Joy and persecution at Christmas in Burkina Faso

From a human perspective, Aicha doesn’t have much to be joyful about.

She’s been beaten by her relatives. Her parents can’t always make ends meet. And her extended family has rejected her.

But joy burns bright in the eyes of this 12-year-old from Burkina Faso.

Why? Well, it might have something to do with the promise of Christmas.

“Christmas is the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world,” Aicha says. “Christmas is not about food and clothes, but receiving Jesus in our hearts. The main message of Christmas is that Jesus the Son of God was born to save the world.”

As Aicha retells the miraculous story of Christmas, it is clear how much it means to her. Though she is young, and has suffered ongoing persecution for following Jesus, she has a steadfast faith and fervor for others to know God. “This is my message to the whole world,” she says. “No matter the life you live, come and receive Jesus as your Savior. Jesus loves you and He will save you from your sins.”

Her mother, Asseta (42), agrees. “Christmas is a great event, because if Jesus were not born, we all would not be saved,” she declares.

But it wasn’t Asseta who first explained the miracle of Christmas to her daughter.

It happened the other way around.

How the Gospel found Aicha

Aicha lives in a small community, in a modest home with her siblings, Azis (10) and sister Somaia (7), her mother Asseta, and stepfather Idrissa. Like approximately three-quarters of the population of Burkina Faso, Aicha was born a Muslim. Asseta and Idrissa, as well as their extended families, followed Islam.

As with many communities in the country, Christians and Muslims live alongside each other, often peacefully.

And that’s how Aicha met a man called Pastor Steven.

“Pastor Steven asked me where I am from, and I told him I’m their neighbor,” remembers Aicha. He’s recently moved nearby. He’s an evangelist who often moves from place to place, sharing the gospel with those he meets, and Aicha was captivated by what he taught about Jesus. “I told the pastor I would like to give my life to Jesus, because I heard that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.”

Aicha chose to follow Christ and started attending church with her neighbors and their children. She quickly began to see significant changes in her life and character—and noticed the same in Azis and Somaia, who also started going to church. It was soon noticed by her mom, too.

“I used to listen to the children’s conversations, and I realized there was a change in their behavior,” Asseta says. “When they play and a child insults another child, they will quickly remember the teaching they received that Jesus is not pleased with insults. It’s the same thing when a child refuses to share— they remember that Jesus recommends sharing what we have with others.

“I noticed they became wiser in their conduct in the family,” Asseta continues. “They changed their way of speaking to [us as] their parents, and they became more obedient when we gave them any assignment. They remember that Jesus said children should obey their parents.”

Aicha knows her behavior improved because of her faith. “There was a great change in my life when I accepted Christ as my Savior,” she remembers. I became kind and obedient to my parents.”

It gave her an opportunity to share her new faith. “I was glad to tell my parents about Jesus, because I wanted them to believe in Him as well,” Aicha explains.

God speaks to Asseta

The changes in Aicha pleased and intrigued Asseta, but she wasn’t ready to explore Christianity for herself.

But that began to change when Idrissa became very sick.

At first, the family looked to the surrounding community for help. “They started treating [Idrissa] with traditional medicine, to no avail,” she remembers. “The more they treated, the more he got worse. My family had no more money to continue the treatment.”

That’s when someone suggested to Asseta that she take Idrissa to Pastor Steven for prayer. Though she allowed Aicha to go to the church with her friends, she couldn’t imagine taking Idrissa to be prayed for by Christians. It was against everything they’d both been raised in.

“I hardened my heart,” she says. “I said no matter the seriousness of the sickness, I will not take him to church.”

But God intervened. One night, He spoke directly to Asseta.

“I heard a voice that spoke to me, saying: ‘Go to the pastor and you will find the solution,’” she recalls. “The voice repeated this three times.” Even though it was midnight, Asseta wanted to respond to the call immediately—but she didn’t know which was the pastor’s house. She did, however, know that a Christian lady lived nearby. Asseta went straight to her door to ask for help, and together they went to the pastor.

“I explained our problem and the pastor followed us to our house,” says Asseta. “He led my husband to give his life to Jesus, then prayed for him.” Idrissa’s health improved, though he wasn’t fully healed. But he and Asseta received something much more precious: They chose to give their lives to the Lord. “After my husband and I received Jesus, we all started our Christian journey—and this was when our persecutions started.”

Violent opposition from family

While Christians and Muslims live alongside each other in relative harmony in their community, that doesn’t mean there Christians don’t sometimes face difficulties. The most widely reported form of persecution in Burkina Faso is violence by radicalized groups, in which whole communities are targeted and believers are killed, maimed or displaced and face having their homes, churches and possessions destroyed. But this is not the only form of oppression that believers experience in the country.

For converts like Aicha and her parents, persecution can come from closer to home.

Leaving Islam is seen as deeply shameful to the family, and new believers are likely to face extreme pressure to return to their old faith by their families and communities—even when they are as young as Aicha. Even before her parents became Christians, Aicha was persecuted for her faith.

“My father’s older brother and my mother’s younger brother used to beat me because of my faith,” she shares. Even her aunt joined in the violence. They were particularly keen to stop Aicha going to church, and would lie in wait for her on the path. “One day, I dressed up to go to church, and on the way, my uncle met me. He beat me then forced me to go back home.”

Even though she was so young—just 7 years old when the violence from family members started—Aicha remained determined to follow Jesus. “Despite the trials, I persevered because I wanted to follow and serve the Lord,” she says. “I continued to go to church, joyfully, to hear God’s Word.”

Asseta tried to intervene, visiting her relatives and imploring them to stop beating Aicha. At the same time, she is proud of her daughter for her unstoppable faith. “Our children persevered despite the beatings and rejection,” she says. “I believe that God was the one who gave such a boldness to our children, to persevere despite the persecution. It was God’s plan for the children to stand firm, then lead us, their parents, later to be saved.”

Rejection for faith

Aicha and her family face another common tool of persecution: rejection and ostracism.

“When we were still Muslims, we used to get support from our families,” shares Asseta. “After we received Jesus, everything changed. They blamed me for being rebellious in leading my husband to become a Christian. Hence, they stopped all the support they had been providing for us.”

As Asseta tells the story, it’s heartbreaking. “From that moment, they completely rejected us and never supported us again,” she says. “They not only stopped helping us, but also stopped visiting us.” They even threatened to take Aicha away from Asseta in the future. When Asseta phoned her sister-in-law to ask for help, she was openly mocked. “From that moment, I have never called her for help again. We had many trials just because we gave our life to Christ.”

Many Christian children around the world suffer when their families are targeted in this way. Choosing to follow Jesus may mean they lose relationships with their wider family, financial security and even access to daily necessities—all of which make life painful and uncertain during a stage of life that is often fundamental to their ongoing faith. It can even put the stability of church’s next generation at risk.

That’s why supporting young believers like Aicha brings joy to their lives today, and also helps lay a strong foundation for the future of the church. So, when Open Doors local partners heard about the situation facing Aicha and her family, they were keen to help strengthen and encourage them, and bring joy to the family who had already experienced so much hardship for the gospel.

“The ministry [Open Doors partners] supported us tremendously,” says Asseta, the depth of her gratitude evident in her voice. “Through the ministry’s support, my husband was able to get medical care. Before that, my husband was staying at home without effective treatment. The ministry helped us to take my husband to hospital where we stayed for nine days.” It was an answer to their fervent prayers, and to the prayers of Pastor Steven—who had wanted to help the family, but had little money himself to offer.

As well as this vital assistance with medical bills, Open Doors partners gave Aicha and her family food support—bags of rice, corn and oil. Having been cut off from their wider family, these essentials are a start in helping the courageous believers keep going and see joy in their faith, rather than being overwhelmed by anxieties and fears for the future. Many other families like theirs need the same support, and this courageous family need your ongoing prayers and support to persevere.

Your support at work

“We are thankful to the ministry for such a great and timely support,” says Asseta. “The joy the ministry’s support brought to us is that my husband was able to receive effective medical care. It was the answer to the cry of our hearts.”

She has a message for Open Doors supporters: “Thank you so much, and I pray that God will bless and reward you. I also ask God to continue strengthening you in this great work you have been doing. Our whole family is so glad today, thanks to the support that gave us hope and made us more confident for standing firm in our faith.”

“I am also glad for the support of the ministry and all they have done for us,” agrees Aicha. “I thank the ministry for supporting us; I pray that God will continue to bless them.”

She is also delighted by messages from children in other countries, that show her she is remembered by believers from many, many miles away. Aicha was sent a message in a paper angel, written by a young child, saying “Hello, sending love and encouragement to you and your family. ‘The joy of the Lord is our strength.’” It is a beautiful moment of Christian children reaching out towards each other across continents as one body of Christ.

This Christmas, Aicha and her family know they aren’t alone. But their problems aren’t solved and life continues to be difficult. They remain ostracized from their loved ones and face pressure because of their faith and Jesus. Aicha will still grow up in a place where she knows her faith makes her a target. It can be discouraging and painful.

But through your support, Aicha can have joy and hope for the future. When she’s asked what she wants to see in the years to come, she is clear about her passion for other people to have the same relationship with God that she has been blessed with. “My hope for the future is that I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so I can go around and tell other people about the gospel of Jesus,” she says.

Around the world, there are thousands and thousands of children like Aicha who need to know they are not forgotten by their global family. They need to be strengthened and encouraged—both for today and for the years to come. This Christmas, their family in Christ across many continents can help provide practical and spiritual support, and bring much-needed joy to their world.

Aicha, for one, knows the meaning of Christmas. And through your prayers and supports, you can help other children all over the world know the joy of the season. “I wish you Happy Christmas,” says Aicha. “May the peace of God be with you all!”