Hannah’s Redemption Amid Persecution

In September 2024, at least 90 Christians in Central Ethiopia were displaced when tensions between Muslims and Christians turned violent. Among them was Hannah, who fled with her four children. Because of your support, Hannah can look back today and see that God has used this suffering to strengthen her faith in Him.

In September last year, in Central Ethiopia, there was intense religious tension between Muslims and Christians. According to local church leaders and local contacts, the incident was triggered by reports of Muslim students experiencing difficulties in various parts of the area, which some believed were caused by a Christian. The Muslim community in the town decided to sideline Christians from the area; unfortunately, this escalated into violence targeting both Orthodox and Evangelical Christians.

During this conflict, over 20 homes belonging to Christians were set on fire, and five Christian-owned businesses were vandalised. Six Christians were physically attacked and taken to hospital for medical attention. Efforts were made to quell the situation by deploying federal military to the area. However, as tension escalated, two individuals who were identified as ‘mobilisers’ were killed by the military during the unrest. This further worsened the anger within the Muslim community, leading to threats of continued attacks against Christians. In light of these threats and the growing insecurity, more than 90 Christians fled. They sought refuge in a nearby town and were accommodated in a local church.

Hannah is one of the survivors who fled. She is a widow and a mother of four children (three boys and a girl), all in their twenties. She became a believer after the death of her husband 15 years ago. She owned and operated a small cafeteria in the town, which was the family’s only source of income. When the attacks started, her business and home were destroyed. They destroyed everything she owned. Thankfully, she and her children were able to escape and find refuge in a nearby town.

“When we left our home, it was very difficult. We couldn’t even find a way to get out… we hid in a neighbour’s house, three houses down from ours. What they wanted to attack were men… and my sons are now men, I couldn’t hide them… I can’t explain the pain and worry I felt in the chaos. Our possessions were destroyed, we lost everything…” she recounts.

After two months, the local government announced they could return to their homes. But their destroyed homes and business only added to the continuous isolation and insults from the community.

“I advised against it [returning], but they [children] kept their stand, so we made our way back… After we went back, it was a very difficult situation; there was no one talking to us, having conversations with us, they wouldn’t even say good morning to us.”

The fragile ceasefire did not last long. “Fifteen days after we got back, there was a rumour about attacks happening again.” She tried convincing her sons to leave the place, to no avail. Thankfully, peace was restored after the government intervened. “We are still living. Though we don’t have work, we have food and water, we are still standing; in fact, I feel like God has given me a time of rest.”

“In all of this, I sleep in peace, because God knows how He is going to let me live. We don’t know our tomorrow, we only know our today, God only knows our tomorrow, so He will let us live as He pleases! Glory to God! God wanted to grow us. That’s what I say when I think of this situation; God wanted to strengthen my faith, because He knows from where He has rescued me.”

God wanted to strengthen my faith, because He knows from where He has rescued me.

Hannah was one of the 20 people invited for a trauma care workshop. Her heart was heavy; she was worried about how she would continue living with the people who attacked her and who still have the potential to attack her again. She didn’t know how to forgive and move past what happened. After the trauma care, she says she has learnt how to forgive and find hope in learning that Jesus passed through this as well.

“Because I came here, countless things have changed in me because of the training. One training was about forgiving and not doing wrong to other people, and I used to wonder how I was going to forgive and live with them when I go back. But from the training I’ve received, now I’ve learnt about humility, and how Jesus was also persecuted. I’ve learned that Christianity has been hated on this earth, and Jesus was also persecuted. Jesus was also hated, and He was also cast out.

So, what I have learned is to befriend these people… having them as friends and telling them the Gospel through my actions towards them,” Hannah shared. “We need to know they won’t love us, but we need to live for them.”