Her name means hope, and Esperance needed a lot of it when she and her family fled their home country of Burundi in 2015 during a national crisis. Several years earlier, she had found Jesus while listening to the radio, and it was her hope in him that gave her strength to endure the trials and challenges of leaving her country and becoming a refugee.
Esperance and her family eventually settled in the country of Namibia, where they began a new life, and she resumed her work as a medical doctor.
“I was first introduced to Esperance through Pastor Alexis in Burundi,” said Doug Hiebert, Regional Team Leader for Sub-Saharan Africa. “He had been pastoring her from afar after the family fled Burundi, but he was recently able to visit with her in Namibia and to offer much needed support and encouragement.”
However, Pastor Alexis also received much encouragement from Esperance. He heard about how she was living out her faith as a medical doctor, often praying for her patients and pleading with God for their miraculous healing. She was being the hands and feet of Jesus in the midst of suffering and pain, her faith inspiring her.
On one occasion, someone came to Esperance with extensive wounds after being attacked by a hippopotamus. The injuries were so severe that medical intervention, it seemed, would serve no purpose. Yet, in full hope that God could do the impossible, Esperance prayed for healing and the person was completely restored to health!
Doug Hiebert and Pastor Alexis continue to receive reports about Esperance’s faith and her influence in the community. As she shares the Good News with others, more and more people are coming to her to learn more about Jesus. Esperance uses her own resources and time to minister to the spiritually downtrodden and, not surprisingly, a fledgling church has formed. With her husband often away from home for work, Esperance carries the load of church leadership alone much of the time. Even so, she has not been deterred. Her faith and hope burn brightly in her heart, shining light into the darkness around her and leading others to the truth found in Christ.
“Recently, we invited Esperance to join us at the Africa Leader Summit,” said Doug Hiebert. “Having this powerful woman of God in our midst was both encouraging, and mutually beneficial, as we could spur one another on in faith and hopeful expectation of all God is leading us to in this region and beyond.”
PRAY
Please pray for Esperance, that God would give her strength for each new day. Pray for the church that she leads, that God would build up a team around her and provide everything that they need to thrive.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
