Twice a year, Christian widows from villages in northern Nigeria, an area controlled by militant Islamist groups, are invited to a secure region in the country to receive spiritual and emotional encouragement from highly trained staff to help them recover from the trauma of persecution. Regina, whose husband was killed for his faith by Islamists, is one of these widows.
With no formal education or employable skills, many of our widowed Nigerian sisters in Christ struggle to feed their families. Although a deceased husband’s family is culturally expected to care for their son’s widow, the family often refuses to care for Christian widows who left Islam to follow Christ.
“Life has not been easy for me. I could not hold up myself. I could not feed the children,” one widow said.
During three months of healing and training, the widows study God’s Word, learning about his character and love and reflecting on biblical truth and obedience. Through the study of God’s Word and support from the body of Christ, they find hope and learn to forgive.
“I never thought that I would ever forgive Boko Haram,” Ruth said. “But I did. I have not only forgiven them, but I love them.” Boko Haram had attacked Ruth’s village, killing several hundred people and burning buildings, including her church.
Overcoming grief and fear, the widows begin to tell others about Jesus Christ. Some return to their home villages with new skills and even tools such as sewing machines to help them provide for their children and to serve as evangelists in their communities.
“I want people to know that God is a merciful God,” another widow said. “He knows us and our destiny. He does things in a way that man cannot understand unless you give your life to him.”