Persecution:
Unlikely Targets
By Joni Eareckson Tada
The other day I read an
alarming statistic that
made my blood run cold. In
an article from Open Doors,
I learned that over 100
million Christians around
the world are suffering
under persecution. I had to
stop and do the math. Many
hundreds of thousands of my
sisters and brothers in Christ
are suffering deeply from
abuse by their governments
or other religious groups.
Every statistic has a face,
which made me think of
one such Christian I met
years ago…
I was in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, speaking at a large
public meeting in an event
center downtown. I am
generous when I say, event
center -- it was more like a
massive warehouse made
of large, rusting panels of
tin. My message centered
on God’s love for people
with disabilities, and the
6 • Solutions
crowd received it warmly.
After the event was over,
a thunderstorm passed
overhead, scattering the
attendees. The dirt road
leading to the center was
filled with muddy ruts and
large mud puddles. People
dispersed to their homes,
holding newspapers to
shield them from the rain.
All except for a thin,
short disabled woman
on crutches. She lagged
behind, struggling to make
her way through the mud.
She was walking in front
of our small, tightly packed
van, and so my husband
Ken jumped out to hold an
umbrella for her, as well
as for the three children
who huddled against her.
I admired Ken for his act
of mercy, especially when
I saw the mud splatter
on his new suit pants. He
didn’t seem to mind. He
just walked slowly, held the