When Azeta returned back to her father’s house, now a teenager, he warned her not to attend the church in their village. He told her, “I will kill you the day I see you going to church.” Despite her father’s cold warnings, whenever he would leave town, Azeta would sneak to church.
Even against the threat of death, Azeta continued to nurture her faith. She says, “I used to bow my head and pray silently before bed, in the morning when I woke up and before meals. I would go out into the bush alone to fast and pray.”
One day, one of her father’s wives noticed Azeta praying to Jesus and alerted her father. He grabbed a wooden board and attacked Azeta. She was left wounded and bleeding, but found comfort in Galatians 6:17, which says, “From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.”
After the attack, Azeta’s father sat her down and told her, “If you follow Islam the way you follow Jesus, you will go to Heaven and see God.” Courageously, she told her father that she loved Jesus, and that He is the way, the truth and the life.
Shortly after the exchange, Azeta’s father forced her to marry a Muslim man.
Azeta and her husband moved to the Ivory Coast where they lived for seven years. During that time, Azeta gave birth to three children, but they all died. Her fourth child, Florence, was born terribly sick as well. Azeta told her husband, “If we pray to Jesus, He will save our child.” After debating what his wife had told him, he agreed that Azeta could publicly practice her faith. She sought out the counsel of a local pastor and prayed for Florence—and she was miraculously healed.
Over the past twenty years, Azeta and her husband have had four more children.
Looking back on her life, Azeta is full of praise. She says, “God has blessed me with five wonderful children. My daughter, Florence, married a pastor and they are happily serving the Lord together. And my father-in-law has become a Christian, and so have many of his children.”
In Hebrews 12:1, it says, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Azeta’s life is an example of grave discrimination, but also faithful perseverance. She not only has grown her own faith, but has inspired faith in those around her. Azeta has passed along some prayer requests. Join us now in prayer for her and her family.
Father God, we come before You on behalf of our faithful sister. She was beaten for her belief in You, but has kept You close to her heart regardless. We are inspired by her. We ask that You continue to grow her faith and that she will remain a good follower of You and servant of Jesus.
Lord, we ask that You protect and guide her five children, that they will remain faithful. We think of Azeta’s husband; we ask that You work in his life and bring him to You. And we pray for provision, that Azeta and her family will be blessed with jobs, food and shelter. We’re thankful for this courageous woman and her testimony to You. Amen.
About the authors
Pastor Moses and Tim Dustin write for Global Christian Relief where they share stories of persecution out of Burkina Faso and the rest of the world. Get the latest blogs and prayer requests at GlobalChristianRelief.org
