In the Face of Death: A Muslim girl accepts Christ despite risks

In the Face of Death: a Muslim girl accepts Christ despite risks

I am Halima Mohamed Ali.
I am from Somalia.

Life in Somalia is harsh. Halima’s parents were killed when she was young. She was left alone in a country ravaged by war. Her house mother from the orphanage often beat her and made her do all the chores, and she was abused by the other children.

If you are orphan in Somalia, you are nothing. No one cares for you, and you have nowhere that you belong.

Everyone around Halima was Muslim, but she didn’t want to be a part of a religion that didn’t care for women. She had heard that Christ was the son of God long ago in her village from workers that used to come. She was interested in knowing more.

If I tried to be a Christian while I was still in Somalia, for sure I might not remain in this world. Within seconds I would be dead.

At 17, Halima decided to go to Kenya in hopes of a better life. It took five days traveling in the back of a truck
over rough roads to reach the town of Mandera, right across the Kenyan border.

I felt good, and I thought that from now on I will not suffer any more. I could no longer hear gun shots. I thought that I would be free to be a Christian and worship the Christ Lord, and I would never again see that bad mama.

The next stop was Nairobi. A friend helped Halima find a taxi. Two men started to drive her to Nairobi, but they had car trouble and had to stopfor the night. They kept telling her they couldn’t get there yet.

The next day they locked me in a room and started taking turns raping me. I was in that room almost one week.

After eight days, Halima finally got to Nairobi. It was dark. Halima didn’t know where to go. She was crying.

I met a lady who took me to her place. I stayed there until she realized I was pregnant. She told me she can’t afford accommodating me and the child any longer. I was only 17 and really shocked when I realized that I was pregnant. And I was really worried about the baby.

Halima’s friends from Somalia took her in and advised her to get an abortion.

I didn’t know that abortion is illegal, and my friends asked me what I would do if I had this baby. Who will take care of it?

They took Halima to a doctor’s private home to have the abortion.

I was so scared, and I came down from the table. I said, “No, I don’t want!”

They tried taking her to a few other doctors, but she was scared each time. An old woman convinced her to not get the abortion, and she stopped trying. Later, she met a Kenyan girl named Faith.

I asked her why she went to church. She said that she goes to worship Jesus Christ. She said that he is the Son of God, and he will come back one day to rescue those who worship him and take them to heaven. She also told me that Jesus Christ died because of our sins. I never heard before that God became a man and that he is a really wonderful man. I believe and have seen the truth.

Now Halima cannot be around her Muslim friends from Nairobi because she fears for her life.

Muslim people believe that if you kill someone who converts from Islam to Christianity you will go to heaven. So one thing that I am sure of is that if they knew that I am now a Christian, they will finish me.

Halima had her baby. She was born March 27, 2008, one week before Hamila’s 18th birthday. Her name is Jessie, which means God’s gift.

Now I stay with a family who is really taking care of me and the baby. They are really goodhearted people even though I don’t know how to express my words to them.

Hamila now lives in Narok, Kenya, and is cared for by NMSI missionaries Ellen and Elijah Ombati. Despite the difficult circumstances she has had to face in life, she has hope in Christ.

I believe that God has really helped me. There was a time I really gave up in life, and I am here now by the [grace] of GOD who has given me another opportunity. In spite of all the hardships I underwent, I persevered and decided to live like Joseph who lived with a lot of [trials]. Surely I came to learn that God has a plan for everyone. To him who overcomes, He can rescue you from danger so long as one praises Him. And with His blessings, no man can be against it. From that, I learned that with the Lord you can live a happy life since he cares for everyone.

Halima would like to finish school and become a pilot. She would also like to provide hope to people who are suffering as she did.

Read more articles from Summer 2008 Newslink (do link to acrobat)