The Practical and the Miraculous

When a Frontiers field worker arrived in her refugee camp, Najla didn’t dare hope for healing.

Her childhood had been filled with drought, food scarcity, and fighting between nearby villages. Years later, warring factions in her African homeland made it unsafe for her family to remain, so they fled to a refugee camp situated next to an oasis in a nearby country.

But Najla could not leave behind the ache in her knees that had made any movement—even walking—incredibly painful.

Several weeks after arriving at the camp, a new friend invited Najla to gather with some other women. “What are we going to talk about?” Najla asked.

“I don’t know,” her friend said. But they agreed it would break up the monotony of the day, so they joined a dozen other women sitting in the shade of the nearby trees.

It was clear none of the women had ever heard the Gospel.

Jennifer, a long-term Frontiers field worker, sat on a bench before the group, silently praying. “God, please help me. I have no idea what to say.”

Several weeks before, a local ministry partner had asked Jennifer to start a women’s group at the refugee camp. Jennifer had eagerly agreed, thinking she would help a small group of new Jesus followers learn how to share the Gospel with the other 18,000 refugees in the camp.

But after meeting them, it was clear none of the women had ever heard the Gospel.

She started by introducing herself and sharing how Jesus had changed her life. But the women before her responded only with blank looks of disinterest.

Her knees felt brand new.

After telling a story about God’s Kingdom, Jennifer asked some questions to help the group engage with it. One woman called out from the back, “We don’t understand.”

Once again, Jennifer had no idea what to do, so she silently asked for God’s help. Then she offered to pray for the women. “Is anyone unwell?” she asked. “Jesus has power to heal, and I will pray for healing in His name. Would you like me to pray for you?”

Najla, sitting on the outskirts of the group, had never heard anyone say such things. She hesitated to ask Jennifer to pray for her, but the pain in her knees had continued to worsen.

Suddenly a mature woman up front stood and asked for prayer. Then a few more. Finally, Najla pushed herself up and asked Jennifer to pray for her knees.

News of Najla’s miracle spread throughout the camp.

“Does anyone feel different?” Jennifer asked after she’d prayed. The other women shook their heads.

But Najla could barely breathe. Her knees felt brand new.

She worried it wouldn’t last, so she didn’t say anything to anyone.

Days later, she was playing with some children, chasing after them, when a neighbor stopped her. “How are you able to run?”

Najla smiled. “Jennifer prayed for me in Jesus’ name, and the pain left immediately.”

Several of the women began praying for Him to provide in practical ways too.

News of Najla’s miracle spread throughout the camp, and when Jennifer returned the next week, she was shocked to find even more women than the week before. It seemed everyone who heard wanted to learn more about Jesus and His power to heal.

The women loved the Bible story Jennifer shared that day and asked to hear more.

Several weeks later, Najla invited her friend Hania to come to a meeting. Hania’s vision had become so cloudy she could only see what looked like smoke in the distance.

After Jennifer and the group prayed for her in Jesus’ name, Hania could describe the colors of the goats and the clothes people wore. She laughed and rushed to tell more friends about what God had done.

Because of the Lord’s healing among the group, several of the women began praying for Him to provide in practical ways too.

“You told us that Jesus cares about every aspect of our lives.”

“My tea shop in my tent was not getting much business,” Rahel told the group one day. “So, I prayed in Jesus’ name and asked God to help. This week I had lots of customers again.”

Nafissa looked bashful as she shared her experience. “My hair was growing weak and thin, and I couldn’t braid it in nice styles like the other women,” she said. “I was embarrassed when I asked for prayer for such an insignificant issue. But you told us that Jesus cares about every aspect of our lives. Now my hair is growing thicker again.”

More than a year since their first meeting, over a dozen women still meet with Frontiers workers every week to join in prayer and to study God’s Word.

As God showcases His faithfulness through big miracles and small ones, the women continue to grow in faith, boldness, and understanding, each of them taking active steps of faith in Jesus.

• Praise God for moving in mighty ways in refugee camps like this one.
• Pray that refugee women like Najla and Hania will continue to seek Jesus and study the Word.
• Ask the Lord to continue to do miracles so that no one can deny the power of Jesus’ name.