Hidden Sorrow, Lasting Joy
By Anneke Companjen
ISBN: 978-0-8423-4320-6

Telling someone else’s story requires a great deal of compassion, patience and insight on the part of a writer. It is this compassion and insight that Anneke Companjen shows in the writing and sharing of these stories that reveal the inner strength of women of faith.

There are twenty stories included in this volume, and the stories are divided into sections representing the places where these women come from.  

Here are stories coming from Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Africa.

Living in a comfortable society where freedom of meaning, and freedom of faith is a given, it’s easy to forget that there are still places in the world where the exercise of these freedoms mean suffering, shame, incarceration, and the loss of loved ones.

Not all of the stories are positive ones. K´sup Nri´s story, which is also the first story in this book, ends tragically, but at the same time, K´sup Nri´s story becomes the impulse for the author to dig for the stories of women who are often forgotten.  

I couldn´t help wondering what I would do if I were in the same situation as these women. Would I also have the courage to remain steadfast and sure?  Would I continue to cling to God or would I leave him?  

In spite of the hardships these women have endured, in spite of sorrow and loss, they emerge strong, resilient, with the strength to forgive those who have brought about these sufferings.

These stories remind the reader of how even in the darkest moments, there is a light of hope and forgiveness.  The stories in this book are a mere handful compared to the many women who continue to endure and to suffer loss and hardship for the sake of Christ. In sharing these stories, Anneke reminds us that there are many more women with stories similar to the ones in this book.