When we talk about growing in faith, most of us think about the joyful moments—the answered prayers, the celebrations, the unexpected blessings. But so much of spiritual growth happens in the long stretches of waiting, when God is working and we must have patience and perseverance.
That is the space where the John sisters, Nazia and Robina, have been living for more than a decade.
They are young Christian women from Pakistan who have spent twelve years in Thailand, unable to return home and unable to move forward. A Canadian Baptist couple recently visited them in Thailand and described them as “very genuine in their faith… a shining testimony of God’s grace through extreme trials.” Even in the hardest circumstances, their trust in God remains steady and sincere.
Life in Thailand is far from easy for refugees. There is no government support. The sisters are not allowed to work. At their age, the lack of purpose and opportunity weighs heavily. Yet they continue to find small ways to serve—Nazia teaches Sunday school and makes candles to support other refugees in their church community. Both volunteer where they can, offering what they have even in their own season of waiting.
But their journey has also carried deep scars. Robina spent 15 months in what is called a refugee detention centre but is, in reality, a prison. She slept on cold floors, was often hungry, and endured harassment. She could only receive one visitor. She was not allowed to see her sister, and witnessed a corrupted system where favour and safety were tied to those who could pay bribes. The sisters say the experience “aged them.”
And yet, their hope has not dimmed.
Our sponsorship for them to come to Canada has renewed their sense of purpose. They can finally imagine a future where they might work, build a life, and live freely. There is excitement of a new life where they can contribute, be recognized, and belong to a community that embraces them. Even as they wait, they remain faithful in God’s “plan, purpose, and perfect timing.”
Their story reminds us that perseverance is rarely a solitary journey. We grow in it together—when we pray, when we support, when we refuse to look away from someone else’s long wait.
As a CBWOQ community, we have the opportunity to help move the John sisters’ journey forward. In addition to prayers and petitions for governments to allow for them to come to Canada, their sponsorship requires financial support: to travel to Canada, establish them safely and support them as they adjust to a very different everyday.
Your gift today can help us get closer to bringing them here and into a new season of freedom, purpose, and hope.
If you believe in standing with women in their waiting…
If you long to see perseverance met with compassion…
If you want to help the John sisters begin their new life here…
Would you consider a gift to support their refugee sponsorship?
Your generosity becomes part of their story—and part of the way God continues to shape all of us as we grow together in perseverance.
You can give at: cbwoq.ca/give
May we continue growing together, with hope that holds steady and faith that endures.