sisterhood

She smiles as she brushes a stray hair out of her face. It’s good to see her again. Four years ago our team met her when she was working in a brothel. After a few weeks of visiting with the women in the North African safe house, she was convinced that she should change her life style. She joined the jewelry program and began studying the Bible and worshiping. I have a precious memory of three of those sisters singing in Amharic, “Jesus, we worship you and thank you for saving us!” They sang as they made jewelry, and now one of them is the pastor’s wife, one leads a safe house, and Tshahi has a good job. She works hard and sends money home to her country. With this, five orphans are being cared for. This week she came back because we started a new sewing project. She’s learning to sew in off hours so that she can earn extra money to care for more orphans.

Tshahi and Yerughai chatter happily, working hard at first steps sewing. Edidiyong teaches them, proud to be chosen. She came about three years ago. Another friend brought her when she was planning abortion and suicide. Now her little girl is at her side and has celebrated two birthdays with us. It’s a big step for these Ethiopian sisters to learn from a Nigerian. Many of the Nigerian men in this country use what they call “washwash” in Pidgin English. It’s a form of voodoo which controls people from a distance. They use an image on their smart phone and tell people what to do and where to go. When someone has no spiritual gates in Jesus, they are easily manipulated. Trafficking rings run by these men have ruined many a North African girl’s life. Their culture is more quiet and shy, whereas a Nigerian mama will step up and tell you what for. There’s a reason the Nigerian men steer clear of their own women! So having Tshahi and Yerughai trust Edidiyong is a big step forward. There have been bridges of grace and sisterhood in Christ built over these years.

Yerughai chats about her sisters in Syria. They are not birth sisters, but women who have chosen to stay because the Lord told them to stay and pray through this war. Several of them have spent long seasons in prison, but they faithfully build churches in cells and out of them. As we get updates from brothers going across the border to deliver basic medicine and aid to internal refugees, the network news gets circulated.

This week a distraught man showed up with his nieces. The rebels came to his town recently, promising peace and safety. The next day when he was walking his niece home between two blocks, they attacked. He was beaten and wounded, the niece was taken. Two days later they found her, raped more than 100 times. She could not take this shame and hung herself. When her mother heard she died of a heart attack. Now the uncle is trying to find a safe place for these girls.

Yerughai, Edidiyong, and Tshahi pray. They know what it is like to be a female victim. And the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their Prayer. 1 Peter 3:12.