He used to worship a ‘devil god’—now he follows Jesus

Persecution begins

Choj is very matter-of-fact in the way he shares his testimony. It’s almost like he’s telling someone else’s story.

“I knew there would be persecution by my village,” Choj says, looking back. “I decided to follow Christ, anyway.”

Four days after his decision, Choj believed he had to tell his family how his daughter was healed: “I told them Jesus had healed her after the pastor prayed for her.

“My brothers were very happy for us and wanted to build an altar for me to worship our ancestors.” (in Hmong culture, the altar is believed to be where the spirits of ancestors return)

But Choj refused their offer. That’s when his family and his village turned on him.

“That’s when the persecution began,” he says. “They wanted to cast me out of the village; even police officers and local authorities told me to go back to worshiping the ancestors.”

But this new believer wouldn’t be swayed: “I replied that I had already accepted Jesus Christ and that I would not go back.”

We ask him if he ever had any doubt about following Jesus, especially after his family’s disapproval and threats. He smiles as if he’s thought a lot about that day and the difficult days ahead.

“There was something unexplainable in my heart that said, ‘Don’t go back, just follow Christ,’” he says. “It wasn’t courage. When I saw how God healed my daughter, I could see He is the Healer. There is no more reason for me to sacrifice to a devil god. I’ve got nothing to ask him. I know God is good.”

Day 6

Two days later, on the sixth day after Choj accepted Jesus, life changed forever for him and his family. He looked out to see a mob approaching his house. He describes what happened next:

“They asked me to come out. Then they began to tear down our home. They took our cow and goat from the shed. Then they asked us to leave the village.

“They said, ‘If you stay, every person in this village will give you one punch and you will die.’ Then they ransacked our home; all the valuable property was taken out. They tied our goat and cow inside the destroyed house.

“They gave my oldest brother a hammer, and he smashed the house to pieces, saying, ‘They don’t worship our ancestors anymore! He doesn’t worship our mother and father! He is against the family!’”

Someone pushed a paper at Choj to sign over his property and land to the village. But he refused. In fact, in all of the chaos and screaming, Choj says he remained calm, even peaceful.

“I could only think about Jesus,” he says. “I know God will give me a new house one day.”

Recognizing the danger they were in, Choj and his family, along with his wife’s family, ran for their lives from their village.

‘I’m so thankful’

A year has passed since Choj and his family were forced to leave their village. He, his wife and his daughter have been living with his in-laws in a tiny 13-by-16-foot space.

But because of you, Choj and his family are looking forward to moving into a new home. Through your provision, he has been able to buy wood and pay a worker to build a new house for him and his family. He and his family have seen “the amazing love of God,” he says.

Because of you, this father that didn’t know God a year ago now has hope.

“I’m so grateful for the help of other believers here in Vietnam, but also foreign brothers and sisters via Open Doors,” Choj says. “I’ve walked around the new house, and I feel very happy and grateful. I know it’s possible, thanks to the help of my family in Christ. Without the help of my brothers and sisters, we’d have to live on the streets.”

Living proof

Choj’s story is far from over. He still prays for his family and his village. He calls his relatives sometimes, but they rarely pick up. When they do, they shout at him. He misses them, but he also says the persecution he has gone through has brought him closer to God.

“I want to know Him better,” he says.

Choj is illiterate and cannot read the Bible. He simply listens to God’s Word through his pastor who reads from a Hmong Bible. He doesn’t have a favorite Bible verse, but he says he remembers seeing the movie The Passion of The Christ.

“I was very touched by Jesus’ sacrifice,” he says, putting into simple words the essence of the gospel: “Jesus had no sin, but because of His love for us humans, He had to die.”

Choj and his family are living proof that God is at work, even in the remote mountains and dense jungles of Vietnam, even among the Hmong people. He’s working through His Church every day in these places and in the hearts of believers like Choj.

“I don’t know how to express my feelings,” Choj says quietly, “but it means a lot that you are there for me. Thank you and may God bless you.”

 * Name changed for security reasons