Women gather for a sweet reunion in Niger

WOMEN GATHER FOR A SWEET REUNION IN NIGER

BY LUCIA EBERLE

A long-awaited reunion saw women from Burkina Faso, Niger and Benin spend a blessed week together earlier this year.

A dozen of SIM’s Dorcas project leaders gathered in Niamey, Niger - their first meeting since February, 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and local unrest.

Dorcas exists to support, encourage and help mainly Christian widows in West Africa, providing them with the skills they need to start small businesses so they can feed their families and make ends meet.

Lucia Eberle, an SIM worker who has been with Dorcas since 2013, said: “It was a gift from God we could all be together at the same place and to work alongside such incredible women of God who lead Dorcas in their own countries.

“What a blessing it was to spend such quality time with these leaders and to pour into each other through God’s word, leadership training, worshipping God, praying, eating, craft-making, sharing life, and telling stories of what God is doing in each country.”

The Dorcas Widows project was founded in 2006 by SIM worker Soula Isch, who was herself a widow and saw first-hand just how hard life was for widows in West Africa.

This year’s gathering was their third leadership retreat, following up on the promise given on the 10th anniversary of Dorcas Burkina (2016) to start meeting as leaders.

The members were given books on leadership in Christ. The retreat also sparked hope for the future.

Lucia said: “This time, even more than before, we felt brought together. It made us think of today, but also of the future of Dorcas; we dreamed, we shared, we prayed, we laughed … it was true life together. It was an encouragement for all of us.”

This long-awaited time of fellowship and growth ended all too soon, but the renewed relationships and community in Christ continue daily through messaging apps.

The women stay in contact through the apps, sharing prayer requests and their thoughts on one of the leadership books they are reading together.

Laughter, teasing each other and dreaming of being together again are very much part of their frequent and regular conversations.

PLEASE PRAY:

For the project leaders as they learn more about what it means to be a leader in Christ

For the widows involved in the Dorcas project, that they would see the love of Christ and the truth of the gospel

For continued excitement and renewal in Dorcas leaders as they adjust back to the realities of their ministries

The Dorcas women pose for a special photograph at their long-awaited 2022 reunion