(This story is from Voice of the Martyrs, persecution.com) If Halima had known she was walking into a church, she never would have entered.
Halima grew up as a refugee in a country neighboring Somalia, her homeland. Her family was assisted by numerous aid groups over the years. So when a pastor who had been sharing the gospel with her husband picked them up one Sunday morning and took them to a building with a fluorescent cross on it, she thought they were going to a Red Cross center.
But once inside, the pastor’s message touched her heart. Though Halima had limited understanding of the local language, she said God helped her understand everything the pastor said. “I never heard such a story in the Quran or anywhere,” she said. “I was the first Somali woman to accept Christ in that church.” Halima’s husband, Bekele, a communist and former army colonel, also came to know Christ that day.
It was not long, however, before her Muslim family discovered her faith.
After responding to the pastor’s message, Halima and Bekele remained at the church for several days to receive instruction in basics of the Christian faith. “We loved the teaching,” Halima said. Before long, she was telling others about Christ.
Her extended Muslim family was shocked by her conversion and how it changed her. When she visited the family home, her brother attacked her for sharing the gospel with his daughter. He even fired a handgun at Halima, but she escaped through a window.
“I refused [to return to Islam] and stood firm in my faith,” she said. Please click the link below to continue reading the article: