Inside the life of a pastors wife and why it is difficult for them to make genuine friends
Pastor Ann Njoroge the director of Shepherd Family Fellowship.
Being a pastor's wife can be a unique and fulfilling role, but it also comes with its own challenges. There are expectations that the public places on them.
According to Pastor Ann Njoroge, this can sometimes affect their mental health, especially when most people assume that as a pastor's wife, she has everything under control.
Ms Ann has been a pastor's wife for 15 years. During her years of marriage, she started the Shepherd Family Fellowship five years ago to reach out to other pastor's wife.
"Being married to a pastor, I can testify to the kind of life pastors live and the challenges and privileges pastors' wives face," said Ms Ann.
According to her, the public perception is that pastors' wives are special and unique, forgetting that they are ordinary people with shortcomings.
"Such expectations from people who want us to be perfect can be very challenging because sometimes we are forced to live a life that pleases other people, but in real sense we are suffering," said Mrs Ann.
"As if that wasn't enough, another major challenge is loneliness, as people believe that our marriage is perfect and we are unable to share any difficulties we may be going through for fear of exposing our lives," she said.
Loneliness also comes when they have few genuine friends to share their problems with, so they have no choice but to isolate themselves.
"As a pastor's wife, I am expected to behave in a certain way, so it can be difficult to make real friends. In fact, the public expects me to be a fortress of comfort and emotional stability, but sometimes this is not the case," she said.
The challenges the pastor's wife faces, she says, can lead to stress and depression for most of them.
That is why she came up with the idea of the Shepherd Family Fellowship, which she envisions as a safe place where pastors' wives can vent their burdens with the help of mentors and psychiatrists.
A photo showing attendees of the Shepherd Family fellowship listening in keenly.
According to Mrs Njoroge, the last fellowship she targeted was for thirty pastors' wives and to her surprise, all of them attended, making it a successful programme.