All she had to ward off the full heat of the sun was a tattered tarp, but her radiant smile and the invitation of freshly brewed traditional coffee drew in passers-by.
As customers sipped the strong sweet
coffee, she willingly shared the story that brought both her and her young
daughter to this spot on the street…
At 14, out of the desperation of poverty,
her parents sold her to a wealthy Muslim man in the Wollo region of Ethiopia.
Taken into his home, she was announced as his wife and given the singular task
of having children…she was to have no contact with the outside world…not even
the ability to leave her husband’s home…
She learned nothing of her husband’s religion,
but understood that sharia law left her with few options. For several years she
toiled under her husband’s abuse, giving birth to 2 beautiful children. Finally
in her own feeling of desperation and out of a deep will to simply survive she made
the heart wrenching decision to leave her children behind and escape the rule
of her husband…
She ran as far as she could…
But what options are left for a runaway
bride no longer protected by the virtue of virginity? To simply survive,
prostitution appeared to be the only option left to her…
From one hell to another…
After several years as a prostitute she
made the bold decision to return to her husband’s home, to see her children and
demand a divorce settlement…
However her husband had already been to the
sharia judge and divorced her in her absence claiming she had disappeared –
removing any claim she had to his property and to her beautiful children…
Broken, she traveled to distant city
planning to continue in prostitution. It was in this city away from all she
knew that she heard the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ for the first
time. She made the decision to leave prostitution and follow Jesus. Soon after,
she began a relationship with a young man who was a new believer like her.
They feel in love…got married and soon
thereafter discovered she was pregnant.
During her pregnancy she became very ill
and went to see a doctor. Blood tests revealed their worst fears…she had
HIV/AIDS. Her husband went for a blood test himself and when he discovered he
was negative for the virus he left her immediately.
Alone again she toiled with the
disease…left with no other option she sought out her parents, lying to them
that she had tuberculosis, begging that they would take her in…
Believers began to reach out to her…to pray
for her…to encourage her that there is a God who could bring healing even to
her…
She gave birth to a beautiful daughter who
squirms at her side as she brews another pot of coffee over a tradition coal
fire and continues to tell her story…
Her daughter was immediately tested for
HIV/AIDS…miraculously her blood was clear of the disease…there were no signs of
it! However, the coffee woman was not as fortunate. The disease so ravaged her
body that thick layers of skin began to peel off of her…her life appeared to be
ebbing away…
Believers continued to come…continued to
pray…continued to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and invite her to experience
the healing they had themselves experienced in Christ.
Slowly, her condition began to improve…her
skin healed of the sores and boils that had so painfully brought her to the
edge of death…
In the course of a regular checkup at the
HIV/AIDS clinic, her blood was tested and to her great astonishment, no sign of
the disease could be found…
She gave all praise and glory to God!
Healed, she began to sell coffee on the
street making just barely enough to purchase supplies for another day and
provide a small amount of food for her daughter.
The church came alongside her as she began
to rebuild her life…
A Christian business leader had just
completed a section of street shops and offered her one of the small nooks as a
place to live and run her business. He charges her no rent and checks up on her
frequently to see that she is progressing well.
She was pleased with the pastors coming
from our training days…she had been making a good business off of them…she was
saddened that today would be our last day of training…
The journey still stretches before her as
she desires to grow in discipleship and come to a greater understanding of the
infant faith that she shares so willingly today…she regularly attends a Meserete
Kristos Church in the neighbourhood and we pray that she will continue to grow
in her faith as a messenger of healing, hope, and transformation along with her
willingness to share her story.
(written March 19, 2015)
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