“My neighbor was a Christian and she was needing surgery, so I helped her with some money,” Rima recalled. “After some days, I was in hospital laying on my bed, screaming and bothering people who were next to me. [Then], the Christian neighbor came and told me that she was healed and now doesn’t need a surgery!”
“Then she got the money back to me, saying that if I asked Jesus to heal you, he will [help] me recover and heal from the cancer,” Rima added.
One night, Rima decided to follow her neighbor’s suggestion. “I asked Jesus to heal me. Then, I saw a light in the room and all the people next to me saw that light. Then Jesus appeared to me and told me, ‘Don’t be afraid; you will not die!’ Really at this moment Jesus healed me and the doctors did not believe that and from that time I believed in God.”
Because of Rima’s conversion, her husband divorced her. Her sons were amazed at her healing and troubled by their father’s response. They decided to leave the home with her. One son has begun to read the Bible and the other is convinced that Islam is wrong, but hesitant to accept Christianity. Because both are now in university, Rima lives alone. She lives in an apartment that is mostly bare except for a few necessities.
“I am looking for a job which can help me to provide [for] our physical needs,” she said. Unfortunately, a job is hard to find for an Egyptian woman who is also a Muslim-background believer. A new community is also hard to find.
Thankfully, Rima is part of a discipleship group where she learns about the Bible. “We are seven persons. We pray with each other and share [amongst] ourselves the tough conditions. They helped me in applicable ways such as helping me pay the rent of my apartment and also when I’m exhausted, they always be by my side.”
But still, even among a small group of other believers, she feels lonely. “I have visited the church many times and now I have some superficial friendship with some sisters. Sometimes we meet each other, but there is no strong friendship.”
A lack of friendship, a lack of family, a sense of isolation. Life for MBBs in Egypt is extremely difficult. Yet although they have suffered much, they have kept the faith. This Christmas season, we must keep MBBs such as Walid and Rima in our prayers, that they may be uplifted and strengthened through the love of Christ.
*Names of MBBs changed for security
For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org