Twenty-one-year-old Dao is a Christian woman from a small village in northern Laos. She belongs to a tribe which was one of the first in Laos to turn to Christ many years ago. Dao is one of the many beneficiaries of Barnabas Aid’s work with poor and suffering Christians in Laos. Our team was able to meet with her and hear her story.
What is Life Like for Christians in Laos?
Laos is one of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Believers are given jail sentences, and struggle to find employment. It is challenging for Christians to survive in Laos, and this hardship has only been increasing.
Dao told us, “In Laos it’s very difficult to proclaim the name of Jesus. Many times the officials come and stop us from worshiping together. They tell us to leave the village and even put people in prison.”
Dao, from a background of abuse and addiction, is raising her daughter to be a good Christian
What was Dao’s Childhood Like?
Dao’s father was a drug addict. He died while Dao was still a child. She often went hungry – sometimes so much that she had to steal food to eat.
In search of a better life, Dao got married at 17 and started a family with her husband. However, her life only became more difficult: her husband started taking drugs, and became abusive. He even tried to kill Dao and her mother with a gun. Fearing for her life, Dao left him.
What Happened After Dao Left Her Husband?
After leaving her husband, Dao had no one to help her. She had no job, and not enough food for her family.
She started praying to God.
While she was praying, a pastor visited her family, and informed her of a skill center that was being run with the help of Barnabas Aid. He told her that she could go there to learn a new skill. Dao immediately decided to join.
At the center, she learned skills she could use to earn an income, such as sewing and mushroom farming. She was also given food for her family from another Barnabas-run project in the area.
What is Dao’s Life Like Now?
Dao is now a manager at the Barnabas-supported skills center, where she teaches the valuable skills she has learnt to other women. She also has the opportunity to share her faith with others at her place of work.
She says that she is happy to have gone through the hardships in her life, so that she can understand and love other people who are hurting.
“I am very happy today,” says Dao. “I have got a job and money to buy food for my family.”
When asked about her hopes for the future, Dao told us, “I want my daughter to grow up to be a good Christian so she can tell others about Jesus. I also want her to become a doctor or a nurse, so she can help those who are in need in Laos.”
Dao and her family now have enough to eat, and the income from the skills Dao has learned give them hope for a bright future
How Does Barnabas Aid Help Christians in Laos?
In Laos, Barnabas Aid runs multiple projects to help poor and suffering Christians. Dao was only one of many believers who received our support.
The food for Dao’s family included rice from a mill supported by Barnabas. The mill produces 260 tons of rice each year, which go to more than two hundred rural churches to help give the poor and hungry congregants access to their staple food.
The skills center where Dao now works is one of the many income-generating initiatives run by Barnabas in South-East Asia. Impoverished believers are assisted in starting mushroom, fish or pig farms. Training is also provided in sewing, hair and beauty, motorcycle maintenance and computer skills. These initiatives provide both income and food for Christians who otherwise struggle to make a living as part of a persecuted minority.
Some Christians, like Dao, are then offered employment at the skills center, where they can make a living teaching what they have learned there to other believers.
Dao learned many useful skills at the Barnabas-supported skills center, which she can now teach to other Christian women
How Can You Help Christians in Laos?
At Barnabas Aid, we believe in the power of prayer. We create regular Christian prayer resources, including the latest information on suffering Christians in different contexts, to help guide your prayers for our brothers and sisters. These resources are free and available on our website.
Christians in Laos, and particularly in rural areas, continue to suffer for their faith in Jesus Christ. We can only continue to offer them help thanks to our generous supporters.
Make a Donation for Christians in Laos
If you would like to make a difference in the lives of more Christians like Dao, please consider giving to our project providing income generation, Bible training, food aid and other ministries in South-East Asia. To give to this project and help suffering Christians in Laos, use project code XX-1174 on our donations page.
Donate now
Pray for Christians in Laos
Here are some prayer points related to this story, which you may wish to take before our Heavenly Father:
- Give thanks that Dao has been able to escape the difficult circumstances of her earlier life and was able to access the help she needed through Barnabas Aid
- Pray that Dao’s hopes for the future will be realized, and that her daughter will live a happy and fulfilled Christian life
- Praise God that we have been able to help so many Christians in Laos through our feeding and income generation projects
- Pray that all the Christians in Laos who need our assistance will receive it
- Ask God to watch over believers in Laos, and protect them in times of struggle.
