The church and Christians in Yemen, like everyone else in the country, are deeply affected by the war in the country. On a slightly shaky Skype connection, I spoke to the local Christian woman, Arwa, who is involved in the food distribution project. For security reasons, the alias is used. She explains how the war has affected the church and how the project affects the people in the country.
She says: "Back then (before the war), the people who met were afraid. In the beginning, we also struggled with trust issues, and we thought there were no other Christians. But then another family joined and then a single believer, and then we were a group that could have women's meetings, children's gatherings and Bible study."
What happened to the church when war broke out?
"Most of us were in the same city before the war. When the war started, the Houthis entered the city and took control, and then we couldn't stay there because then the Saudis came and the airstrikes hit randomly and destroyed everything, so the city was not safe for anyone."
"Not everyone left the city. Some moved, some stayed. One of those who stayed was ours brother, who was killed by Al-Qaeda. The found him and killed ham, because they knew him and his beliefs. Neither the government nor the police could protect anyone."
What did it do to you Christians that you were scattered in this way?
"We used to have our meetings and encourage each other and pray with each other, but we couldn't do that anymore because we were scattered, and in the beginning it wasn't even safe for us to be in contact over the phone."
"It was a long time before we were able to just check up on each other and see if we were all insafety and had a good time."
The church grew
Yet the number of Christians in the country has grown since the war broke out. At least threefold - maybe even fivefold.
"People said it would go the opposite way. They tried to control us and make us afraid, and they wanted to shake us by killing our brother and move us and take away our ability to be together. But the opposite ended up happening, because now we have so many believers all over the country. When we were all together in one city, we were strong and we were unsure what would happen when each believer was alone in a village, but actually they are getting a lot of contact with the locals and building relationships with families and tribes. And therefore more people come to faith because we have people scattered all over the country."
The church has a unique opportunity right now
"We're all suffering, we're in the same situation, but we have something special that they don't have and we can do something about it. DThat's what they're missing."
"We are there as Christians and we can bring peace. During the airstrikes, I received a messagemessage from some believers on WhatsApp: "Let's pray together for peace. This is the only way we can be safe and bring peace to Yemen."
"I believe God is using this situation to benefit the Yemeni people. I see how much we are suffering in Yemen, but we are also benefiting from it."
"How can we help as Christians? We help with food, medicine and shelter, but people also need peace to survive - nothing else canHelp longere", slutter Arwa.
The church in Yemenbring peace from God in the midst of war and strife. They gain new contacts and relationships with which they can provide food and relief thanks to the support of Danish European Mission donors. Through it, Christians also have the opportunity to witness about Jesus so that more people can come to faith in Him.
