Looking at Their Mother’s Courage for Christ

Looking at their mother’s courage for Christ, two sons of a woman killed by her husband decide to follow Jesus in Ethiopia.

The sons of a Christian woman who was killed for her faith by her Muslim husband embraced Christianity after witnessing their mother's courage in the face of extreme persecution. Open Doors USA shares the story of Workitu, a woman who converted to Christianity last year in the Muslim-dominated SNNP region south of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. In an attempt to convince Workitu to renounce Christianity and revert back to Islam, her husband, along with members of the community, severely beat her and threatened to kill her. Workitu told her church leaders of the abuse she endured at the hands of her husband, and they advised her to report this to authorities in writing. In February, she wrote a letter to police and local government officials to report the abuse, telling them she feared for her life. However, according to sources, officials ignored her request for protection and now deny ever having received the letter. Eventually, Workitu's husband and a neighbor, angry that she refused to deny Christ, demanded that she sell government drought relief aid she had collected earlier for her family. When she refused, they began to beat her, and continued attacking her even after she had collapsed. Villagers took Workitu to a clinic in a nearby town, but after four days she was referred to another hospital. She died in transfer, five days after the attack. However, what man meant for evil, God used for good (Genesis 50:20): following their mother's death, Workitu's two sons, ages 17 and 20, told Christian leaders they want to know more about the Lord their mother worshipped. Eventually they, along with another villager who was a close friend of Workitu's, embraced Christianity. "Workitu is like Stephen," commented a local evangelist. "Her death was honored by the bringing of her sons to new life. I know she would have been extremely delighted had she witnessed her son's' decision to follow Christ."

The Gospel Truth Newspaper - 08.01.2018