Dear DingDash family, please keep us in your prayers today. I am here in the US writing Meriam Ibrahim's story. Not an easy story. Yesterday was filled with emotion and tears as Meriam talked about being born in a refugee camp, her father brutally murdering her aunt for an honor killing, her mother being tied up for two days and raped, and her running away and hiding to escape circumcision - only to be forcefully dragged back to the village and the Muslim elders publicly witnessing her genital mutilation - and this was all before she was even 7 years old!
We can use all the prayers we can get for this project.

@sinbach listening intentionally and weeping with those who weep are first steps to healing.
When victims tell their story to caring listeners they heal remembering the story differently each time. This helps them have a new perspective.

When a listener challenges with questions parts of the story which are not true (clue: look for sentences with the word never or always) the victim is helped to put the experiences in proper perspective.

I like to ask victims where Jesus was when this was happening. Most don't know. Most admit that they did not reach out to Him then for help. They tried to cope on their own. I help them realize clues that indicate the Lord Jesus was there all along pained at what they were facing knowing that He was not invited to help them face it.

As a listener to other people's tragedy I take comfort knowing that God made children resilient-they can recover, allow Christ to heal them and use the memory of tragedy to accomplish good works in the earth.