What could make a small girl want to take away her life? Stephanie
came not just from a poor background but from a broken home. She grew up
without her father, who defiantly rejected her mother when she was still in her
mother’s womb. For this reason, Stephanie didn’t experience fatherly love
throughout her life.
Stephanie Auta, an indigene of Nasarawa, State said she came
in contact with Christian Faith Ministries in 2016, after she dropped out of
school for some years due to financial constraints. Stephanie also said she lost
hope for education and became increasingly depressed, to the extent that all she thought of was committing suicide. When her mother saw her desperation, she began
to move around in search of money until her friend came with the news that she has found a ministry
that can help her daughter. By then, Stephanie who left school while she was in junior Secondary School (JSS1) lost memory of what she was taught in her previous classes due to her emotional
pains.
According to Stephanie, “Growing up in a poor and a broken home
for that matter is something I lack words to describe. I was not just always confused, discouraged
and weak but also emotionally plagued, most especially when I saw other children beside their father, while I don’t even know how my father looks like. Many times, I wondered whether I was the only child from a broken home because I could
spend some days without going to school because of money. I was just at home running
errands for both my mother and our neighbors. There was a time I felt I cannot continue in this life so I almost ended my life. I took an overdose of the drugs I
bought from the market, but I ended up spending many weeks
in the hospital”.
As a result of emotional the stress Stephanie went through and coupled with her absence from school for along periods of time,
she could not cope with JSS1 classes and therefore at CFM she was taken back to primary five to catch up. But what else would you expect from a child who has suffered emotionally and has been out of school for some years. Over a period of time, Stephanie improved drastically, both emotionally and academically. Now to the glory of God, Stephanie is about to sit for her Senior
Secondary School Certificate Examination (WAEC). She is indeed grateful to God
and to CFM for giving her free and quality education, medical care, shelter, vocational skills like painting, bakery services, and
many other things.
Not many will understand what it means to grow up in a broken
and poor home where the poor and broken-hearted mum does not even
know where the next meal will come from, not even to talk of sending her child
to school. And one of the worst things is that many who stay around or go to the same
church with such a poor and abandoned single mothers may not care to find out why
her daughter has stopped going to school. They may ask why she wasn’t in
the Church on Sunday but may not ask her why her daughter has been walking
barefooted or not going to school. We live in a world where many are quick
to share stories on their Facebook profile but cannot share
their goods, food or money.
Stephanie has every reason to be grateful. She said if not
for Christian Faith Ministries, she would have been either married (very young, to an older man) or no where
to be found and she cannot forget what the ministry has done to her life.
Please keep praying for Christian Faith Ministries as she trusts
God for more funds to provide more facilities for better service delivery
to the destitute children.
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