Published on: 13 February 2023
DOHI NEWS
Forty-four Christians have recently been arrested and are being held at Mai Serwa prison on the outskirts of Asmara, Eritrea’s capital. This brings the total number of Christians imprisoned because of their faith to over 400.
According to Release International, in late 2020, Twen Theodros was released from an Eritrean prison after being held for nearly 16 years. In a recent interview published by the site, Twen shared thoughts on her devotion to Jesus Christ and on being imprisoned and tortured for her faith.
Twen became a believer in Jesus at 19 years of age. Two years later, in 2004, she was arrested after leaving a church meeting and detained by authorities for a month. It was then that she had to make a very difficult decision:
“Was I willing to give up my family, my education, my job, all the things I love most? And what about my life?” she asked herself at the time. “I remembered the Bible verse about giving up everything for Christ, and I made my decision right then and there.”
That same year, during a New Year’s Eve prayer vigil, Twen was arrested for a second time. At that point she was placed in a metal shipping container in Mai Serwa prison for nearly three years.
Imprisoned in a metal container and tortured, Twen saw many fellow believers renounce their faith in Christ in order to be set free. Though guards tried to pressure her to renounce her Christian faith, Twen says she thought of Matthew 10, versus 32-33:
“Whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.”
“I began to rejoice,” she states, “God wanted to show His glory in my life.”
At another prison on the Red Sea, Twen was placed in an underground cell in the sweltering heat. Given only one cup of water a day and beaten mercilessly by the prison guards, Twen once again experienced God’s sufficient grace which enabled her to endure extreme suffering. Thankfully, she never renounced her faith in Christ.
Though at times overwhelmed by fear, Twen states that the more her tormentors beat her, the more she felt God’s love for her persecutors.
“I received grace to endure the pain, and when I looked at the people who were beating me, I realized that although I was suffering now, this would take me to glory. My torturers were laughing, but I knew their end would be loss, so I started to love them. At that moment a verse of scripture came into my heart, and I prayed: “Forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” I finished that night in victory!’
