Stories and testimonies of God
at work among us.
Approximately once a month, we will be highlighting a story of how God is working amongst his people at Eternal Church. It may be a personal testimony or an event that is creating an opportunity for a communal testimony. We pray that these stories will be encouragement to see how God is at work through his steadfast love and faithfulness.
The God Who Sees
Written by Kristy Fleming
March 2026
Niemah’s story is one of God reaching his hand into a terrible situation to bring his daughter safely out. It is an account that proclaims hope, redemption, and the providence of God.
Niemah’s mother, Salima, a young girl of 14 years old, found herself pregnant and scared. She was living in Palestine, a Muslim culture where women have very limited rights. In Arab cultures like this one they practice honor killings for unwed mothers. Her parents sent Salima away to another city, Jerusalem, in order to preserve her life as well as the child’s. Salima chose to give her daughter, Niemah, up for adoption and she was placed in a Jewish orphanage where a nurse named Aida, nurtured and cared for her. Although Aida could not adopt her, she convinced a loving American Christian family to consider meeting Niemah. From the moment her adoptive mother saw her, she knew Niemah was meant to be part of their family and at 2.5 years old Niemah had a family of her own.
This process was a rare and miraculous one because Muslim countries don’t believe in adoption. God had to intervene, lining up unique wording and unusual paperwork, to get this precious little girl back to the United States with her family. There were obvious situations where typical government practices were overlooked in order to give this sweet child a new life. Niemah has happily shared her story of God’s divine intervention and orchestration with others throughout her life. She was born in a place Jesus himself walked and lived. Her life’s journey reveals a God who is actively and intimately involved in every detail of our lives, even when it appears he is silent.
Niemah’s mother, Salima, a young girl of 14 years old, found herself pregnant and scared. She was living in Palestine, a Muslim culture where women have very limited rights. In Arab cultures like this one they practice honor killings for unwed mothers. Her parents sent Salima away to another city, Jerusalem, in order to preserve her life as well as the child’s. Salima chose to give her daughter, Niemah, up for adoption and she was placed in a Jewish orphanage where a nurse named Aida, nurtured and cared for her. Although Aida could not adopt her, she convinced a loving American Christian family to consider meeting Niemah. From the moment her adoptive mother saw her, she knew Niemah was meant to be part of their family and at 2.5 years old Niemah had a family of her own.
This process was a rare and miraculous one because Muslim countries don’t believe in adoption. God had to intervene, lining up unique wording and unusual paperwork, to get this precious little girl back to the United States with her family. There were obvious situations where typical government practices were overlooked in order to give this sweet child a new life. Niemah has happily shared her story of God’s divine intervention and orchestration with others throughout her life. She was born in a place Jesus himself walked and lived. Her life’s journey reveals a God who is actively and intimately involved in every detail of our lives, even when it appears he is silent.
Her adoption story had always been a positive reminder that celebrated who God is. But three years ago, she found out more of her Mom’s story through a relative she came in contact with through Ancestry.com. That relation secretly filled her in on the details of her conception, including that her mother was raped.
During further investigation she found out her mother was still alive but her biological Mom didn’t want to meet her out of fear for her life, even after all these years. This new information led Niemah to wrestle with God and struggle with her identity. It was during these last three years that she came to know God on a different level, one that revealed The God Who Sees. The same God that met Hagar in the wilderness now saw her in her pain…in her darkest hour. He held her through it and strengthened her relationship with Himself which she can now share with others who feel unseen.
While Niemah still wrestles with the unknowns or her past and the cruelty behind her conception, she has allowed these tragic circumstances to weave a thread of advocacy for the marginalized, along with love and compassion that she freely gives to others. This immense pain she has had to bear, she has also allowed God to transform into a deep well of hope. Niemah is currently writing a book and will be our speaker at the women’s retreat in March. Her prayer is that through her story, others will recognize God’s faithful presence throughout their own stories, and find comfort in knowing they too are seen, known, and held by El Roi, The God Who Sees.
During further investigation she found out her mother was still alive but her biological Mom didn’t want to meet her out of fear for her life, even after all these years. This new information led Niemah to wrestle with God and struggle with her identity. It was during these last three years that she came to know God on a different level, one that revealed The God Who Sees. The same God that met Hagar in the wilderness now saw her in her pain…in her darkest hour. He held her through it and strengthened her relationship with Himself which she can now share with others who feel unseen.
While Niemah still wrestles with the unknowns or her past and the cruelty behind her conception, she has allowed these tragic circumstances to weave a thread of advocacy for the marginalized, along with love and compassion that she freely gives to others. This immense pain she has had to bear, she has also allowed God to transform into a deep well of hope. Niemah is currently writing a book and will be our speaker at the women’s retreat in March. Her prayer is that through her story, others will recognize God’s faithful presence throughout their own stories, and find comfort in knowing they too are seen, known, and held by El Roi, The God Who Sees.
