Rebecca was a woman from a Sub-Saharan African country who was forced to leave her home due to conflict. Before relocating to a more peaceful country in Europe, she had to spend time as a refugee in the Middle East.

Life was hard. Her experience in the Middle East made her feel like she was forgotten. She didn’t have a home like everyone else around her. She wasn’t thriving like they were. Even when she made it to Europe, she still felt like a second class citizen because she was a migrant. People used to look at her differently.

She wondered, had God forgotten her?

One day, Rebecca found an online group for displaced people like her. It was started by another woman from her home country. Apparently this group met every week and went through something called a Discovery Bible Study, using an app called Waha. But she was skeptical. Were these people really just interested in sharing hope out of the goodness of their hearts? Surely, there was some catch. Maybe they were going to get her hooked, and then ask for money?

She decided to join, but she made her skepticism well-known.

Every opportunity she got, she argued with someone in the group. She wanted them to know she couldn’t be taken advantage of. To other members of the group, she came off as untrusting and arrogant. As if she looked down on them because she had made it to a well-developed country in Europe. Some even messaged the disciple maker privately asking to remove Rebecca from the group, or at least mute her.

But as Rebecca took part in Waha’s DBS meetings, something started to change.

For starters, every meeting began with a few simple questions encouraging the group to share one thing they are thankful for. At first Rebecca was resistant to this. But these questions were also followed up by other questions asking what challenges she was facing, and how the group could support her.

She began to share her experiences. Her pain. Her need. Others in the group began to pray for her. They would even call outside of the meetings to check in. Slowly, her heart began to soften. God had seen her. He led her to be a part of a group, who He used to care for her, and bring healing into her life.

One week, that same question came up in Waha: “What is something you are thankful for?”

A tear rolled down her cheek as she answered, “I’m thankful that I’m not forgotten after all!”

As Rebecca’s heart softened, she also became more open to scripture. The Waha studies led her to discuss God’s word with others, and challenged her to put it into practice. Her outlook began to change. She decided to trust Jesus as her savior, rather than question whether or not He had abandoned her.

Finally, she became a leader herself! As she learned and grew, she also began to share what she was learning with others. She found others who were hungry for God’s healing touch, just like her. She started her own Waha group with them and now, she is leading others upon the same path of healing she had experienced!