It takes a great deal of courage for a church leader to open up about mental health struggles. Yet for Elizabeth Adundo Yogo, it was not enough to open up about the issue; she has written a book, Praying Through Emotions, about it. Lizzy, as she is fondly known among friends and family, is the wife to Osborne George Yogo who is a minister at the Royal Kingdom Embassy in Nairobi. She says the book results from her journey of battling mental health challenges.
“For years, I lived in a prison I didn’t even know I had built,” says Elizabeth Adundo Yogo. “The explosive outbursts left my family walking on eggshells. The anxiety that gripped my chest like a vice, making simple decisions feel impossible. The profound grief that seemed to have no source, yet consumed me from the inside out. I told myself this was normal – that everyone carried this weight, that faith meant enduring in silence.
She says her body knew better. It began to rebel in ways she couldn’t ignore. “Mysterious illnesses would strike me down – debilitating symptoms that sent me rushing to doctors, only to hear the same confusing refrain: ‘All your tests are normal. There’s nothing physically wrong with you’.”
There is debate on whether it is possible for one to be a Christian and still battle mental health issues. One school of thought holds that, by the very nature, mental health issues including anxiety, depression, bipolar and such are the works of the devil, which should not take a toehold on a believer’s life.
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On the other hand, there are others who feel that mental health conditions are illnesses like any other and that those affected should seek help – including from therapists, counsellors and psychiatrists, whatever the case maybe.
Lizzy belongs in the first category. “There’s absolutely no contradiction between being a Christian and addressing mental health openly. In fact, I’d argue it’s deeply biblical. The Psalms are essentially David’s therapy sessions with God – raw, honest expressions of depression, anxiety, fear, and hope. Jesus himself wept, felt anguish, and experienced the full range of human emotions. My book ‘Praying Through Emotions’ simply provides a framework for bringing our complete selves – including our mental health struggles – before God.”
She adds that being married to a minister gives her a unique perspective on how these mental health issues affect ministry families, who often feel pressure to appear ‘perfect.’ “Our family has learned that transparency about mental health actually strengthens our witness and allows us to minister more authentically to others who are struggling,” she says.
Pastor Robert Nyasuna agrees with Lizzy. “We live in a fast-paced world, far removed from the easy and laid back one in which our forefathers lived. We face all manner of illnesses including cancer, diabetes and mental illnesses and we must have a trained cadre in our churches who can handle these situations.
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According to Pastor Nyasuna, modern church operates in a fivefold ministry, which includes teaching. It is under this that he recommends that people learn to deal with mental health challenges to have an effective, healthy church.
“Saint Paul says in Phillipians 4:12 that he knows what it is to be in need, and that he knows what it is to have plenty. He adds that he has learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. This should be the posture of every believer in order to live a life of contentment,” he says.
It is indeed commendable that many churches are taking the issue of mental health seriously. It is the rule and not exception, that every church has a functioning counselling ministry staffed with qualified counsellors, psychologists and other mental health professionals.
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