A 12-year-old deaf girl in India has told
Open Doors USA of how she was beaten
by her father and brother before eventually
being kicked out of the family home simply
for attending church.
The girl named only as Saree told the
charity that her family had taken her to
hospitals, Hindu temples and even to
people who practised witchcraft to find a
cure her deafness, all without success.
She was 11 when she was first persuaded
to go to church by her Christian aunt who
told her that her Hindu family were “not
believers in the true God”.
When she went to the church, she
experienced an unexpected miracle.
“The people were singing songs, and the
preacher taught from the Word of God,”
she said.
“I heard a little bit of sound, so I could
understand a little of what was being said
and sung. The songs made me happy.”
At one point, she described being called to
the front where she was prayed for.
“While they were praying, I could hear
sounds. Slowly, the sounds became louder
and louder. I also felt something coming to
me. It came closer and closer. It was the
presence of God,” she said.
“Then the sounds became really clear. I
could hear everything. I was incredibly
happy.”
But Saree’s mother was not happy and
said that the family would not go to her
aunt’s church despite what had happened.
She also warned Saree to stop going,
telling her that the family would be rejected
by the other villagers.
“We won’t be able to buy any food or
drinks anymore, and nobody will talk to us,”
her mother said.
Saree said that although she continued to
attend the church in secret, her brother
soon found out and she was beaten.
“He and my father beat me and dragged
me into the house,” Saree said.
“One time, I was carrying a Bible. He took
it, threw it into the mud and beat me with a
stick. Later I collected the Bible, wiped it
clean and gave it to another believer. He
kept it safe for me.
“Almost every time I went to church, my
brother and father beat me,” she continued.
“About three months ago, they were fed up
with me. My brother and father yelled: ‘If
you continue to go to church, we will
punish you!’ They beat and kicked me
badly. Then they gave me some clothes
and pushed me out the door. My father
said, ‘You are not our daughter anymore.'”
She went to her aunt’s house but her
mother found her and brought her back,
only for her to be beaten again by her
brother who apparently told her to “leave
Jesus Christ” while he hit her with a stick
and shoes.
She refused and fled again to her aunt’s
where she continues to stay now, despite
missing her family and not being able to go
to school.
“Because of my persecution, I cannot go to
school. I also miss my family a lot. I love
my family, but they don’t accept me,” she
said.
“I’ve seen them twice after they kicked me
out. I went to see them, but my father
doesn’t talk to me. My mother talks a little
bit with me, but only my elder sister talks
nicely. I didn’t see my brother.”
She told Open Doors that when she feels
down, she thinks about the “fellowship” she
has found in church.
“A believer sister told me, ‘Don’t leave
Jesus Christ. We are here.’ She encouraged
me from the Word of God. That
strengthened me,” she said.
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