Deborah’s story
“They killed my husband.”
Deborah wipes a tear from her eye and gently cradles the youngest of her five children as she remembers the day…
“He was a repairman, and also sold things. He slept over at his workshop to guard it. When I arrived, I found blood all over. I said to myself, ‘Lord they have killed my husband.’ He had been hit with a hammer.”
Deborah’s husband was murdered by Islamist rebel group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Targeted because of his Christian faith. Deborah fled and now survives as best she can in a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in a town called Oicha.
“I live by grace,” said Deborah. “Today someone gives me a bunch of cassava leaves to eat. Tomorrow someone else gives me half a bottle of palm oil. It all helps me survive.” Death and destruction have traumatised this young widow, and she’s unable to care for her family without support. “I still cry a lot,” she said. “I’m not able to do any job. I don’t have strength to fend for my own food. I depend on people to give me food. I have become a pitiful person.”
Still, Deborah holds on to her faith in Jesus: “My children ask about their dad, and I say one day we will join him in God’s house.” She quietly sings to her baby the words of Psalm 121, “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord…”
Please pray
- Pray for Christian women widowed by violent persecution. Ask the Lord to sustain them.
- Ask God to comfort Deborah today – that she will know the Maker of heaven and earth watches over her.
Democratic Republic of the Congo- Support Christian men and boys, especially leaders, facing forced recruitment, torture, and killings. Pray for their safety and provision for families crippled by economic loss.
- Ask for comfort for thousands of displaced Christians, whose villages and churches have been destroyed by militias. Pray for resources and refuge for those in need.
- Pray for youth struggling with limited education and job access due to violence. Ask the Church to guide them with faith and purpose to resist militia influence.
- Seek restoration for churches looted and vandalized in Kinshasa, Kasai, and North Kivu. Pray for safe spaces where believers can worship and serve.
- Uphold converts from Islam and indigenous religions, facing family pressure and violence in North Kivu. Pray for their safety and support to live out their faith in secret.
- The DRC’s government under President Tshisekedi grapples with corruption and impunity, ranked 169th on the 2023 Corruption Index. Pray for just leadership to protect all citizens.
- Pray for Muslims and other minorities facing unequal treatment. Ask for harmony and fairness, that Christians may build bridges while sharing the Gospel.
- Celebrate the faith of 93,396,000 Christians, nearly 95% of the population, standing firm despite violence. Ask for strength to remain a beacon of hope.
- Praise God for the Church’s resilience in sharing the Gospel amid hostility. Pray for boldness and opportunities to reach hearts in troubled regions.
- The DRC ranks 35th on the 2025 World Watch List, with persecution driven by Islamic militias and corruption. Pray for courage and clarity for Christians facing threats in North Kivu and Ituri.
- Lift up pastors targeted with abductions and intimidation by groups like ADF-NALU. Ask for their protection, wisdom, and endurance to lead their flocks through danger.
- Pray for Christian women and girls in eastern DRC, vulnerable to abduction, rape, and forced marriage by armed groups. Seek their safety and healing from trauma and shame.
- Thank God for the DRC’s vast land and its 98,152,000 people. Pray for healing and peace to overcome decades of conflict and division.
