Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Category: Mental Health and Faith (page 1 of 41)

Introducing Living Room to Rohingya . . . and the World

Photo by Ro Arafat Khan FAITH-BASED PEER SUPPORT GROUPS FOR MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS All members of Living Room peer support groups, including the facilitator, have experienced, or are experiencing mental health issues. It’s this commonality that pulls them together. Groups are not led by professionals and don’t offer clinical therapy. Groups for Rohingya men and […]

Read More...

When a shelter is destroyed

Photo by Ro Niyamot Ullah BUILDING ON A FIRM FOUNDATION Rohingya living in the refugee camps in Bangladesh know all about how rains, wind, and flooding can destroy make-shift homes. The Rohingya Green Nature Society reported how the recent Monsoon floods devastated the Rohingya camps. “Over 12,000 individuals were affected, 2,800+ shelters destroyed, and 50+ […]

Read More...

The exodus

EXODUS Everyone did what they could to find safety–young and old. They were grateful for the food, shelter, and protection provided by Bangladesh, a country with great needs of its own. In an area called Cox’s Bazar, they created communities made up of a sprawling network of 33 camps. With a population of over a […]

Read More...

But they clung to their faith and traditions

They fled with everything they could carry in their arms, leaving behind their homes and the lives they had built. But they didn’t leave behind their faith and traditions. Telling the Rohingya about the great love Jesus had for those the world had turned its back on reminds me of a song I used to […]

Read More...

“Be like children”

Photo by Mohammed Imran HUMBLE AND EAGER TO LEARN [Jesus] called a little child to him and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is […]

Read More...

Despite hardship and uncertainty

Photo by Mohammed Salim Khan HOPE LIVES ON “. . . The Rohingya people continue their daily lives with resilience. Children play on dusty paths, families gather near makeshift shelters, and hope lives on in every step they take. This is not just survival—this is strength.” – MD Jamal “So do not fear, for I […]

Read More...

Yes, we struggle

Photo by Mohammed Imran AND YET WE SURVIVE “As Rohingya refugees, we survive with limited resources year-round—but when the rains arrive, our struggle deepens. Our shelters—made of bamboo and tarpaulin—cannot withstand strong winds or heavy rainfall. Flooding, landslides, and waterlogging become daily threats. Some families lose everything overnight. Others live in fear, watching their walls […]

Read More...

He lifted me out

A MEMORY ONE DAY? I waited patiently for the Lord;     he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:1-2 Do you ever get swamped by […]

Read More...

All of us together

MY PASSIONATE DESIRE – This morning, I was thinking about what I’m trying to do with this unusual Open Door initiative. I’m sure that many must be thinking I’m bizarre to think I can do something as revolutionary as this. But I think that God is a God of possibilities and I believe that this […]

Read More...

Open Door meetings

  SPIRITUAL SUPPORT – At Living Room’s Open Door there is one thing we all have in common. We are all looking for support from our peers as we try to find relief from our mental health challenges. But it is different from other kinds of support groups in that our spiritual needs are also […]

Read More...
Older posts

© 2025 Marja Bergen

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑