“You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt. 10:22).
Single mother Amila (not her real name) knows the truth of Jesus’ words firsthand. So do her young daughters, aged 6 and 9. Because they have chosen to follow Jesus, the small family is despised and mistreated by Amila’s mother, sister and brother
Amila’s mother and sister are devout Buddhists, and her brother is a Buddhist monk in eastern Sri Lanka. In their eyes, Amila and her daughters betrayed the family when they left Buddhism. Our field partners had to meet with Amila in a public park to hear her story because it would be too dangerous to come to the house that she lives in with her mother and sister.
Amila is forced to live with her family because her husband suddenly left her when she converted, leaving her alone to care for their daughters. In a matter of days, the young mother was forced to find a job. She needed her family to care for her children while she was at work.
For this small family, home is a hostile place. Amila’s mother and siblings are relentless in their efforts to pressure her and her daughters. Every day, they ask, “Why did you convert? Why have you left your previous faith?”
Amila chooses patience and in prayer gives the situation to God: “I do not reply to them,” she says. “If I do, it will become an argument.”
Despite the adversity, Amila is determined to follow Jesus and raise her daughters to know Him. She can look back and see God’s hand on her life. She knows she’s alive because of Him. While working outside Sri Lanka in 2012, Amila became sick, unable to get out of bed. After a Christian friend prayed for her and she recovered, Amila made a bold decision to leave Buddhism: “That day, I decided my whole life belongs to God, I will never leave Him,” she says.
A few days later, Amila returned to Sri Lanka, excited to share her story. But the reception was cold. Her family members were not at all happy about her conversion. Despite their objections, Amila attended church and made sure her daughters went to Sunday school. She continues to follow Christ.
Still, the situation at home remains difficult. As local partners spoke with Amila, she shared how she would often go to work from church services, leaving her daughters in the care of their grandmother. Recently, she learned just how far her family would go to oppose her faith:
“When I got home after work on a Sunday, my daughters told me they were hungry. When I asked them why, they said, ‘Grandma did not give us food because we went to church today.’”
From that day on, Amila leaves her daughters at her pastor’s house on Sundays until she returns from work in the evening.
“Some days, my mom feeds my sister's kid and does not care about my daughters,” Amila says. “There have been several days where my daughters go to bed without eating.” Her mother and sister also force Amila to send her daughters to “Daham Pasal” (Buddhist study centers).
But under their mother’s care and their involvement in church, Amila’s children are growing in their faith. “I am happy with my daughters,” she says. “Even though they get mistreated, they have learned to pray to God. They love their grandma even though she hates them.”
Unfortunately, Amila’s situation isn’t unique. Throughout the world, female converts face the same risks of losing their husbands and being alienated and mistreated by their families. Their decision to follow Jesus often means they’ll be single parents, forced to find a job and take care of their family, sometimes in contexts where being a single woman can be a heavy cultural burden.
And yet, like Amila, women continue to trust God with their lives and endure the ensuring hostility from their families and communities. They continue to pray for provision and are determined to see their children know Jesus like they do. In many ways, they are mother, father, provider, teacher and disciple maker.
That’s why Open Doors enters into the lives of persecuted believers—to hear their stories, pray with them, encourage them and provide for their needs. And it’s why we must pray with our sisters who are living for Jesus no matter what.
Pray with Amila and believers like her in similar situations
- As she works to provide for herself and her daughters, Amila endures hardship. Ask God to give her the strength and courage to continue her journey with the Lord.
- Amila is planning to move somewhere else, away from her mother and sister. Pray that the Lord will be with and guide her in these decisions.
- Pray for Amila’s two daughters. They don’t feel loved by their grandmother. Pray they will grow closer to the Lord and be strengthened in Him.
- Please continue to pray for other believers like Amila who face similar kinds of persecution from family members. Ask God to guide them and be their strength in the difficult moments.
*representative image used for security reasons
