"I would pray secretly"

From Angola,

When I became old enough my father made me marry a man who was his doctor [witch doctor]. I was the fourth wife of this man, I was told not to go to church. I now have five children from this marriage. I wanted to see my children escape the suffering in our house, so I would pray secretly. If my husband found me praying, he would beat me. 

One day, my firstborn had a friend who took him to church. Two weeks ago, the friend came to our house and asked my husband to allow our son to be part of the church youth program. For two days, I cried with fear that my son would be punished. But that didn't happen. Instead, my husband said, "speak to your mother." He added that, "I must go with him every Sunday so that I can control his movements."

I thought that this could not be true! But, he called my son and allowed him and allowed me to do what I have been looking for such a long time! God is a living God! Now I can say that I am a Christian, and I joined the Project Hannah [TWR Women of Hope's former name] program. Please pray with me to one day see my whole family in the church.

This letter was originally translated from Angolan Portuguese, a dialect spoken in the African country of Angola. Women of Hope programs have been sharing messages of hope to Angolan women since 2002. The Angolan Portuguese program is part of a specific project that encompasses many African languages. To support the production of Women of Hope in African languages, visit the donation page.