Yati who lives in Indonesia devoted herself to supporting her younger siblings, quitting schooling after finishing second grade. Yati helped her parents make a living out of scavenging and doing household chores for other families.

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Yati* who lives in Indonesia devoted herself to supporting her younger siblings, quitting schooling after finishing second grade. Yati helped her parents make a living out of scavenging and doing household chores for other families. They moved from one area to another, and there were nights when Yati and her siblings, Adi* (10) and Yuni* (8), slept in a cart.

In 2007, Yati’s family believed in Isa (Jesus) after a Christian helped her father find a job. But he died a year later because of asthma, leaving Yati, her mother and siblings penniless and homeless. Anticipating rejection because of their new faith, they could not seek refuge with their relatives.

“We had nothing in our hands; my mother only brought out a bag with our shirts in it. We moved four times, and none of our relatives wanted to accept us,” said Yati, teary-eyed as she recalled those difficult days.

Yati and her family are among 25,000 other Christians in a densely populated province in Indonesia. They belong to a people group that live and breathe Islam. Conversion to another faith is an act of apostasy, and so believers among them face severe pressure from relatives and neighbors.

Yati’s brothers-in-law and other relatives agreed to help only if her mother returned to Islam. However, Yati’s mother held fast to the faith, which cost them the roof above their heads.

But God did not leave Yati’s family alone. The man who helped her father turned out to be a church worker. Yati remembered him and asked again for his help. This time, she was referred to an Open Doors worker, who immediately sheltered Yati, her mother, and her siblings in a safe house.

Local believers who are placed under Open Doors’ Safe House Program receive strengthening in the faith through prayer and counselling. They are also taught livelihood skills, so that they get a chance to start small enterprises and become a blessing to their families and communities.

“My siblings and I stayed close to our mother all the time. We were afraid to play with other children. I thought they would call us names because we were Christians,” said Yati, describing her first few weeks at the safe house. For their own safety, Yati and her family were unaware that they lived in a safe house.

Soon, the fleeing family managed to adjust well with the other believers in the safe house. Yati began to mingle with other people, and she helped her mother with laundry jobs to support the education of Adi and Yuni. Despite the difficulties she faced, Yati was never heard complaining about her life.

“During my leisure time, I read the Bible for my mother, because she is illiterate. I like doing that, because I dream of becoming a Sunday School teacher someday. I want to teach children about the love of Jesus, because I have experienced it myself.”

It was still too risky for local believers like Yati to be part of local churches. Twice a week, she attended small gatherings with fellow believers in the area, during which they studied God’s Word, shared each other’s burdens and encouraged one another.

In 2009, Yati got a job in Jakarta. Although this kept her apart from her family, Yati never failed to remind Adi and Yuni to always read their Bible in the afternoon, and to read it for their mother every night.

“It was God’s Word that became our strength in times of hunger. That is why reading it is a must, and I have no apologies for being so strict about it with my siblings.”

The following year, Yati got a chance to be part of a three-day gathering that Open Doors organized and sponsored for the local believers in Yati’s province. Even though it meant permanently leaving her job in Jakarta, Yati could not be dissuaded from participating in the event.

“It was a rare opportunity to meet other believers with similar experiences and be strengthened by their testimonies. Also, it was a chance to be reunited with my family. These reasons were more than enough for me to quit my job. Besides, God has been faithful to provide for us; I believe He will do it again.”

Yati was right. After the gathering, a Christian family hired her as a house helper. What’s more, Yati’s new employer also sponsored her training at a sewing school. Now 15 years old, Yati continues to persevere in the faith. From time to time, she visits her elder sisters and shares Christ’s love to them. Her efforts have paid off; one of her brothers-in-law has come to faith and was baptized recently.

“There were days when we had nothing to eat, but Jesus never left us alone. He always sent His miracles to us. In everything, my mother and I are always on our knees to pray, and God has never failed to help us… He always answered our prayers. Yes, we are pressured because of the faith, but it also draws us closer to God,” a beaming Yati said.