Experiencing God’s Presence in a Pigsty

27 November 2024

After abandoning traditional tribal beliefs for faith in Christ — and subsequently losing her husband, son and home — an ethnic-minority Christian in Vietnam looks to the Lord for provision and protection.

When Ninh’s husband, Doan, told her that he had become a Christian, she was more confused than angry. “What does that mean?” she asked, wondering why Doan would abandon their traditional Hre tribal religion of ancestor worship and sacrifice to spirits. Ninh had never even met another Christian.

“It means I am not a slave of Satan, of sin or of worshipping idols any more,” he explained. “I am now a son of God, and when I die I will go to my Father in heaven.” In the weeks that followed, Ninh saw how Doan’s freedom in Christ had changed him and soon she too placed her faith in Christ.

The family began attending a church in a distant village, walking hours each way every Sunday. But after noticing their weekly journey, curious neighbours began asking questions. “Isn’t Christianity an American religion?” they asked. In Vietnam, the atheistic communist government views Christianity as a tool of the West and a threat to its power and control.

“I’ve never met an American,” Doan answered. “A village pastor shared about the love of Jesus, about salvation and about the Bible. I just believed.” Doan often took these opportunities to share the gospel with his inquisitors. After three more families joined them in following Christ, Doan and Ninh formed a small Christian fellowship that met in their home.

When village authorities learned about the small group of Christians meeting every Sunday, they tried to stop them. First, Doan and Ninh received a written notice: “This religion is from the US,” the letter warned. “It is not Vietnamese. This is your first warning. If you continue to worship Jesus, we will beat you.”

Next, the government confiscated their land. Every time Doan and Ninh ventured into unincorporated areas to clear new land for themselves, authorities took that too. Their experience was not unusual; new Christians in tribal areas of Vietnam are often evicted from their homes and villages.

The couple hired themselves out as farm labourers to support their family, but Doan had a heart for evangelism. He continued to share the gospel with anyone who would listen, and the church still met in their home every week. The persecution soon intensified, however, and men began following Doan everywhere, trying to pick fights with him by insulting his faith and family.

Ninh’s faith was also tested by the growing pressure. “At first I thought that being a believer would mean that we have a good life,” she said, “that we would have no arguments with our neighbours and no problem with our government. We never expected the loss we would have to bear. Sometimes, with persecution like that, I felt like I was almost losing my faith. But whenever I read the Bible, especially when I read God’s promise that He will never leave or forsake us … I had more strength to stand up and continue to follow Christ.”

At about 8pm on 19 April 2022, Doan and Ninh’s neighbours heard shouting outside the couple’s home. According to witnesses, someone was angrily demanding that Doan give up his Christian faith. “We are going to take your faith from you,” a man said. “We are beating you because you won’t listen.”

By the time help arrived, Doan was on the ground. Seeing that he had fallen and hit his head on a wooden ladder, the villagers carried him into his house. Ninh was late coming home from work, so a neighbour ran to meet her on the road. He told her to hurry because something had happened to her husband.

When Ninh arrived, she could see that Doan was in desperate need of medical care. He was bleeding heavily from a head wound, and his body was covered with darkening bruises. Doan was taken to the local hospital, but doctors gave him no hope. He never regained consciousness, and by 1am he was dead.

Grief-stricken and exhausted, Ninh arranged to have Doan’s body returned home. She then began planning for his burial with the help of Christians in nearby villages.

Ninh, along with her 16-year-old son, Thai, and 5-year-old daughter, Mira, struggled in the weeks following Doan’s death. Ninh had difficulty eating and sleeping, and she was too exhausted to work. Her young daughter, Mira, was also suffering from a lack of food.

Police, after learning that Doan was a Christian, refused to investigate the murder. Adding to the family’s troubles, Doan’s parents demanded that Ninh return the home they had given the couple as a wedding gift. They also took Thai to live with them in their village, almost two hours away by motorbike.

Within a month of burying her husband, Ninh had also lost her home and her son. She lived with her mother and sister for two months, but they soon became angry about her Christian faith and forced her and Mira out of the house.

A compassionate neighbour then rented Ninh his empty pigsty as a temporary shelter. With help from the local and global body of Christ, Ninh cleaned and repaired the structure to make it livable for her and her daughter.

Thai visits as often as he can, but Ninh’s goal is to reunite her family in one home. “My prayer request is that we can be together,” she said. Local Christians have helped her purchase land, and a small house is being built for her and her children.

Ninh plans to start a small business to support her family. She dreams of a day when they will have a home that can once again serve as a church. “I want to continue what my husband and I did before his death,” she said.

In the meantime, she is reminded of God’s presence in her life by the love and support of His people. “When I am at the church, I receive care, help and support from brothers and sisters in Christ,” Ninh said. “I feel more encouraged … and more security in my heart to keep going and following Jesus.”

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