Irma was forced from her home in Mexico but has remained firm in her faith, thanks to you

Like many converts from indigenous communities in Mexico, Irma and her family were expelled from their village and found themselves on the streets. But Irma’s faith remained strong, and your prayers and gifts have provided stability and peace for them through a fruit and veg shop.

Irma* and her husband are Christians converts from an indigenous community in Chiapas, Mexico. Community leaders resented that Irma and other Christians were abandoning indigenous traditions and customs because these practices are incompatible with the Christian faith. They then cut off their basic services – and the basic services of 11 other Christian families in the area. At one point, Irma was even detained because of her faith in Jesus.  

Eventually, she and her family were expelled from the village. Irma remembers that moment well. “We left at 11pm,” she says. “We arrived in Comitán at one in the morning and we stayed on the streets, because we had nowhere to go. It was very sad for us, very painful, because we all had to sleep in the open because we didn’t have a home to stay in. There was sadness in my heart because I had left my home. But thank God, as the days went by, we found a place to stay and that’s how we survived.” 

Irma keeps the faith despite hardships 

For more than seven years, Irma and her husband struggled to provide for their family. With no support and no steady income, they relied on temporary jobs that often weren’t enough to cover rent. 

But Irma kept looking to God for help. And in 2022, Open Doors invited her to attend biblical training to strengthen her faith. Thanks to you, local partners also provided practical help to Irma’s family, covering their rent for a year.  

“Yes, we have suffered because of this, but at the end of the day, we have our God, who is our only helper and comforter,” Irma says. “I found strength in fasting and prayer. And when I came across the organisation Open Doors, that’s when I truly found peace. I learned little by little as we looked at the topic of Standing Strong Through the Storm. I felt a sense of peace and joy in my heart, because finally there were people who listened to our requests.”  

“We feel joyful and very happy” 

Mexico has risen six places on the World Watch List this year, due to an increase in persecution and pressure across all spheres of life. Christians like Irma who come from indigenous backgrounds can face ostracism, fines, incarceration and forced displacement, as well as property damage, restriction of access to schools for their children, and threats. And given that indigenous leaders are those who administer justice in such areas, believers have no one they can rely on to investigate wrongdoing and protect their religious freedom. 

Thanks to your prayers and gifts, Open Doors were able to further assist Irma and her family in 2024 by helping them set up a small business selling fruit and vegetables. “With God’s help, we have moved forward,” Irma says. “And now that we receive support with the fruit and vegetable business, we feel joyful and very happy. This past month, they also supported us with the cooler to store my vegetables in and I am very happy, I am very happy to have received those blessings.” 

*Name changed for security reasons