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"'Your brother is in heaven with God now,' I told my two children when they asked about their older brother."
These are the words of Pa-yang*, a young mother in her late 20s from northern Laos. She tragically lost her oldest son after he consumed a poisoned drink. It was later discovered that Pa-yang's relatives had hired someone to facilitate his death. They wanted to punish Pa-yang and her husband Lavee for becoming Christians.
Pa-yang and her family live in a village along a winding road in the mountains of northern Laos. The landscape is breathtaking—green trees, fluffy clouds and traditional houses dot the area, almost making up for the terrifying journey along steep cliffs.
Pa-yang and Lavee became Christians in 2020, along with a few other families in the community. Since then, they have been persecuted many times by local villagers. The villagers had tried to expel the family from the community and created an environment where the Christian family was discriminated against. Their neighbors and community kept trying different ways to force the family to renounce their faith. But Lavee and Pa-Yang never gave up.
This year, however, the persecution took a painful turn. "This time, it began with a land conflict between my wife's relatives and me," Lavee says. "They wanted to take over a piece of land that belonged to me. When I refused to give up on the land, they became angry and started looking for revenge."
As he speaks, Pa-yang sits beside him, staring into the distance. She knows what happens next in their story.
A few days after the conflict over the land, Lavee and Pa-yang were working in the fields, when they were urgently summoned by their neighbors. They hurried home, only to find their three kids lying ill on the floor. They rushed them to the district hospital, but seeing the state of the children, the doctor referred them to a larger hospital. When they arrived, the younger two were comatose. Tragically, the oldest didn't survive.
"The doctor was able to save our two younger kids," Lavee says, almost whispering. "I spent a few days in the hospital for the treatment of my children. However, the cost of the treatment was very high, and I had no money. We then decided to leave the hospital sooner, even while the doctors were asking us not to, as the kids needed more hospital care.
"We returned home. Though our kids were better, they were still weak and needed constant care from us. It was very tough; we were still mourning for our eldest son who passed away so suddenly, and I had to take care of my other kids."
The couple believed the villagers, especially Pa-Yang's relatives who had argued with Lavee, were behind all this. Later, more investigations confirmed their suspicions. Pa-Yang's relatives had hired someone to sneak into the house and add poison to a drink. The poison was meant for the everyone in the family, especially for Lavee and Pa-yang—however, the children got to it first.
"My relatives perhaps thought that no one would help us in this situation, and we would backslide from our faith, but they are wrong," Pa-yang shares resolutely. She stops for a moment, her eyes moist with tears, and says, "I am sad to lose my son, but I believe—and I know—that my son is sitting with Jesus in Heaven."
Lavee adds: "Even if there is more persecution, we will continue believing in Jesus. We will walk faithfully with the Lord, even if we are the only ones doing it.
In the midst of their pain, the family clings to Scripture. "My encouragement comes from the story of Job in the Bible," Lavee says. "He faced many tests and lost almost everything, but the Lord delivered him in the end. I believe the Lord God will always save us like He saved Job."
Because of your support, Open Doors local partner Khamla* was able to rushed to support Lavee and Pa-yang when he heard what had happened. "Because of [Open Doors'] help, I was able to pay the hospital bills for the children," he says. "Through the help of many Christians, including the believers in the area, we are helping the family with the follow-up treatments for the children so that they get entirely well."
However, their resilience doesn't mean the troubles are over for the family.
Lavee knows there are many challenges ahead. He also knows that God is their refuge. Talking with Lavee and Pa-Yang, it's clear their faith is immense. Their testimony can strengthen our faith—examples of how God gives strength to His people to endure even the darkest trials.
Lavee asks us to pray for them as they seek justice and direction. "Please pray for our case in the court against the people who killed our child," he asks. "Pray that the justice system is fair to us. Pray that the perpetrators do not find ways to harm us more if they are released. I am also unsure if God wants us to stay in the same village or look for a new place. Pray that the Lord leads us in making the right decision."
He also asks us to pray for their persecutors. "I believe that the people who plan to kill or harm us for any reason can open their hearts to see God's mercy and love, if we pray for them. So please pray for them."
*Names changed for security reasons.