March 15, 2020
WEI teacher, Katheryn Haddad, writes:
“Here is an update on our Muslim convert [Hezekiah] who was on a business trip to a European country and was baptized on March 15. His colleagues disappeared. All flights were cancelled because of COVID-19. His password to his company website no longer worked. His company cell phone was cut off, and his passport was about to expire.”
Katheryn got in touch with “John Mark,” (the Christian name she gave to a Muslim student who was baptized ten years ago.) John Mark and his family have often fled for their lives whenever he preached to the wrong people. He told Katheryn, “I will never stop preaching until they kill me.”
John Mark went to Hezekiah’s house to warn his family that they were in danger, and he learned that they had moved out and disappeared the preceding night. Katheryn says, “John Mark’s son, Ananias (his Christian name) went by Hezekiah’s place of employment and was informed that he no longer worked there.”
In mid-May, Hezekiah contacted Katheryn from an immigration camp in Europe and asked her some questions about how to live the Christian life. She immediately answered his questions and started sending him the daily inspirational thoughts that she sends to all of her Muslim converts. She also sent to Hezekiah her “52 Sunday Worship Guides for isolated Christians.” She warned him not to associate with Muslims because of the manifesto against his life that was being circulated all over the world. Katheryn says, “God blessed him with a small room shared with an African and a Russian.
“Hezekiah received two letters and a magazine declaring the manifesto against his life. Now he has proof that his life would be in danger if he was forced to return to his homeland.”
Hezekiah’s family back home is suffering. He says, “My family is under pressure. No one is allowed to meet them, and they are not allowed to meet others as well. They are being humiliated and insulted while going to any necessary work in the community. Even my children are not allowed to play with other children. Community members say to my family members that I was teaching my sons Christianity, so he is a Christian—an INFIDEL. They [the family] are living in my home town. I told them to go somewhere else, but they say they cannot go anywhere else in this situation. It would be better to bear the hard situation here rather than going [somewhere else] to die by corona. They are passing a really hard situation, but I believe Jesus will help us bear all these situations, and he will show us the right way to survive.”
Katheryn learned that a Christian man and his wife live in the town close to the immigration camp. They are the only New Testament Christians in that town. Jurgen and Doris received permission to pick up Hezekiah at the camp and take him to their home.
Hezekiah wrote to Katheryn, “I have some good news for you. I have visited my brother Jurgen and sister Doris in their home. They are really kind and loving personalities. I and Brother Jurgen have decided to exchange questions and answers through email.
Jurgen and Doris wrote to Katheryn saying, “He will be given a tablet since his computer broke. Then he can study the Bible even better. Now, he’s studying the gospel of Mark.”
Editor’s Note: Let us pray for Hezekiah and his family. We can only imagine what it would be like to walk in Hezekiah’s shoes knowing that his family is suffering persecution in their homeland just because he has been baptized in Europe. Jesus said,
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).
