Hanna Massah speaks about life in Gaza

Hanna: Yes Rami received a threat. Someone came to the Bible Society several weeks before he was murdered; this person tried to put pressure on him to convert him to another faith and when Rami said no they told him "we know how to make you one"; so this was kind of a direct threat to Rami and on October 6th a group of people kidnapped Rami after he closed the Bible Society. That was 4pm and 10 hours after that we found his body where he had been executed.

As you can imagine this was a big shock for us because it had never happened before. After they'd kidnapped him we thought that maybe they would free him after a while, but unfortunately this didn't happen. They executed him with 2 bullets, one in the back of his head and the other one from the side. We went through tough times, especially his wife and his children because Rami has a wife Pauline and 3 children; George is about 3 now, Abu Sam is one now and when Rami was murdered his wife was pregnant so he had a baby girl on February 4th a few months after he was killed. She named her daughter Sammer which means Heaven because she knows Rami is in heaven now. What has comforted us is the fact that we know where Rami is, he's in a better place; this is our hope, our faith. Now we just continue to pray that the Lord will continue to give strength and grace to Pauline, the children and to us all because it has been difficult for everyone in the church and the community of believers of Gaza.

Paul: You hear a lot about sahids, the martyrs who want to go out and kill people to become a martyr, but Rami really did become a martyr for the Lord because he showed the love of Christ to people all around him.

Hanna: Amen yes! You know this is a real honour for us as Christians because Rami really honoured us by his faithfulness, because he refused to deny his faith; because these people tried to put pressure on him but when he refused to deny his faith they didn't know what to do with him so they killed him.

This honoured us in Gaza, we saw and felt God by his grace and that qualified us in some ways to go through this tough time. It's really an honour for us. It's also the ultimate example of our Lord Jesus who never took the life of a person but he gave for humanity.

Rami loved the people and served the people in Gaza and in the end we see what happened; but at the same time this will not stop us from keeping loving people and also to experience God's forgiveness. People try to hurt you but you as a Christian where Jesus is your example follow by his grace the Sermon on the Mount to love your enemy and to pray. This shines very strongly in a place like Gaza where there is darkness, that we be the light, the salt and the ambassador for Jesus.

Gaza Baptist Church

Paul: Did this murder put a lot of fear in the church when this happened?

Hanna: Yes unfortunately it does and some people stopped coming but we thank God that the church continues to meet even though after the murder we have had several families evacuated into the West Bank because the danger continues even after Rami's murder. This group still continue to follow our team members, some of our lives have been in danger, and this is why we have to leave for a while to see what will happen.

Paul: How can you be a light in this situation and this level of difficulty?

Hanna: God called me to be there and I believe his word and promises. We are not alone and we will never be alone. If God allows us to pay the ultimate price that Rami paid then let it be because he first gave his life for you. So it's in God's hands we just want to love him and live for him.

Paul: Now you are a Palestinian but you have an American passport so you could leave at any time so why do you put up with all this harassment, difficulty and persecution?

Hanna: As I said I feel the main thing is God called me to serve him in Gaza. I feel his hands on me to serve my people and as I said I believe his word when he said "I will be with you until the end of days". I believe that that he will continue to walk along side of us. This is what has really encouraged and inspired us; because I believe the best place for me is to be in his will. If I'm in the midst of his will the worst place in the world will be the best place for me even if it's Gaza and if I come out of his will, then the best place in the world is the worst place for me. So the safest place is to be in the midst of his will and this is where our security will be.

Paul: So what's your prayer for Gaza?

Hanna: Our prayer is that there will be stability and safety where we can reflect God's love and to see his Kingdom expanded; and stability for the whole region because as you know there is a lot of tension all over the Middle East. We just pray that the Lord Jesus who visited our land 2000 years ago will visit Gaza by the power of his love and the power of his Spirit.

Paul: How can people help Rami's family are there any needs there?

Hanna: You know it's wonderful to see how many faithful Christians round the world who stood with us and stood with Pauline and the children, which has really inspired and encouraged us. It would be a real blessing for Pauline and her children if the Lord put it on someone's heart to support them financially. It will be a blessing for them and we would be grateful for that.

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