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When Costa accepted Jesus, he didn’t know he would lose his home. But through your gifts and prayers, you’re helping him continue to follow Jesus!
Costa* is already familiar with persecution. He’s been a Christian for less than a year, but already his pastor’s house church had been targeted by a local mob. After that incident, Christians in the community—including Costa—began feeling the squeeze
from their community.
Costa is a single father of three. His wife left the family for another man, and he was left to care for his children.
As this happened, he was living in a home next to his now-pastor, Sirimal*. They didn’t know each other well, but one day, they struck up a conversation. “In March [2025], the pastor shared the gospel with me and invited me to church,” Costa says.
Given what he was going through in his personal life, Costa decided to go to church. “I felt transformed,” he says. “I forgave my wife. Even through all the problems, I felt that the Lord would be with me to take care of me and my children.”
For a couple of months, life was smooth. But in July, his landlord confronted him. “Villagers are forcing me to chase you away from this house because you are attending the church,” he told Costa. “So please leave this house by August 30.”
When Costa saw that no one was willing to rent him a house because of his faith, he built a temporary shelter covered with aluminum sheets far away in the jungle, in a place where it wouldn’t disturb anyone.
But two days later, a government official and some villagers confronted him there. “You can’t live in random places like this,” the official told him. “Please vacate this area.”
Costa stood his ground, “No one is willing to rent me a house in this village because I am a Christian,” he said. “This is not fair.”
This time, the villagers shouted back at him: “If you want a house, renounce your faith and stop going to church. We’ll even build a new house for you.”
But Costa would not abandon his faith in Jesus.
He told Pastor Sirimal what had happened. By God’s grace, Sirimal supported Costa and offered a piece of his own land to build a temporary house. Now, Costa has built a home for his little family there and lives freely without opposition.
Recently, Open Doors partners led a persecution preparedness seminar in the area, where they were able to visit and pray with Costa in his new home. Field partners visited Costa and prayed for him and his family.
“It was good that I got a chance to participate in the program,” he says. “By then, I had already learned that God will be with us through the tough times we face. I experienced it, and I didn’t fail to hold on to the Lord.”
Not only did the seminar help Costa, but it also helped his oldest son. Whenever their mother visited after they began attending church, she would falsely speak against the church and Jesus, even telling her son not to attend.
“My son came to the program. He now attends church, despite what his mother tells him,” Costa says.
Costa has been faithful to the Lord through the problems that he faced from the villagers, and he is continually grateful for the program supported by Open Doors supporters like you!
Open Doors partners ask us to pray with Costa. Here’s how:
*Name changed to protect security
