At just 12 years old, Sofia fled her home in Iraq with nothing but her passport and her faith. It was August 2014, and thousands of Christians were forced to abandon everything as ISIS swept through the Nineveh Plain. Sofia and her family escaped, but their home was burned to the ground—and the trauma of persecution followed them.

In Syria, danger persisted. Sofia recalls preparing for Sunday Mass when a stranger warned her to hide. Moments later, a missile struck the church. She was standing by the door.

On the left: the protagonist, Sofia Butrus; on the right: Sara Isabel (student and producer of the documentary)

“Everything exploded. I couldn’t hear or see. I thought I was dead,” she shares in Your Faithfulness, a short documentary by Sara Isabel.

Miraculously, Sofia and her siblings survived unharmed. “It was physically impossible. My death was certain. But God protected us.”

Eventually, the family found peace in England. But Sofia’s journey didn’t end there. In 2023, she was selected to join Ensemble 23, a group of young dancers performing at World Youth Day.
“It was the most joyful gift God could give me,” she says.

During a moving Via Crucis, she saw how their performance touched hearts. And then—something extraordinary happened.

“The Pope looked at us and called us forward. I fell in tears as he placed his hand on my head. After everything I’d lived through, his hand was softer than anything in this world.”

Sofia’s story is one of deep faith, resilience, and grace.
“They are forgiven,” she says of those who hurt her. “God’s love is greater than any human evil.”

When Christians like Sofia were forced to flee, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) stepped in—offering emergency aid, rebuilding homes, and helping families return to their communities. ACN continues to work closely with local Churches to ensure a lasting Christian presence in regions where faith is under threat.

Your support helps stories like Sofia’s become testimonies of hope.