Counseling children traumatized by war: “Through prayer and forgiveness, they can get rid of their bitterness and anger”

Niveen Ibrahim Odeh Sarras serves as Christian Education Director at the Christmas Lutheran Church in Palestine. She teaches and counsels children who have faced various kinds of trauma and insecurity due to war. The children talk and share their concerns, as Niveen slowly teaches them how to trust God and pray for their enemies, their country and the problems of the world. “I encourage them, and slowly, their anger and grudges are less than before,” she says. “I have taught them that through prayer and forgiveness, they can get rid of their bitterness and anger.”

She has seen improvement among the different age groups and says the Sunday school program has grown and now includes worship, prayer and teaching supported by biblical stories and games. The youth even conducted an entire church service during a recent Global Youth Day. Niveen is a graduate of the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt, and says her training in trauma therapy has helped her to better understand and help the children to whom she ministers.