International (MNN) ― Open Doors' Anneke Companjen says there is a sisterhood among the persecuted church. While many of those suffering publicly are male, these men have wives, mothers, sisters and daughters.
She's bringing attention to the female face of the persecuted church. Why? Of the hundreds of men's faces they had on the lists of pastors and church leaders who were imprisoned, there was no story of their family. Yet each of these men had mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters whose voices were unheard.
So why focus the awareness so narrowly? Companjen says, "I think women understand women. I believe women in the free world need women in the persecuted church, and vice versa. We have what we call 'Women to Women.' In Open Doors, we have many projects that focus particularly on the widows, the martyrs' wives, and on the children whose fathers are suffering."
Companjen says they're training more and more women for evangelistic work. "Open Doors has been very involved in training pastors and lay leaders, especially in Southern Sudan. Now these men who have come to classes for seven years, and these pastors, after graduation, have told us, 'Please, would you also train our wives? We are educated, and they are not.'"
As the women's training grows, Companjen felt it was time to tell the others' stories. She has written two books about the unsung women's stories. Her most recent release is Singing through the Night: Courageous Stories of Faith from Women in the Persecuted Church. There are many untold stories of the persecuted church--stories of women who bravely follow Christ at any cost. The book paints a picture of 22 women in nine different countries around the world. They have lost husbands, children, homes, jobs, or their very freedom and yet continue to praise and serve their Lord.
Of their stories, Companjen says, "The songs of believers, often sung in times of great darkness and tumult, have always inspired me. And now I have the opportunity to share more stories of women who have faced persecution for their Christian faith, focusing on the lessons they have learned during their times of hardship."
