Convert from Islam Escapes Egypt with Daughter

Sometimes when I read about my brothers and sisters in the faith who live under oppressive conditions and sometimes live secretly as believers, it amazes me how much faith they have in the Lord.  It reminds me of Hebrews 11 - the "faith" chapter.  By faith...the followers of Christ did all of these things.  And in Hebrews 11:14-16 we see the following words:

For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Now consider those verses in light of today's story.  Here we see a father and daughter who lived in secret as Christians after leaving Islam, finally able to flee their country, in hopes of living free.

Only to get to the new country and not able to get visas to come to America.  As a result, they are now in a worse situation then they were in when the fled their country. 

“I feel like we’ve stepped out of a prison cell and into a fire,” he said. “We are in very, very bad conditions … My daughter and I divide the bottles of water to live, because there is no income.”
 
Maher Ahmad El-Mo’otahssem Bellah El-Gohary, 58, gained notoriety in Egypt after he sued the government in August 2008 to gain the right to change the religion listed on his state-issued ID card from Islam to Christianity. In Egypt, ID cards play a critical role in a person’s life, being used for everything from opening a bank account and renting an apartment to receiving medical care.
 
The listed religious affiliation, whether a card-holder subscribes to it or not, also determines whether the person is subject to Islamic civil law. The listed religious designation determines what state-mandated religion classes minors are required to take in school. El-Gohary said he filed the suit so his daughter, then 15, could opt out of the religious classes and would not be subject to the persecution he suffered when he became a Christian in his 20s.
 
It is a crime punishable by imprisonment to have no ID card in Egypt.

Read the full story at Compass Direct and please pray for this family.  I know this reads like a movie, but it's not, it's part of the body of Christ and when one part of the body suffers, we all do.