Conflict marked Wedad’s family life. Being illiterate, she wasn’t able to help her three sons with their schoolwork. As a result, there were always arguments in her house. Her husband also used to be rude to her and their children.

According to local customs, Wedad was still a young girl when she married. Her husband expected her to have children, keep the family healthy, and put a proper daily meal on the table. The general opinion was that education wasn’t something she needed.

Wedad sometimes attended a ladies’ meeting in a nearby Evangelical Church. One day, the pastor announced the start of a Bible-based Literacy class where participants learn to read using Bible stories. The 53-year-old Wedad was excited to join, hoping she could finally learn to read and write. As she went through the curriculum, she learned about God and His love for her. Consequently, her behavior toward her family changed. She became a peacemaker.

During one of the lessons, the teacher, Mrs. Mervat, asked her pupils to pray out loud. “I don’t know how to pray,” Wedad said. “Simply say whatever you feel in your heart,” Mrs. Mervat advised. So, Wedad prayed, “Please, Lord, change my life! I want to live for you!” She continued praying for her children.

Wedad’s family noticed how her behavior changed. She turned patient and quiet. Even when her husband was rude to her, she would answer him peacefully. Wedad became a beacon of the light of Christ in her family, church, and community.

In the summer of 2022, Wedad began to suffer from chronic headaches. She thought it was a sight issue and went to the doctor to change her glasses, but it didn’t help. In July 2022, she went for a second opinion, which revealed a brain tumor. Her case was severe, and she quickly went from bad to worse. In just three months, she could not get out of bed anymore.

When Mrs. Mervat visited her, Wedad told her, “Don’t worry, miss. God is with me. I saw Him when I was in pain, and He told me, ‘Don’t worry, I’m beside you.’ So, I’m not afraid.”

Despite the pains she suffered, Wedad never ceased sharing God’s love with those who visited her. They all said, “We are sure that God is with her. She is God’s image bearer.”

After three months of suffering and pain, she passed away peacefully and began her new eternal life with Jesus. Her remembrance will be a lasting testimony of the love of Christ to those she left behind.