When Lid* started teaching literacy and Bible stories to children in his village, the locals opposed him and threw stones at their house until the Christians felt forced to move to a safer place. But thanks to help from Open Doors local partners, Lid is still conducting the classes.
*Name changed for security reasons.
VIDEO SCRIPT
Lid
They prohibited us from gathering to worship together, and they didn’t allow us to build a church. They made us sign a document saying that if we worship the Lord, they would confiscate our animals and our land and destroy our house.
Lid is a Christian convert and teacher from southern Laos. He faces opposition from his local community who accuse him of following a foreign religion.
Lid
There were many children in the village, but they were illiterate and didn’t know the Lao language. So my brother and I bought some books so that the children could attend classes and start learning. I began teaching the children the basics of the Lao alphabet. Now my brother, who had attended Bible classes, helped me to teach them about the Bible, how the Lord created the earth and humans.
Not long afterwards, the villagers found out that we were teaching the children about the Bible. They said, you’re studying the story of God. This is not right. It’s bad. This led to persecution Later they started throwing stones at our house where we held the classes.
In June 2024, we were forced to move to a farm. It wasn’t an official expulsion, but the stoning never stopped. They told us, if you can stand it, we’ll keep stoning. If not, we know you’ll choose to leave yourself to keep the law. And then we feared for the children’s safety, as they often played around the community.
Adults could get stuck to. But it’s out of fear for the children that we decided to move to the farm. Now that we live on the farm I continued teaching the children because they are illiterate and don’t know the law language. I feel compassion for them. So I keep teaching.
Through local partners, Open Doors provided the believers with school supplies and help them to build a new house. Lid now teaches about a dozen children the Lao language and maths, as well as stories from the Bible.
Lid
There were Christian brothers and sisters who supported us to be able to conduct the teaching. They provided the equipment so that we could continue doing the classes. They provided books, pencils and a board. May the Lord bless everyone who has the heart to support us.
People Interviewed and their Titles
Lid* – Laos Teacher
*Name changed for security reasons
Recording Location
Laos
Organization featured in this Story
Open Doors UK – www.opendoorsuk.org
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