Sherry's trauma healing sessions reveal Jesus' healing power in Nigeria

By Susan Akyeampong |

In a church room in a Northeast Nigerian town, Sherry listens intently as a pastor speaks. He reveals that the trauma healing sessions he’s just taken part in have helped him to be more open about his feelings than ever before. This newfound openness has led to a deeper connection with his wife, allowing him to share some of the past traumas that had been weighing on him. Soon, he will be hosting these sessions in his own church. Sherry’s heart aches for this man. However, she has seen time and time again that it is when silence is broken, and people start speaking up, that true healing begins, as God does what only he can do. 

African American Sherry was initially sent by SIM USA to Mali, where she worked in trauma healing as part of a prison ministry and discipleship training. As a certified Biblical counselor who has overcome abuse herself, she knows the profound impact of trauma on one's life. While she was in Mali, and after 13 years in ministry, she was first approached by EMS Nigerian leadership to possibly come to Nigeria to continue the work of trauma healing. Pa rticularly in Northern Nigeria in light of the aftermath of the initial Boko Haram attacks in 2012. In December 2020, she joined SIM Nigeria and went to work in the Northeast Region.

SIM’s Trauma Healing ministry uses a variety of materials that are Bible-based and employs mental health practices to care for victims of trauma and crises in their communities.  Healing The Wounds of Trauma and How the Church Can Help (HTWT), from the Trauma Healing Institute, is one of the curriculums that is taught. It uses a participatory, healing group method. Sherry stresses that this particular course is not just for Christians. Therefore, her work encompasses the entire community, including Muslims. Sherry is based in Northeast Nigeria, in a predominantly Muslim area where Sharia Law is also practised. Sherry equips the churches in that area using the  HTWT manual with the support from the Christian Association of Nigeria in the North (CAN) She trains pastors and church leaders with the different trauma healing materials so they can run them in their churches. She also conducts healing groups within the community. 

HTWT has six core lessons that cover topics such as heart wounds, suffering, forgiveness, grief, and continued healing. Sherry prefers small groups, up to twelve people, allowing for deep discussions and processing of experiences. After a convening session to introduce the program, they then host a healing group. 

Many pastors in this area choose having a Trauma Healing Mini with HTWT manual. After careful consideration, they can choose topics that exactly address challenges in their churches or community. Sherry intentionally approaches them with humility. She acknowledges that while she is an outsider, she can empathize with their experience and assures them of confidentiality. 

A young Muslim man’s encounter with Jesus
Despite the harrowing stories of abuse, murder, and kidnapping she hears, she sees God actively changing hearts and bringing healing. One of the people confronting trauma and finding Jesus was a young Muslim man. "He was very open, but he struggled when we talked about taking our pain to the cross. It's a challenging concept for Muslims," Sherry explains. During that session, the man approached Sherry privately, asking, "I think I can bring my pain, but which pain should I bring?” Sherry responded gently, "That’s between you and Jesus." 

In that session, participants wrote on a piece of paper what they wanted to take to the cross of Christ. The actual cross could be made out of wood, or any material, even drawing a cross on a piece of paper. Sherry said she even has a cross that was made out of a bullet that a child soldier fabricated after he made the decision to accept Jesus as his Savior. The cross bullet represented his new life in Christ. The Muslim man prayed to God, asking that if he was real, to help him overcome his cigarette smoking addiction. For that Muslim man, Jesus answered his prayer in a miraculous way. During the session, he experienced a strange taste in his mouth and completely lost the desire to smoke. In response to God revealing himself, he gave his life to Christ and hasn’t smoked since.

"These sessions are very powerful," Sherry reflects. "As facilitators, our role is to create a space for emotional release…where the Holy Spirit can work."
The power of listening

Sherry has realised she doesn’t have to lead a session to demonstrate Jesus’ love or his ability to heal, sometimes she just needs to be a listening ear. In a healing group, a young lady privately told her that she hadn’t slept well since 2012, when her mother was killed in front of her and she had been forced to go on the run. Her mother’s body was buried on the run. After this woman was able to settle down, she had no idea where her mother’s body was buried. This was the first time the young lady spoke about her traumatic situation. While she’s improving and feeling less vulnerable now, she deeply valued having someone who simply listened to her. "You listened, you let me be angry, you let me cry,” the young lady told Sherry.

Gidan Albarka Healing Center - creating a safe space for hope and healing
Looking forward to the future, Sherry wants to see more people, including non-Christians to be free from their pains. To achieve this goal, Gidan Albarka (House of Blessing) was birthed. Currently, sessions are held in churches. Unfortunately, most Muslims will not enter a church. There is a need for a separate building that would offer a safer, more confidential space. SIM Nigeria along with their partner, ECWA Yobe DCC, purchased land and are now in the beginning stages of building on the property. Currently, Gidan Albarka has a radio broadcast. These are drama-based trauma healing stories in the Hausa language. Going into the second year, Gidan Albarka has had great success with positive feedback through callers (who are more than 90% non-Christian)  after each program is aired. 

Sherry says, “Christ is real, he definitely heals and it’s supernatural.” 

Sherry’s work captures the essence of trauma healing: offering hope, demonstrating Christ’s love, and walking alongside individuals in their pain. Through this ministry, God's impact is undeniable. People like the young Muslim man and the young woman from the healing group, are not only finding healing but also discovering who Jesus is and how much he loves them and wants to do life with them. The journey of trauma healing in Nigeria continues, driven by faith, empathy, and an unwavering belief in the supernatural healing power of Jesus.

Prayer requests:
•    Please pray that there would be new, local broadcasts for Gidan Albarka Radio, serialised version of the HTWT sessions in the local language and bring God's message to a wider audience. 
•    Pray more church leaders and pastors will be equipped to use the HTWT materials.
•    Please pray a generous donor would be raised up to finance the Gidan Albarka Healing Center project. Sherry hopes this will be running by late 2025.