Floride watched her husband waste away before her eyes. When he died, a rumor spread through her Rwandan village, “She poisoned him.” But the reality was almost as horrific as the rumor. Floride’s husband had died from HIV/AIDS. And now Floride had it too.

Grieving the death of her husband and filled with shame over her condition, Floride needed an escape. She decided to hide from everyone she knew. She even stopped going to church.

Little did Floride know, her life was about to change.

Healing the Wounds of Trauma

Floride’s community was hosting Bible-based trauma healing groups. Bible Society of Rwanda began this ministry to help Rwandans heal from traumatic events such as the Rwandan genocide. A trauma healing facilitator saw Floride’s pain. She invited Floride to join a trauma healing group where she could process her pain using God’s Word.

Floride said yes.

There, she shared her story, cried, and gave her heartache to Jesus. And she found hope in the healing words of Scripture. “I had somewhere I could express myself, to cry if necessary, and talk to people who really loved me and I felt very comforted in the group,” said Floride. Although she still faces the reality of living with HIV, Floride has hope for her future. “I feel that God is real. I feel very close to him, and he is very close to me. It’s like this trauma healing group came only for me and this program is for me. I thank God for being a part of it.”

We praise God for being near to Floride in this difficult moment and giving her peace. Our God does not abandon us in our pain. Instead he draws near to comfort us.

Let’s Thank God Together

Father, thank you for emotionally and spiritually healing Floride. We pray that you’ll continue to meet people in their pain and wrap your arms of love around them. We also pray you’ll use the trauma healing ministry to heal wounds of trauma for many Rwandans.