Holding hands with our sisters in Cameroon

An Open Doors “co-labourer” stands side by side with women in West Central Africa.

Journey with us as we unpack her life-changing experience.

Being present – truly present – with our persecuted family is at the heart of our ministry. Our founder, Brother Andrew, described this Open Doors’ core value so beautifully: We are a “people to people people.” We are present in prayer, present in discipleship and practical aid and, yes, also physically present.

An Open Doors trip is more than travel – it’s a profound, life-changing encounter. It’s an experience where you’ll discover that presence is ministry.

Recently, we touched base with Franzi, an Open Doors staff member, who shared her first-hand experience of travelling with us to Cameroon, where she met with a group of women.

Although the team was only there for 3 days, Franzi said the intensity made it feel like much more. Their first meeting was with a group of widows, and every single one had experienced the same thing.

Franzi says: “It struck me because, you know these stories, you hear these stories, you read about them, and you are quite aware of the situation. But now you’re sitting in front of these actual individual people who have gone through these experiences. It’s not just a story; it’s a person.”

  

During their time, they learned about the realities of persecution in Cameroon and the daily struggles these brave women have to bear with no partner to help carry the financial, emotional or relational load. Speaking French allowed Franzi to connect deeply and more intentionally with the ladies.

In many communities in Cameroon, the next generation is growing up without fathers, and consequently, children, young and grown don’t heed their mothers’ instruction. Every woman asked for prayer for her children to respect her authority in the absence of her husband, who is traditionally seen as the rule-giver.

“What impact will this have in 10 years, 20 years’ time? What will the ripple effect be when they have their own families one day?” worried Franzi. The effect of persecution can often be long lasting.

But gratefully for this group, they have found hope and support through Open Doors, the Church and each other. Each woman present was responsible for a group of widows in their villages. They come together every month for two days, during which a pastor counsels and trains them to return equipped to minister to the women in their villages. In total, they take care of about 400 widows, and the groups are multiplying. Franzi said that these resilient women-leaders see themselves as midwives, giving birth to other “children”, growing into a big family.

What really touched Franzi, was seeing how, “even in their difficult and hopeless situation, they don’t give up and they help each other out.” Even in their hardship, they still stand by and support other women – sharing resources when a fellow sister is in a time of need, as well as knowledge and counsel. “Women are really strong!” she added, remembering what an impact their resilience had on her.

Franzi realised that these groups offer community, income and dignity. It’s not charity. It’s empowerment rooted in faith.

The ladies were overjoyed to show the team the products they’d made and speak about how they were individually helping the group. One lady, a tailor by trade, showed them the clothes she had made, while others displayed a range of spices and other goods. Franzi said that their faces were glowing as they, and their sisters, presented the work of their hands.

On a house visit, the team met with a girl of about 18 years recovering from a gunshot wound to the leg. She was still limping and very traumatised. It was the first time someone from the organisation had visited her, and Franzi was touched to see the process of healing begin.

They also had a meeting with six pastors from the region, some of whom travelled for two days to attend the 6-hour meeting, only to return home afterwards. As they each told their different stories, Franzi said that one thing remained the same: “They were all tired, and you could see that on their faces, and this was…” she broke off.

Franzi said that much of the exhaustion these pastors felt was due to the reality that believers in Cameroon are living in constant fear of the next attack. “Knowing that it will happen, but not knowing when.” And the attackers are never far off.

In fact, while they were there, an attack happened just 30 km away. Over lunch, a young pastor received a message on his phone, stepped back from the conversation for a while, then carried on. Later, he showed them pictures of burned houses and vehicles. Thankfully, no one was injured, but what stood out to Franzi was that this was simply part of their daily life. He just had to carry on.

“There was a moment when I was sitting with these pastors, and I asked God, ‘God, what do you want me to do? I can’t do anything. Why am I here?’ We were then asked to pray for the pastor on our left.”

Franzi was sitting next to a young man. He was bone-tired, a kind of “please just take me away” tiredness and downcast as he spoke. They had a time of prayer together, and she prayed for him in French.

At the end of the afternoon, their guide asked the pastors what stood out for them. The pastor that Franzi prayed for said that his highlight was that: “My sister came from so far and prayed for me and for my problems and my daily life. This was more than I could ever ask for.”

“And in that moment, I got my answer!” Franzi says. “For me, it was completely overwhelming to know that yes, you can’t do much, but you can help him. You can pray. This was really the best moment of the whole week. Holding hands and praying together, sharing a moment… This was everything.”

Afterwards, he said, “I can go back, and I know you were praying for me, and you will continue to pray.”

The team’s presence there, with brothers and sisters united in the trenches alongside them, strengthened this young man’s resolve to keep going in the face of adversity.

After seeing and experiencing so much on a trip like this, it can be challenging to try to process it when you return home. Franzi said that she was given really helpful advice from a partner in an Asian country when she went on a trip a few years prior. “When you go home, don’t feel guilty,” he said, “You have your own burden to bear. Just remember us and pray for us.”

That advice really helped her on her return. “On all the trips I’ve done since then, I have to tell myself that when I come home. I don’t have to feel guilty that I live here in this safe country. But my duty now is to really pray for them, because I know them now. I can’t say, ‘Yes, it’s tragic for them,’ and then just carry on. Now I have faces, I have stories, I have names. Now I can’t close my eyes.”