Sisters' Stories

Women

• Family Attacked for Building Church Wall
  
  Photo: World Watch Monitor

  Five members of a Christian family in northeast Pakistan were attacked and injured as they helped to build a wall around their church on Sunday, March 4th. As church members were inside praying, George Masih, 70, was overseeing the construction of the building project which took place in the village of Yousufwala.

  Twenty men, armed with clubs and axes, approached and began beating George and others at the site. His two sons, Babar and William, daughter Nasreen, and daughter-in-law Jamila were also injured. The attackers demanded that the construction stop, claiming the land belongs to them. It is believed the perpetrators were linked to a local landlord.

• Two Missionaries Expelled

  

  Two missionaries with Christian Aid Mission went to serve amongst the Triqui people of Oaxaca, Mexico, several years ago. Because the village had restrictions on expressing religious beliefs, the women knew they would need to be accepted by the community before sharing their faith in Christ. Therefore, they set up a bakery and, through this business, had opportunities to build relationships and present the Gospel.

• More Schoolgirls Kidnapped by Boko Haram
  
  Wikimedia Commons (cc)

  Memories of the 2014 Chibok kidnapping flooded the minds of Nigerians as they heard the news of the most recent attack on a girls' school in Dapchi, Yobe State, on February 19th. When the Boko Haram militants left the scene, 110 schoolgirls -- between the ages of 11 and 19 -- disappeared with them.

  Authorities initially tried to deny that it was a kidnapping, suggesting the girls may have simply fled. However, it soon became clear that they had been taken by the attackers to an unknown location. Nigerian authorities are actively searching for the girls.

• Teens Persevere Despite Persecution
  
  The released sisters recognize the importance of prayer.
  Photo: Open Doors USA

  In spite of the pain inflicted on them by the very ones they love the most, two teenage girls from a small village community in Laos are standing firm in their commitment to worship God. The persecution began during the fall of last year, when Nani, 17, and her sister Nha Phong, 16, received Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. They have since faced strong opposition from members of their own family -- especially their father, whose fierce anger over the girls' decision to forsake the village's animistic religion has resulted in their need for safety.