed Open Doors’ Arise Africa prayer petition to break the silence on behalf of your brothers and sisters in the region, would you consider standing with believers like Jemal and his family? 

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