From her left side, Noviana Malewa may look like any other 15-year-old girl. But if you look closer, you’ll see a sadness—and a strength—much too deep for a girl her age. She has the look of someone who has witnessed more than she wants to see and endured more than she thinks she can survive.
She turns to look the other way and more of her story is revealed. The right side of Noviana’s face is marred with a straight scar that begins just below her right eye and ends at the back of her neck.
Noviana and three other teens were walking to their Christian high school near Poso, Indonesia. The four girls were chatting, laughing and picking flowers as they walked. Their fun was suddenly interrupted by six masked men dressed in black who jumped out of the jungle wielding machetes.
A Surprise, Brutal Attack
Noviana fought bravely but was struck across the side of her face and neck with a machete. She fell to the ground and rolled down a hill into a ravine. Above, she heard her friends screaming. She realized she was badly bleeding and cried out to the Lord, “Please help me!”
Noviana ran about one kilometer to a nearby village. But when the villagers saw her wounds, they were frightened and ran away from her. Just as she was about to lose hope, a van of soldiers appeared and took her to a hospital. She praises God for this divine intervention.
Noviana was the only survivor that day. The three other girls were beheaded.
Frightened and Hiding
After the attack, Noviana was hidden in a Christian village and guarded by the police because her testimony was needed in court. The radical Muslims who had killed her friends were still looking for her. It was too dangerous for her even to attempt a hospital visit.
After months of negotiation to guarantee Noviana’s safety, VOMedical (Voice of the Martyrs medical care) was finally able to arrange transportation to a hospital in Surabaja, Indonesia. Noviana suffered damaged nerves, a dislocated lower jaw and loosened teeth. She had surgery to repair nerve damage and reduce scarring.
Though her physical scars are beginning to heal, she still struggles with the emotional and mental scars from witnessing the brutal murder of her three friends. Yet, she continues to follow Christ.
It’s Really Happening
Christians being persecuted for their faith may seem hard to believe, but it’s a reality that’s happening in several areas of the world. It may be easy for you to think, Our church will never be persecuted! We’ll always be free to worship our way.
But others have thought the same thing—in China, Turkey, the Middle East and parts of Africa. The Christians in these countries learned the hard way what it means to be persecuted. How would you respond if we added North America to that list?
A Realistic Experiment
One church decided to find out. They planned a secret and “underground” service. A member who was also a police officerdressed in his uniform, complete with gun, and stood guard at the church’s front door. He glared at anyone who passed him.
The congregation sneaked in the back door, one at a time with several minutes between each. One teenager stood where she could watch the officer at the front door and warn the others if he started to come around to the back.
Inside it was dark except for two candles that stood near a cross, made of small crossed branches laced together. It was completely silent—no musical instruments, no murmurings of the people as they settled for worship.
There were no pews or chairs. A few concrete blocks, some covered with a blanket, were for the older people. Others sat on the bare floor.
The pastor, dressed in work clothes, talked briefly to the people in a low voice, reminding them of Christ’s love and sacrifice on the cross. They couldn’t sing a hymn for fear the guard would hear them, but they quietly prayed.
“We aren’t allowed to have Bibles any more,” the pastor said, “but we can remember what God said in His Word. Turn to your neighbor and repeat your verse to him or her, and remember, be quiet. We’ll go around the room so only one person will be speaking at once.”
Future Reality?
Could this be your church some day? If it were, could you remember enough Bible verses to encourage your fellow Christians? Could you recall the words of hymns such as “Amazing Grace” and “How Great Thou Art“? Would you be brave enough to sneak in a back door past an armed guard?
In church this Sunday, think about how it is now—and how it would be if yours were a persecuted church. Then pray for those Christians whose churches are locked against them and pray yours never will be.
The true story featuring Noviana Malewa was written by Angela Reid and reprinted with permission from Voice of the Martyrs. The piece on the church experiment was written by Betty Steele Everett.
How far will I go for my faith?
Travel with eight ordinary teens who decided to experience faith at its most extreme. Their trip to smuggle Bibles to the underground church in Vietnam became a real-life lesson in persecution and courageous faith that took their faith to heights they never expected.
Underground Reality: Vietnam
The Voice of the Martyrs DVD
Item code: P00761V
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