It didn’t take long.
When Shino and Shania began showing their faces in their Somali-language Christian videos on the internet and using their real names, the response was immediate. Their videos were shown all over the world, and the persecuted Christian couple were called apostates and enemies of Islam. Their lives were repeatedly threatened.
Since they went public about their faith in 2016, Shino and Shania have had to move from house to house and country to country. Threats are constant, but God’s protection has been constant as well. By God’s grace, they are still broadcasting and sharing their faith with Somalis. “Look around.” Shania sensed God telling her early on in their ministry, “I am building my church among the Somalis. No one can stop it, and now is the time.”
Today, thousands of Somali people know their number and follow them on social media at Somali Christian TV.
Last week, Shania shared how the Lord drew her to himself and about the four years she prayed for her Muslim husband, who eventually came to Christ as well. This week the couple shares how their online ministry encourages Somalis all over the world, especially in Somalia where Christians are isolated due to Christian persecution, lack of churches and the difficulty of getting Bibles.
Listen as Shino & Shania share feedback from former Muslims who used to hate and threaten them. They will also share how they continue to train new leaders and prepare others for persecution when it comes.
Pray for the nation of Somalia this week and for Shino and Shania’s continued ministry.
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Shino and Shania left Mogadishu, Somalia, as Muslims and refugees. They settled in Europe, where they became more devout in their practice of Islam.
Then Shania saw a video of radical Muslims in Iraq beheading a hostage in an orange jumpsuit. As they committed this horrific act they shouted praise to the god of Islam. Watching the video, Shania was horrified; she began questioning everything she’d been taught about Islam and Allah.
That night she had a powerful dream—a dream that ultimately led her to leave Islam behind and follow Jesus Christ. It was a dangerous decision, yet Shania began immediately to tell others of her new faith and encourage them also to follow Jesus.
Four years later, after seeing Shania’s faithfulness and love even in the face of intense Christian persecution, Shino also chose to follow Jesus.
United in faith, the couple became even more bold in their witness, putting their names and faces in online videos encouraging other Muslims to follow Jesus. The videos have produced lots of response: on one side are Muslims wanting to hear more about Jesus, while on the other are Muslims promising to violently punish Shino and Shania for their apostasy.
Listen as Shino and Shania share their testimony of coming to faith, and please pray for more Somali people—in Somalia and spread through other nations around the world—to meet Jesus Christ.
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