Sewing Lives Back Together
Over the past couple of years, we have all become accustomed to pivoting. Thinking we were headed in one direction, plans were disrupted and a new course of action determined. As most of our routines have returned to normal, we want to share a major pivot that two of our Global Leaders in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region have walked through this year.
In April 2023, a punch-in-the-gut prayer requests reached the Tirzah network of Global Leaders. Stella’s hometown of Khartoum, Sudan had turned into a war zone. We were desperately seeking out information and praying for her safety and protection. Suzy, Stella’s ministry partner in Egypt, became our best source for information. Does Stella have food? If food is available, does she have cash to purchase basic staples? Is the water still working? How about electricity? As the days progressed, we got news that she was safe but it was evident that the violence would continue. The church where the Tirzah small-business training took place had been bombed. The future of the Sudanese women’s sewing program seemed destroyed.
During a break in the fighting, Stella and her husband fled with their family to neighboring Egypt. They were welcomed by our ministry partners (the organization she works for in Sudan). Many of you supported their safe arrival and setting up their new home. Despite being in an unfamiliar city, Stella quickly got to work helping the Sudanese refugee community. Basic needs were met. And in recent months, the deep work of soul care has started through counseling and even weekend Healing Conferences.
We are overjoyed to share that the sewing program for Sudanese women that was about to start in the church in Khartoum is now taking place in Cairo, Egypt! It is an opportunity for these women, who now have the extra burden of being refugees, to gain a skill and earn an income. As these sisters graduate from the program, Tirzah’s MENA team wants to set them up for success by gifting them with a sewing machine and supplies.
This unexpected pivot is extraordinary. The fact that this war has not deterred Tirzah’s Global Leaders Stella and Suzy from providing opportunities for Sudanese women to RISE above their circumstances is astounding. We are committed to continuing to support these dear sisters through prayer as they meet real needs in practical ways.
