Fatdi

This is a late, but still much needed post. The Lord has taught me a lot this past year and surprised me as well. I want to share with you one of the most difficult, but faithful times He’s given me. While we were in Burkina Faso we had “topics” to discuss every day with people in the community. One day was about death and how the community handles it. Our translator took us to her sister-in-law, Fatdi, who had recently lost her mom. I found out she was about my age and newly married. Already, there were so many similarities about our situations. 

We got to Fatdi’s place of business and she began to share with us about her experience. She shared how her mom had gotten sick and passed away just in the past few months. She went to the house to take care of the body and do the culturally appropriate things, but her family did not want her there since she is a Christian and they are all Muslim. Her aunts were very distraught and would not do any of the things that were appropriate for her mother. It was very difficult for Fatdi to watch the family disrespect both her and her mother.

She then began to talk about while her mother was sick how she had prayed for healing. She wanted so bad for her to be well. Their relationship was very close, even though the rest of the family had shunned Fatdi since becoming a Christian. She didn’t want to go through life without her mother. At this point, I completely understood everything she was thinking and feeling, yet could not even begin to comprehend being cut of from the rest of my family. I shared with her my story, and how the Lord had shown Himself even in such a difficult situation.

Fatdi then shared her testimony of coming to the Lord. She began to seek and went to a church that wrapped their arms around her and welcomed her. They helped her to understand Truth. Once she let her family know she had become a Christian her father threw her out. She stayed with her aunt and then with her grandmother before she could be on her own. Even though both of them did not agree with her, they wanted to support her. Her mother felt the same way, she continued to follow Islam, but did everything she could for her daughter. She began to sneak Fatdi’s personal items out of the house so Fatdi could have them. Eventually her father found out and said because it was her mother, there was nothing he could do. Later Fatdi decided to marry another Christian. Again, her father did not support her and even said that God would not bless her marriage since she was not following Islam. In the culture, the bride’s family has certain things to provide for the wedding. Her mother was forbidden to give her anything, against her will, of course. Fatdi’s church family reached out and provided everything the bride’s family was supposed to. Fatdi’s family attended her wedding and were shocked at the fact that she had everything she needed for the wedding. They left without even eating because of their astonishment. 

Fatdi shared with us story after story of how the Lord had provided for her. These stories are what has made her faith so strong. Her church family has become like real family to her. With everything that has been great, she still has the burden of being cut off from her blood family. One of the greatest struggles since her mother has passed away is not being able to bear a child. This is so important in her culture. The conversations she has had recently with her father have not been helpful either. He has told her that because she is a Christian she cannot get pregnant, but if she were to return to Islam she would have a child. She told us how she knew this wasn’t true and she was trusting the Lord to provide so that she could be a witness to her family.

During a difficult time in high school, the Lord showed me a passage in 2 Corinithians 1: 3-4 that says, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God." Any time I go through a difficult situation this passage comes to mind. I know that I may not understand why something is happening, but I know He’s faithful to provide an opportunity to be able to comfort someone else. This day, I was about to see His faithfulness. One of the greatest things Fatdi said to me that day was that she was encouraged because she had no idea that people from America go through difficult times. I sat there and thought about how losing my mom was difficult, but I never went through being shunned from my family. Her strong faith encouraged me so much.