Meskerem 28 — October 08

Saint Abadir and His Sister Ira

Abadir (say it AH-bah-deer) was an important leader of soldiers in a faraway city called Antioch. He loved Jesus with all his heart, and so did his sister, Ira.

One night, while Abadir was praying, our Lord Jesus came to him in a dream. Jesus told him to take his sister and travel to the land of Egypt, where they would show everyone how much they loved God. Jesus promised that a kind helper named Samuel would take good care of them. Then Jesus blessed him. Jesus came to Ira in a dream too, and told her to listen to her brother. When Ira woke up, she ran to Abadir, full of joy, and they promised each other they would go to Egypt together.

Their mother was sad and did not want them to leave, so she cried and begged them to stay. To comfort her, Abadir gently promised he would not tell the cruel king his plan. That night, before he left, Abadir did something very kind: he quietly carried water to people who were locked away, so they would not be thirsty.

Then Abadir and Ira set out on their long journey. They traveled all the way to Egypt and met good Christian friends along the road. Some soldiers thought they knew Abadir, but he smiled and kept going. At last they met Samuel, just as Jesus had said. A ruler hurt them because they would not stop loving Jesus, and they stayed faithful to God even though it cost them their lives. We call them martyrs. They were not afraid, because they knew they were going home to God. Samuel kept them safe and built a church in their honor, and God worked many wonders there.

Rise up, and take thy sister, and go into the land of Egypt, and I will take care of you.— Jesus, in Abadir's dream

Sosena, the Girl God Kept Safe

Sosena (say it so-SEH-nah) was a young woman who loved God very much. Her mother and father had taught her God's word ever since she was little, and she always tried to do what was right.

Sosena had a lovely garden where she liked to walk. But two grumpy old judges began telling lies about her. They said she had done something wrong, even though she had not. They wanted everyone to believe them, because people thought important judges always told the truth.

Poor Sosena was so worried. She knew she had done nothing wrong, but no one believed her. So she did the wisest thing of all. She looked up to heaven and prayed. She told God the truth and trusted Him to help her.

And God did help her! He gave a wise young man named Daniel the courage to speak up. Daniel said, "Wait. Let's ask careful questions before we believe anything." So Daniel asked each old judge, all by himself, "Which tree were you standing under when you saw her?" One judge said one kind of tree, and the other said a completely different tree. Their stories did not match, so everyone knew they had not told the truth! God had saved Sosena, and all the people thanked Him with happy hearts.

This story reminds us that God always sees the truth, even when no one else does. When things feel unfair, we can pray and trust God to take care of us, just like Sosena did.

It is better for me to fall into the hands of God than to sin before Him.— Sosena

More Friends of God We Remember Today

Today we also remember some other saints who loved God. There is Irene (say it eye-REE-nee), a brave woman who stayed faithful to Jesus no matter what.

We remember a father named Ankuo Maryam and his son Stephen, and two women named Hannah and Porphyrina, who all kept their hearts close to God.

And we remember Luke the monk, who gave his quiet, gentle days to praying and serving God.

We ask all these kind saints to pray for us, so that we too can love God with all our hearts.