By Josh Depenbrok/Global Chistian Relief
Ramata, a Christian woman persecuted by her family, was born to a Muslim family in the Ivory Coast where she was taught to study the Quran.
Little did she know that she would one day find faith in Jesus–and that her belief would anger her family so much that they would starve and banish her, rather than accept her as a Christian.
But through every trial, God never left her. This is her story.
I came to know Jesus here in Burkina Faso when I was 17. I was very sick and no hospital could help me. Then my aunt told me about Jesus and prayed that He would heal me from this sickness.
One month later, I was healed. A pastor told me that if I accept Jesus, He will forgive all my sins. He said that I would be with Him in heaven because God sent Jesus to make us right with Him. Because I had experienced God’s power and healing, I accepted Christ.
My father was irate. He insisted that I stop attending church and that my new faith brought shame to our family.
But when I refused, my family kicked me out of our family home and cursed me. They forced me to enter a small room in a shed on the outskirts of our village. My family taunted me, saying that they would see if I still believed in Jesus after a few days in isolation without food or water.
They locked the door and left me for dead. “God, give me the courage and strength to remain faithful to You,” I prayed.
After four long days, my family returned, shocked to see that I had survived. I assured them that it was only by the grace of God that I was still alive.
Soon, every Christian in our village surrounded the building. I learned that they had asked the village chief to intervene on my behalf and order my release. My family had no choice but to obey.
I saw that God had been with me, just like He was with Joseph when his brothers threw him into a pit and abandoned him. God was faithful to rescue Joseph and He was faithful to rescue me.
But when I returned home, my family once again ordered me to leave. An elder of our family cursed me, saying that I would never have a child. But I told him that my God, who kept me alive without food and water for four days, is more powerful than his idols.
God has continued to work miracles in my life, blessing me with a husband and three children. More than 17 years after my banishment, by God’s grace, my father and I forgave each other, and I am now considered family again. I continue to give thanks to God, who helped me throughout all of this persecution.
