Ethiopia - Pandemic Portraits of Persecution & Poverty
An update from Michael Granger, Sovereign Grace Church Planter in Ethiopia…
The effects of Covid-19 are universal. It hits the rich and the poor alike. It is not a respecter of religion; neither Muslims, nor Orthodox, Buddhists, nor Protestants are immune. But, one group of individuals, from our perspective, has been significantly injured, and that is the persecuted church. Below are two snapshots or portraits of individuals from this group. Their names have been changed to protect their identities.
To be a Somali is to be Muslim. To be a Somali who becomes a Christian is to cut oneself off from family, community, blessing, inheritance, business opportunities, and livelihood. Abshir (not to be confused with Muhammad his friend) considers "the sufferings of this present time...not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” in eternity (Rom. 8:18). For this reason he has lost his wife, children, health, and safety. With an Al-Shabab hit out on his life he came to Addis Ababa with some hope of escaping endless persecution and for greater provision. Yet even here the Somali community rejects him. Daily he lives hand to mouth; if he doesn’t work today, he doesn’t eat today. And each day, he has only one meal to look forward to because that is all one day of work will afford him. Since Covid-19 arrived in Ethiopia it has become increasingly difficult for Abshir to find any work whatsoever. And without his community to care for him, (more than that) with them despising and rejecting him, he has no safety net to catch him.
Rahel is from Northern Ethiopia where the Orthodox Church is militant and rejects the gospel. She’s in her early 20’s and moved to Addis Ababa just a few years ago. Upon getting married she became pregnant only to discover that her new mother-n-law practices witchcraft and commanded her son to leave his new wife so that he could come home and practice sorcery with her. After giving birth to beautiful twins her husband left her. At that point she became a Christian through faith in Christ. Her orthodox family was so enraged at her conversion that they disowned her, robbed her of all her possessions, and even threatened to kill the babies. In recent months, without family to turn to and being fairly new to Addis Ababa, she had become so impoverished that she had to move her little family of three into a shack with a tarp for a roof. This home, if we can call it that, barely protects her from the elements, it doesn’t even keep the rain out. Her twins are now three and faced with the decision of working or starving, she would occasionally lock her babies in the home and go out to make money. In recent days, on one occasion, after having left them at home for a short time she returned and found them unconscious on the floor. They both had been raped.
These saints “of whom the world is not worthy” (Heb. 11:38) and for whom Christ shed his precious blood are only two among many many others who will probably remain in obscurity until the great unveiling in eternity. Far from "fixing" these devastating situations, as a result of recent financial gifts through ministry partners, Abshir’s rent is being paid and he’s being given money for food. Rahel has been moved into a new home with running water and a toilet, an entire year of rent has already been paid, the children are receiving medical care, they have provisions, and she’s being discipled.
With the images of these portraits continuously passing through my mind I recently laid down with my kids on their bed to do our evening devotions and tuck them in. We were recounting the promises of God to Abraham and his descendants. Remembering that we, as gentiles, we were once completely separated from the good work that God was doing among Israel. That is until God sent his Son. He died on the cross, he took our sin, he gave us his righteousness, he made us children of Abraham by faith, we are no longer strangers but children of promise by faith. But he hasn't stopped there. Not only has he provided for our greatest need - to be reconciled to God - but he is caring for our daily needs as well. We have a home, health, food, we have each other. I was brought to tears recounting the riches of his grace and the many blessings he has lavished on the Granger family and we spontaneously started singing Love You So Much.
I leave you with a link to the lyrics of this simple but sweet melody which served me so well in the early days of new founded faith. Oh how true they are.
