Their house was burned down, and the property around their village was destroyed. Danladi survived the brutality, but his life was changed forever.
“Today I am like a bird in the air,” he said, tears flowing. “Anywhere I go and night meets me, I sleep there. Anywhere I get food, I eat. I have no choices of my own. I thank God for any help He brings my way.”
Trauma-healing work, whether in Nigeria, South Sudan, or North America, equips local church leaders with the Bible-based and mental health resources that can transform lives.
World Renew works in Nigeria and other places of extreme poverty around the world where people experience terror and violence, providing opportunities for healing from severe trauma that deeply wounds the heart and spirit. While World Renew has worked in peace-building and trauma-healing as part of its mission to address poverty and disaster throughout its history, it has in the last ten years certified staff members as trauma healing trainers through the Trauma Healing Institute of the American Bible Society.
On February 3, 2016, World Renew U.S. Director Carol Bremer-Bennett facilitated an event with the Trauma Healing Institute by hosting a 2-hour learning session for individuals and organizations that are interested in organizing similar work in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The thirty-some people who attended the event represented Christian and church ministries that are focused on issues such as domestic abuse, addiction, racism, child abuse, disaster response, veteran’s affairs, and poverty.
Dr. Harriet Hill, program director for the Trauma Healing Institute and co-author of Healing the Wounds of Trauma, presented the group’s 4-step approach to Bible-based trauma care which guides facilitators to convene and equip others, lead healing groups, and create communities of practice. The healing process, offered by the faith community, can be helpful to both international and North American survivors of trauma who are coping with recognizing their pain, fear, and resentment and working towards healing and reconciliation.
Hedd Thomas, a World Renew consultant in South Sudan, is one of the organization’s trauma-healing trainers. Thomas is working with World Renew’s Christian partners in South Sudan to teach 63 new, local trainers to facilitate the healing process among 1,500 families this year in Lainya, a town near the Uganda and Congo borders.
“Healing trauma takes time,” Thomas said in a December letter to World Renew supporters. “People who have been brutalized, raped, maimed, and seen their family members murdered or lost their homes and livelihoods, live with images of horror and despair in their damaged memories.”
Traumatized people often have powerful urges for revenge, which perpetuates conflict by starting another cycle of violence, Thomas added. “Recovery requires gentle and carefully-placed biblical assurance, Christian love, and an effective healing process.”
"In His strength, God’s love can heal us. Then we can begin to live in the harmony He intends for us, and that eventually brings peace."
In Nigeria, Danladi joined a World Renew trauma healing group in his area. Together the participants processed their experiences by extending forgiveness to one another, rebuilding their personal and collective resilience, and slowly beginning to find their way to peace. Danladi says that the care he experiences now has helped him develop a greater appreciation for a decent meal, a place to sleep, someone caring to talk with, and something to wear.
Trauma-healing work, whether in Nigeria, South Sudan, or North America, equips local church leaders with the Bible-based and mental health resources that can transform lives.
“Healing starts with recognizing trauma, praying, and working toward reconciliation,” Thomas said. “Listening, counseling, prayer, scripture, and encouragement are the tools World Renew uses. Then it’s time to start a new life without fear, pain, and resentment. Healing takes people from a negative, destructive mindset to God's source of strength. In His strength, God’s love can heal us. Then we can begin to live in the harmony He intends for us, and that eventually brings peace.”
Along with offering trauma-healing in post-conflict communities, World Renew is proactive in peace-building efforts around the world on an ongoing basis, working within communities that are prone to hostility because of ethnic, religious, political, economic, or interpersonal challenges. World Renew’s peace-building efforts enhance responsive, participatory, and accountable governance, promote people-oriented community-based development, and build resilience to prevent tension from escalating into tragedy in the future.
For more information about World Renew’s international development and disaster programs, go to worldrenew.net. To get connected to Bible-based trauma healing efforts that are beginning in North America, go to traumahealinginstitute.org.
Those interested in participating in trauma healing training in the Grand Rapids area, please contact World Renew at [email protected] to be added to email updates.