Ruth: “Tomorrow will be better.”
Ruth lost everything – except her hope in God. We sat down with Ruth and talked about why she still hopes for a better tomorrow.
We meet Ruth* at her hair salon in a busy neighbourhood. Eight people awkwardly try and fit into the narrow front room where she has set up her business. In the back is her bedroom. It’s small and simple, but she can call it her own. She has prepared a traditional coffee ceremony for us. We drink the required three small cups of coffee to complete the ceremony – thankfully itgets weaker with each round. Ruth passes around popcorn and roasted barley. She may not have much but what she has, she shares with her us, her visitors.
The young woman is only 22 years old but could easily pass for 16. Looking at her it’s easy to envision her on a university campus; a bookbag casually slung over her shoulder, wearing a fashionable dress as she walks to class, or even sitting care-free with a group of friends taking a break between classes. Except Ruth wears a pink hairdressing apron as part of her work uniform and worries each month if she will be able to pay her rent. She’s had to grow up quickly.
The young woman is only 22 years old but could easily pass for 16. Looking at her it’s easy to envision her on a university campus; a bookbag casually slung over her shoulder, wearing a fashionable dress as she walks to class, or even sitting care-free with a group of friends taking a break between classes. Except Ruth wears a pink hairdressing apron as part of her work uniform and worries each month if she will be able to pay her rent. She’s had to grow up quickly.
“The area I come from is dominated by traditional religion, so it’s very difficult to live there as an evangelical Christian. Family and community life is dictated by traditions and rituals. It is a very small city, so almost everyone knows each other. If you are an evangelical Christian, they will know. They refuse to talk to you or even have any kind of relationship. Right now, my family doesn’t talk to me at all.”
Ruth came to know the real Jesus, the One who saves through His finished work on the cross, at the age of 14. A friend’s mother shared the Gospel with her. “I was told clearly ‘Lord Jesus Saves, Salvation is through Christ’. When she told me there is no way to be saved other than Him, I said okay.”
Learning that God doesn’t require endless rituals or fasting to be in relationship with Him made the decision easy. However, at that young age, she couldn’t foresee the fallout her decision would have. For two years Ruth secretly worshiped with a small local church. Then her family discovered a Bible in her room. Very quickly the dreams she had of receiving an education and a promising future vanished. Her family abandoned her, and her friends looked the other way when she approached.
“Isolation is painful. It’s hard to understand how my family, who used to love me, could suddenly hate me. All of this creates horrible feelings.” Still, Ruth still remains hopeful, even if her life hasn’t turned out the way she thought it would.
“When I was a child, I dreamt about studying. I wanted to reach higher levels. I didn´t want to fall behind. All my friends are still studying and some of them have graduated already. When I see all of this, I feel really sad.”
Ruth keeps a tight grip on her emotions and, maybe more importantly, her faith in God and that He will take care of her.
“May God be praised, even if life is hard now, even if I am not living the life I thought I would and continued my schooling like my peers… I am still here saying tomorrow will be better.”
“When I was a child, I dreamt about studying. I wanted to reach higher levels. I didn´t want to fall behind. All my friends are still studying and some of them have graduated already. When I see all of this, I feel really sad.”
Ruth keeps a tight grip on her emotions and, maybe more importantly, her faith in God and that He will take care of her.
“May God be praised, even if life is hard now, even if I am not living the life I thought I would and continued my schooling like my peers… I am still here saying tomorrow will be better.”
For the most part of the interview Ruth remains buoyant. In each answer she praises God but also evades many of the questions so that she doesn’t have to dwell on the past and her present predicament. Eventually the thin layer of positive varnish cracks and she begins to cry. It’s as if all the tears she had kept to herself for months, possibly years, could not stay suppressed any longer and jumped at the opportunity for a way out.
We sat there with Ruth, thankful that we were there to comfort her and she did not have to cry alone. A train of tissues passed from hand to hand, we put our arms around her while tears kept rolling down her face, her lips trembling and her knee jumping up and down. Silently we prayed for her until she calmed down and was able to continue.
Ruth was stuck in her hometown. She stayed with someone from her church but without support from her family there was no future for her there. Though Ruth is a bright woman, all the pressure caused her immense anxiety, and she failed her grade 10 year. With no one to support her, she had to start working in menial jobs. Her church contacted Open Doors and we helped her complete a vocational course in 2021.
“My pastor talked to the organisation and they said they could send me to do a short course in hairdressing. May the Lord bless you, I want to use this opportunity to thank you. Because of the support of believers around the world, the organization has helped me a lot. You have helped and supported me. I told them I want to work, at least I want to earn something which I can call my own. I told them I want to change my life.”
Life isn’t easy. Ruth feels isolated many days, without any friends to encourage her in her journey and to walk alongside her. In addition, Ethiopia’s economy has struggled due to armed conflict, and hairdressing has become a luxury many people cannot afford. Ruth needs to work other jobs on the side to make ends meet, but she is determined to meet every challenge with God at her side.
We left that meeting encouraged. The future of the church in Sub-Saharan Africa is in the hands of young people like Ruth, and she welcomes that commission with open arms.
Pray
Ruth asks: “Please pray for me. Ask God to help me in everything. The Bible says the beginning of Wisdom is the fear of God. So, I want to make God first in everything I do. I want God to help me and keep me safe from all evil.”
Pray that Ruth will soon make godly friends who can support her emotionally and spiritually.
Pray that God would build his Church among young people and that he will raise leaders among them that can shepherd the numerous young people that are coming to faith in this region but face severe persecution.
Pray that Ruth’s testimony of God’s faithfulness through the wider Body of Christ will be a great encouragement to other believers who may be young in the faith and intimidated by their challenges. Pray that, like Ruth, the young will put their faith in God and say ‘I am still here saying tomorrow will be better’.
Pray that Ruth will soon make godly friends who can support her emotionally and spiritually.
Pray that God would build his Church among young people and that he will raise leaders among them that can shepherd the numerous young people that are coming to faith in this region but face severe persecution.
Pray that Ruth’s testimony of God’s faithfulness through the wider Body of Christ will be a great encouragement to other believers who may be young in the faith and intimidated by their challenges. Pray that, like Ruth, the young will put their faith in God and say ‘I am still here saying tomorrow will be better’.
Learn more
Sub-Saharan Africa is a region with increasingly violent attitudes towards Christians. In this podcast, we talk about why that is, and how we can be praying for this region.
