Tearfund Lent Devotional Day 8

The Jesus difference

‘No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.’ (Jeremiah 10:6, NIV)

It would have been easy for Edwige, from a town in central Ivory Coast, to give up. Her parents both died when she was five and she was brought up by her aunt. When she was a teenager, Edwige went to work as a maid in the city. But she was exploited and not paid, so she returned home.

Many of the men in the community work in illegal gold mines, while women are often drawn into prostitution. Edwige refused, selling cassava at the market for little money instead. At her lowest point, Edwige hadn’t eaten for three days.

But God was about to open a door… a couple from the local church came to visit. They told Edwige that Jesus loves her and invited her to church. There, she prayed and asked God to help change her life. Edwige became a Christian and soon joined the church’s business training programme, supported by Tearfund.

Since childhood, Edwige dreamed of starting a restaurant. With the training she has received, Edwige now has a plan to start her business and pursue that dream.

Join with Edwige in this song of thanksgiving: ‘You took me from chaos and made me sit at the table with kings. Jesus, you're Lord. Nobody can compare to you, Jesus.’ Amen!

Gbati Kossi Agbo

Gbati leads Tearfund’s work in West Africa