Window International Network

WindowKids™ March 2010 Edition

Dear John,

ONLINE:
www.windowkids.com
www.WIN1040.com/reporter

Hymnie:

Hi, WindowKids! I have a special friend I would like you to meet this month. Her name is Amina. She comes from the east African country of Somalia in the 10/40 Window.

Amina:

Maalim wanaqsan! That means “hello” in my language. I am so glad that I can tell you my story. My father was a professor at the university in Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia. My mother stayed home to care for my two brothers and me.

When I was little, I would run to the market and buy ginger for my mother so that she could prepare my favorite Somali tea. Our tea is naturally very sweet and sometimes my mother would add the ginger to the tea to make it even better.
Everyday my father would come home from the university and he would sit down at the table with my brothers and me for a cup of tea. He would tell us about the countries he was teaching his students about.

But, my father was often tired and sad when he came home. You see, my family is different because we are Christians. Most Somali families are Muslims and I never met another Somali family with our beliefs.

Before I was born, my father was a devout Muslim. In his first year of teaching, however, he began to study other religions and became intrigued by Christianity.

At first, he was merely curious, but before long he realized that Jesus (or “Isa” as we called Him in Somalia) is the Way, the Truth and the Life and he shared this with my mother. She too met Jesus and together they began raising my brothers and me in the Christian faith.

It was hard for my father because he wanted to tell his students the Gospel message – that Jesus came to earth, died on the cross for our sins, and was raised from the dead – but he knew it was against the law and would put our family in danger.
After a while, he began to talk about Christianity as he taught history and the culture of the western world.

One day, he told us to hurry and pack up our belongings because we were going to my aunt’s home in Kenya. As we were getting ready to leave, I overheard him telling my mother that one of his students had become suspicious and had accused him of being a Christian in front of the entire class. My mother was very worried. But my father told her everything would be okay and that he would soon join us in Kenya.
The year was 1991. That was the last time I ever saw my father.
Shortly after this, the very students my father had been teaching broke into the houses of Christian families and beat them. They ransacked our house, took everything we had left behind, and burned it to the ground. One of the students told our neighbor, “This is what happens to those who oppose Allah.”
That’s why we left Africa. It was very hard, but after we moved, my brothers and I managed to make friends who loved Jesus at our new school.

My mother still makes us tea after school each day. Instead of talking about far away lands, we talk and pray for the country we once called home – Somalia. We pray that the Lord will provide the people with enough to eat, that people will stop fighting with each other, and for Christian families to be kept safe.

I still have hope for my country. One day, I hope to return to my beloved hometown of Mogadishu, buy ginger from my favorite market, and make a cup of tea. *
*There are lots and lots of reasons why we need to keep the Somali people in our prayers. Many Somalis do not have enough to eat. Somali Christians live in great danger of persecution and most are very poor. Also, government leaders are often dishonest.

Although Hymnie’s interview above is fictional, Amina and her family represent those who have suffered horribly in this 10/40 Window country. WindowKids, please keep Somalians in your prayers!

Sources: Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye. Culture and Customs of Somalia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001. Print.
Hussein, Ikram. Teenage Refugees from Somalia Speak Out. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, 1997. Print.

Somali Tea

Ingredients

• 2-3 black tea bags
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cups hot water
• green cardamom pods

Directions

Boil desired amount of water in tea pot. Add tea bags using a good tea to water ratio.
Smash green cardamom pods and add to tea.
Then add grated ginger and 1 cinnamon stick
Let steep for about 10-15 minutes in pot.
Serve with milk and sugar to taste.

Source:
http://www.recipezaar.com/Somali-Tea-257624