Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Jeremiah 9:1 (ESV)
From the earliest days of mankind, women and girls have been despicably treated. Oppression and atrocities characterize the lives of far more women than can be adequately reported with statistics or on the evening news. And the time in which we live is no different. In fact, things are getting worse, seemingly with each day…
Over the last two weeks, our Women in the Window team has been working here in North Africa. We have been given the privilege of helping women who face horrific and severe hardships simply because they are women living in the Arab world. I can attest to this cry of the prophet Jeremiah, and find myself saying, “Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears” as I hear their stories and sense their deep sorrow and anguish. How I long for their plight to be lessened and eliminated altogether.
Yet these women are undaunted in their faith, which leads to unbridled joy in Christ! They love Him intensely in spite of severe suffering. They are faithful with each opportunity to serve Him, advance His Kingdom, and glorify His name with their actions and words. And they are creative, too! They discover and develop new ideas for ministry among women through our training sessions focused on helping them discover their spiritual gifts, develop their own ministry strategies, and delve deeply into God’s love letter for each of us, which is the Bible, His holy Word.
Latifa is just one example of a North African woman operating in her primary spiritual gift, which is service. She diligently organizes monthly training sessions for her team. Women involved in the house church movement gather one weekend each month to gain fresh insight from the Holy Spirit and each other. As their leader, Latifa is called upon to serve these women, and she loves doing so! Understanding her spiritual gift of service only helps sharpen her service activities and increase her joy.
Our team will continue working in North Africa this first week of November. Praise the Lord for all He has done, and for what He has in store during this final week of training. Pray with us that the women like Latifa will be encouraged and empowered to press forward in their Kingdom service throughout North Africa!
In Christ’s service,
Kim