News / Thoughts

Kyrgyzstan: Family or Jesus?

Amira is someone we would love you to be praying for this week. Despite losing her relationship with family, and being threatened with a forced marriage, she’s still determined to stick with Jesus.

Amira is a Christian from a Muslim background. She is from the small village in the northern part of Kyrgyzstan. Two years ago she went to the city to work. She met some Christians and accepted Jesus and joined a church. When her parents learned that Amira had become a Christian, they were angry and aggressive. They told her that she was ‘a shame and  a disgrace to the family’.

Her family asked her to come to their village to visit them, but when Amira went home, she was beaten by family members who tried to force her to reconvert into Islam. They also planned to force her to marry a Muslim man.

Fortunately, Amira managed to escape and went back to the her church in the city. For her protection, the leaders of the church decided to send Amira to be looked after by another church in a different city. Now Amira is in a safe house. She loves her parents and relatives, but she can’t return, as she is afraid of being beaten again and being forced to marry a Muslim man. As you’d expect the whole situation is making her very sad.

Pray this: Father God, I pray for Amira. Keep her safe and keep her from entering a forced marriage. I pray that Amira’s relatives would come to know You and be reconciled with her. Please give her peace and strength. Let her come to know you as her heavenly Father and bring a new, loving church family to support her at this tough time. Amen.

Act now to See. Change.

Amira is facing threats from her family for her choice to follow Jesus. Being a young woman from the Central Asia, she is doubly vulnerable to persecution because of her new found faith and gender. Check out our new campaign to see how you can speak up, pray and raise money for change!
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