Life is a collection of experiences. When you look carefully these stories show God's beautiful, fanciful, gracious and mighty personality. It also shows His extraordinary love and care for the poor & the oppressed. Come and be inspired to live differently and love extravagantly.
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel-which means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23
This year we have seen God be Immanuel...with us…beside us…all around us. He has never left our side or abandoned us. As Christmas draws near and I hear the name Emmanuel sung in Christmas Carols all over town, I feel as though God is saying over and over…I am with you…I have always been with you and I will always be with you. This year the Dorcas Widows learned to experience God as Immanuel…our closest brother, our tender lover and our most gracious savior.
Last January, we felt battered and bruised as a ministry. We had just lost 3 widows to AIDS…were caring for other sick women and had land that we didn’t have money to develop. Not knowing what else to do, the widows and I spent some hours in prayer. We lifted our hands to God and praised him, glorified him; then we cried, quite literally, out to God asking him to be with us…in all the sickness, in all the poverty, in all the misery. More specifically, we asked Him to keep all the widows safe in 2010…that 2010 would be a year where everyone in our ministry lived to see 2011 as a testimony of God’s goodness and mercy. We prayed for wisdom and financial resources to develop our land. We prayed that those who were the sickest would be made well. Humbly, we called on the name of Jesus…the name above all names…the one who is able to do more than we can ask or imagine. Then we stepped boldly into 2010.
Now in December of the same year, I am pleased to say that not one woman has died this year…not one! In miraculous ways, God came down and sat with us…he reached out his healing hand and did what we cried out for him to do. All of us who started 2010 will see 2011. Agnes should have died…she has end stages of AIDS and has cancer of the stomach. I have seen her on death’s doorstep so many times this year, but somehow God continues to do for her what he did for Lazarus so many years ago. Joyce Anywar was barely living in August. Every night I went to sleep expecting the phone to ring…to hear of her passing. Yet, I walked with her down to the market the other day…still HIV positive, but strong and full of life. She knows the only reason she is alive is because Jesus decided to heal her. These are just two of the many…the widows were so sick this year, but death had no power over them. Immanuel was with us.
This year some sizable donations came into our ministry…ones we had not solicited or applied for. They seemed to come direct from God’s hand. These donations allowed us to begin farming our land in Matuuga. We planted maize, cassava, beans and sweet potatoes. The widows have all gotten food from our farm. They were given sweet potatoes last month, maize last week and will get cassava soon. This small little farm is helping to feed 80 widows and their families. The land is no longer idle…God has given us the wisdom to feed our women. In 2011 we are hoping to have enough money to house our women too! Other donations have allowed us to give all the widows beans, porsho and rice to feed their families this Christmas season. The donations also allowed us to give each woman a beautiful Gomesi (traditional dress). As a collection of believers in Jesus, we were able to give each woman a crown of beauty instead of ashes. It was a beautiful sight to behold…truly God’s glory on earth.
So it is with great joy and thanksgiving that we are ending 2010. The Dorcas Widows stand as a testimony of God’s goodness…of his love for his bride. God was with us…our dear sweet Immanuel never left our side and this year we all lived to praise him for it.
“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2: 15-17
On July 27th, an American woman named Margaret attended a Dorcas Widows Meeting. She had visited the women once before and was awestruck at the challenges they face and at their tenacious belief in God’s goodness despite their circumstances. So, quietly…without any advanced notice Margaret stopped by to see the widows.
She announced at the meeting that she would buy 50,000 Ugsh ($25) worth of beaded jewelry from each woman at the meeting. At first the women just stared at her in disbelief…then they began to jump up and down screaming. Joy oozed from every pore of their bodies. After receiving the money one widow named Stephania ran around the compound of the church waving the money in the air…tears of joy running down her face screaming in Luganda…”I have 50,000, I have 50,000, I have 50,000.” She was completely overwhelmed as they all were…they could not imagine a woman coming seemingly out of the blue and giving them each such a large sum of money.
This last Tuesday the women testified about what they did with their unexpected blessing. Since many of you could not be there, I wanted to share their testimonies with you…
Helen: Prior to coming to the meeting that night Helen’s son was sent home from school because she couldn’t pay the remainder of his school fees. Her business had collapsed as she had spent all her money on treatment for herself and for two of her sick children. Then on top of that she had to spend what little was left over on a relative’s funeral. She felt helpless…tapped out…she had no idea how God would provide the money to send her child back to school. When she came for the meeting she asked the group to pray for her…to ask God to do something to get her out of this mess. So, when Margret gave her the 50,000…she couldn’t believe it and waited with the money outstretched thinking surely the woman would want a balance…that she wouldn’t let her keep such a sizable amount. She kept quiet and waited to see what would happen. Then she saw that all the widows were being given 50,000 each. She was overwhelmed because this lady gave her the ability to pay the school fees, buy new bed sheets and to buy food for her children. Even a week later, she can’t believe it…that God would so immediately answer her prayer…that a stranger would come in the name of Jesus and bless her so abundantly.
Nancy: Nancy is HIV AIDS positive and struggles with constant pain in her legs making it hard for her to work long hours. One of her sons is also sick, so much of her money goes for medical treatment. She struggles every week to buy enough food for the house. At this point paying school fees for her children seemed like a luxury she could not afford. She came to the meeting expecting emotional support and prayer…that other widows would understand her situation and give her encouragement. Nancy was shocked…I mean shocked to find Margaret at the meeting giving each woman 50,000 Ugsh. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that someone would give her so much money at one time. Even when she was going home she kept telling other widows, “I can’t believe I am going back with 50,000. God alone knows what she can do for that lady.” She used the money to send one of her children to school...all of sudden she could afford that luxury. What a great gift! She also stocked her house full of food…no going hungry this week!
Stephania: Stephania is HIV AIDS positive. She sells school supplies but it is not enough to cater for all her family’s needs. When Margaret gave her the money, she counted it over and over. She wondered if she really was holding 50,000 or if she was counting it wrong. She was worried about not being able to feed her children. She had also borrowed some notebooks of paper for her children; which was not paid. When she received the money, she celebrated her blessing by buying meat for her whole household. They had not had meat in a long, long time. She also cleared her debt for the notebooks and stocked the house with food. She regrets not thanking the lady properly as she was so shocked she just ran around the compound yelling, “I have 50,000! I have 50,000!”
Lucy: Lucy sells fish, but since she stays in a poorly constructed house with holes everywhere, every time she is away…thieves sneak in and steal her fish. This constant loss of inventory causes her to loose a lot of the profit of her business. Unfortunately, she cannot leave that house because she stays there free of charge and she just can’t afford to pay rent anywhere else. Because of this, she has incurred a lot of debts. She had promised one of the creditors that she would pay him on Friday, but she was only trusting God for that money. She hoped she could get at least part of the 15,000 from somewhere to pay the creditor, but never dreamed she could pay him 15,000 all at once. So, the money given to her was a huge miracle. She had been praying and praying for a way to clear this debt. As she shared her testimony, she was awestruck at what God had done for her. Then she thanked Margaret for remembering the widows. She told her, “It is now only God who can reward you.”
Esther: Esther came to the meeting worried because she was unable to pay her daughter’s examination fee and the deadline was July 30th. She sells candy in the market and it was not going well. She did not have the money to pay her daughter’s fee and was asking God to please provide. So, the 50,000 she received was a miracle to her…a direct answer to her plea. She screamed, “It is like I have one million!” She was able to pay the examination fee and stock her house with food. Her great provider had used his follower to create a miracle in the life of her family.
Rose: Rose has been having a problem with her neighbors since she failed to contribute for the shared electricity bill. She was worried and ashamed of herself. She had no hope since all she could do was give empty promises to her neighbors. She was also worried as children were coming back to school and she had no food in the house. She thought it would now be better to be disconnected from the electricity because she could not pay the bill, but they refused until she cleared her debt. As she came to the meeting, her only hope was found in prayer. She asked the other widows to please pray for her…that God would allow her to pay all her debts and to fix her relationships with the neighbors. After she received the 50,000, she paid her electricity bill and was able to restore those strained relationships. She also was able to stock the house with food. God not only answered, but created peace in the place she feared the most.
These are only a few stories of how a gift of $25 changed the lives of life’s most destitute women. Isn’t glorious to see another follower of Jesus bless those Jesus loves? For Margaret praying for these women was a gift of faith, yet she has learned that faith without action is dead…so she gave. She fed them, she kept them warm and met some of their physical needs…and in the process they felt the warm tender hands of the savior envelop them and give them life. I have a feeling that Jesus will one day hold Margaret’s hands and say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
I woke up today still thinking about the bombings...I guess I'm still in shock. I have spent the better part of today online reading everything I can about it and watching all the news reports I can. Somewhere in the middle of it all, I just broke down and cried. This great swell of melancholy swept over me...one mother of 3 lost her husband last night...countless others lost spouses, children, parents. The sense of loss was just so immense...so totally life changing. I just needed to grieve with them...to feel the weight of the sadness with them, so I just let it all engulf me. Some friends of mine were at the Rugby Club last night...they ran, jumped over bodies and climbed fences to safety...I am so grateful to God that they survived. I don't know...it is hard to even imagine. It really breaks my heart to think of the city I love so much in so much pain. It was interesting though in the middle of all that sadness...all that grieving over the immense loss...I felt something tender...something holding me. Those are the times when I know Jesus is real...when I know he is there beside me...comforting me. I forget sometimes how present Jesus is in times of extreme pain. I also got a sense that the war we all are avoiding will not be contained any more...evil wants his day in the sun...it says in scripture that the enemy, the evil one, walks around looking for whom he may devour. It seems evil is on the move...our one consolation is that God's love, truth and mercy will always be more powerful than evil's most diabolical attack....there will be casualties though and that is what breaks my heart and will always keep me longing for peace. The war is upon us...we can no longer fool ourselves about that, but we can stand like powerful warriors...our personal relationship with Jesus is our protection and our weapon aganist all the evil surrounding us...in Christ we know that we may not win every battle, but we will win the war. When the final battle is done...Love, Mercy and Justice will remain standing. Oh how I long for that day!
May this post be a tribute to all who lost their lives or who were injured in the bombings in Kampala, Uganda July 11, 2010
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8
Have you ever intently looked for another person only to find that you just missed them? They were there only minutes before you arrived…even their perfume or cologne is still lingering in the air, but they are no longer there. They have moved on and so you keep following their trail in hopes that you will catch up with them. Each place you reach has their essence there…you can tell they’ve been there…they have left their mark; yet you can’t seem to meet them face-to-face. I had that experience this month…the spirit of God was on the move and everywhere I went I saw his fingerprints…felt his essence, yet when I arrived I never saw him face to face. It was like chasing the wind.
Two weeks ago I arrived at Logogo Baptist Church for our weekly Tuesday night meeting with the women. It was a day just like every other. At first glance nothing seemed unusual or out of the ordinary. As I walked around the side of the church to the widows meeting, I saw Lillian sitting away from the others. Her head was down. She was staring intently at her hands. She glanced up as I walked by forced herself to smile and greeted me. I knew something was not right. The pain was etched into her face. I asked Suzan if she knew what was wrong with Lillian. She shook her head no and then walked past me and sat down next to her. As I continued the meeting with the other women, Suzan spoke to her softly in Luo. Lillian told Suzan that she was scared and worried. Her landlord was threatening to evict her. When Suzan inquired why. Lillian told her that she had chosen to spend the money she made on feeding her children and she had not paid the rent in 3 months. Now she needed the equivalent of $75 in order to avoid being kicked out on the street. Suzan listened patiently and then simply told her that the Dorcas Widows Emergency Fund could help pay that rent. When Lillian heard that, she began to weep. Simple tears did not just roll down her cheeks, she shook and sobbed and wiped her nose. In Luo, she told Suzan how grateful she was and asked her, “How could God love me this much?” Suddenly, I smelled the sweet perfume of God’s compassion. He had been there, but as my eyes swept the compound I didn’t physically see him.
The following Thursday, we were at St. Peter’s Church in the middle of the “Quarters,” a slum area behind Nakawa market. The widows had gathered for our weekly meeting. Just like before, there was nothing out of the ordinary about this meeting….nothing to set it apart from all the other ones, until Perruth asked to share. Perruth is a grandmother now; the years of hardship show up in each wrinkle of her face. Several weeks ago Perruth was evicted from her home. Another woman allowed her to live in the wooden structure attached to her house, but as the weeks have gone on that woman has become tired of her constant needs. That woman began to shout at her and quarrel with her. Perruth was greatly distressed. She sat down and cried and prayed. As she was praying, Ruth, another one of the widows, came by and saw her pain. Ruth immediately went back to her home and gave Perruth some food…not only for that day but for the week as well. Perruth was overwhelmed. As she testified about Ruth’s kindness, she smiled so wide the joy took up her whole face. In that moment of one widow loving another, I again sensed Jehovah Jirea’s provision. I looked frantically for him, but just like the wind he was gone, yet it was unmistakable that he had been there.
That same Thursday, one of the widows named Alice came. (Pictured above) Alice had once been a gifted teacher, but when her husband infected her with HIV her whole life changed. As a result of one of the sicknesses that complicated her HIV, she went blind. Now she has to be led around by her son. It is difficult for her to do even simple tasks, yet she is not depressed. Far from it, she has joy that seems deeply rooted from within. Now that she is blind, she has time to pray and sing praises. I can’t see Jesus, but it seems through her blindness she can.
When Perruth finished testifying, Alice asked to speak to the group. With her eyes tightly shut, she began to speak, “Praise God ladies! I have been through something difficult this month.” She went on the explain that she had received a call from her son’s boarding school about a month ago requesting her to come pick up her son. She traveled with her other son to the school. Upon arriving, she was told that her son had been beaten so severely by his teacher that he had two broken ribs. After hearing this news, Alice said she broke down and began to sob. She couldn’t even speak. After composing herself, she asked her son to explain what happened. He told her that because his school fees are sponsored by Meeting Point, the teacher always calls him, “Needy Boy” instead of his name. Finally, he refused to answer to this name, so the teacher beat him. Alice was overwhelmed with grief, anger and shock. She took her son home and sought immediate medical attention. The doctor confirmed that the ribs were broken and advised Alice to sue the school for all it is worth. She could then be a rich lady and justice would be done. Alice decided to go see her pastor to seek advice. The pastor reminded her of the scripture where Jesus asks us to forgive our enemies and to pray for those that persecute you. She went home and spent days praying, fasting and asking God for direction. Finally, when her son was well, she took him back to the school. Upon arriving, her son led her into the headmistress’ office where the teacher sat. Before they could speak or explain, Alice said, “I have been praying and asking Jesus what to do. God has asked me to forgive you for beating my son. I will not seek to sue this school. I only ask that you both consider becoming followers of Jesus Christ.” They were very quiet. The teacher only kept saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…I’m so sorry.” Alice then said, “I have already forgiven you.” Then she asked her fellow widows to pray that this teacher becomes a follower of Jesus. I felt this strong surge of emotion in my throat…Jesus’ tender mercy was hanging in the air. It was so strong I thought I might see him standing behind Alice, but there was nothing there.
We have all seen the wind blow and it’s effects are as plain as day, so it is with the spirit of God…when he moves there is no mistaking it.
“Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.” Psalms 71: 20-21
I’ve learned that it takes a tremendous amount of courage to believe in restoration…to believe that you will ever feel comforted again…to believe that you are worth being honored. All the pain that comes…all the troubles that seem to plague your life are all too real and then eventually they are the only things that feel real. They take up residence inside your soul and begin to dictate who you are and what you believe about yourself and somehow you just don’t have the strength to evict them. The bitterness that comes with these troubles slowly poisons your self-esteem. It is then you feel trapped at the bottom of dark pit, but even worse you believe it is your destiny to be there.
It is then your heart begins to wonder what the truth really is…is it the pain that is real or is it the hope of restoration…the promise of healing that is real? If you go by feelings then the pain wins hands down…when you are in constant pain it is the only thing you can think about. If you go by your head, the problems win hands down…if you logically look at the pattern of your life and see nothing but pain and problems, then you must conclude it is real and to be expected. But if you look by faith…by faith in a God that loves you and promises to carry you when you feel weak…then and only then does the glimmer of restoration seem real or even remotely possible. Then you wonder…do I have enough courage to walk by faith and not by sight? Do I have enough courage to evict all my pain, problems and bitterness from my heart?
For the last 20 years, I have prayed for a mate…someone to share my life with…someone to finally see my beauty…someone I could love and who could love me. Yet, all I have experienced is one failed relationship after another. I have been lied to, cheated on, emotionally abused…one man told me that no man would ever marry me because I wasn’t worth the effort. He told me that I was comfortable to have around like an old sock, but not a great beauty anyone would sacrifice anything for or do anything to be with…there just was nothing beautiful, exciting or sexy about me. Recently, I spent 2 years dating a man who told me he loved me only to get me to give him things. I was so blinded by love for him that I didn’t see that he was lying to me. He never really loved me…he loved that I was so easily manipulated. He left me for another woman whom he said was “the real thing,” while I was only a distraction…a means to an end for him. I was left deeply, deeply hurt, humiliated and rejected. So, after 20 long years of deep disappointment, rejection and humiliation…how do I have the courage to believe that there will be any man who will see anything of value in me? How do I believe that I have any beauty that will catch a man’s eye? How do I believe that there are any single men past the age of 30 who are faithful and believe in God’s definition of beauty? How do I believe that I will ever be free of this constant loneliness? When I was 28, somehow I was able to get courageous enough to believe…to have faith in God’s promise of restoration and healing in this painful part of my life, but now at 38…I keep looking inside for the courage to believe it, but it just isn’t there. I want it to be there…I want to evict all the bitterness and the pain from that tender place, but my voice just isn’t loud enough for the pain and rejection to take me seriously. Somehow they just laugh at me and point back to the last 20 years; at that point I just sit back down and sigh.
A couple weeks ago, I shared my pain with Joyce, a dear widow friend. She listened so patiently holding my hand in hers. Then she said, “Come.” I sat down with her on the church steps and looked into her eyes. She simply said, “Let’s pray.” I closed my eyes touched that she would stop everything and pray with me then and there, but not expecting any real change. This hurt is just too tender and too deep. Suddenly, I felt the power of her voice…I even opened my eyes and looked at her. She was speaking with such an authority…with such courage. I was totally taken aback. Her strength radiated out of her face…her jaw set…her expression serious and her hands were gripping mine so tightly. It was then that I heard her say, “…Lake of Fire!” I didn’t catch the beginning of the sentence, but it was clear she was in battle. Quickly, I focused my mind on what she was saying; “You say in your scriptures that it is not right for a man to be alone, so there is a man who is missing this woman. I throw any spirit who would tell her that she is not beautiful or worthy into the lake of fire! In the name of Jesus, I throw any hindrance the evil one would put in the path of that man to find her in the lake of fire! Remove all the evil spoken against her by these other men or pain these other men have caused and throw it into the lake of fire!” I began to cry…here was this widow…this woman who struggled in feeding her family, who struggled in sending her children to school…this woman who knows loneliness and who herself misses the touch of her husband…had somehow gathered the courage to fight the demons of rejection and unworthiness I didn’t have the strength to fight myself. Somehow in relationship…in sharing that deep pain with each other…God provides the courage to evict those bitter things from the soul.
Later that week, I experienced a freedom from that pain that I hadn’t felt in years. I had moments of courage…moments where I felt that I might be beautiful at least to someone somewhere…moments where I didn’t feel that oppressive feeling of rejection and unworthiness. The battle for my heart and my worth is still being fought, but this week God intervened and gave me a small bit of courage. My friend stood up and defended me…she would not let me wither and give in to the bullies in my heart, instead she stood firm, tough and demanded them to leave me alone…and they did. It made a difference. I can’t explain why or give proof, but it was real. Suddenly, faith…the faith to believe that God does heal painful places…the faith to believe that broken things will be restored was real and possible.
That is what is so great about the Dorcas Widows Ministry…we stand with each other and fight the bullies in each other’s hearts. Two weeks ago, I also had the opportunity to be the fighter…to chase the pain from Nabale’s heart. Nabale had been working as a nursery teacher which provided just enough for her to feed and house her children, but suddenly about 3 weeks ago they let her go due to budget restraints. Then within the same week, she found out that the NGO that had promised to sponsor her son, Mark, was also going to close due to loss of funding. She became overwhelmed to the point of despair. Sometimes, too much happens at once and the weight of being a widow just throws you down into a deep dark hole. She wept and wept and couldn’t imagine that anything could change her dire situation. Annet, our sponsorship coordinator, came to me and told me of Nabale’s despair and desperation. We then asked Lisa, Dorcas Widows Sponsorship Coordinator in the US, to find a sponsor for Mark. Then we prayed alongside of Nabale…every widows meeting we grabbed her hand and reminded her that God would restore her and told the bullies of her heart to leave her alone. A short time later, Lisa emailed saying that she had found a sponsor for Mark. Annet rushed to tell Nabale that Mark now had a sponsor and would be returning to school. She was shocked…in fact she was speechless for a moment. I know that moment…when you can’t quite believe that the problem has been beaten…when faith is suddenly real and the problems aren’t. Mark was her major worry and now through that sponsor, God had restored her situation…suddenly what was broken was now healed. That is a lot to take in at once. After being totally speechless, she suddenly began to run mad in all directions screaming, crying, dancing and praising the Lord. The bullies of her heart had told her that her son’s education was over…that she was a bad mother…that she was not worth helping, but God had used her sponsor, Lisa, Annet and I to chase her bullies and to give her healing.
Yes, the troubles we will all have will be many and bitter, but if we let Him, God will restore us, heal us and give us back our honor…not just supernaturally, but through each other. We all have the opportunity to be rescued and to rescue others….we can fight each other’s bullies and give each other the courage to believe that God does love us and that he will restore us.
“…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Isaiah 61: 3
The widows and I ended 2009 emotionally battered and bruised. We were beyond weary…death had stolen 2 of our most beloved members and one of our sick children in the three months leading up to Christmas. Despair and deep sadness grabbed hold of us and drained us of any sign of life. Grieving was exhausting. We had loved them and now we had lost them. Here we were in the valley of the shadow of death… a dark place filled with dark emotions. I wanted to be a good leader…I wanted to lead us out of that place, but the sadness was just too much for me. Instead, I sat down in that painful place and sobbed…then I stared out into the darkness…unable to move. My soul was in deep anguish and any movement sent shock waves of pain through my emotions.
I wanted to get up…to be free of this overwhelming feeling of despair. I wanted to feel the warm light of love on my face…to know joy again. Ever so slowly, I began to faintly call to the lover of my soul. My voice was barely a whisper and it was a simple prayer, “Help me,” is all I managed to say. Yet at the time, it felt like it took all my energy to say anything at all. I was stuck in mourning…in despair…in hopelessness. I needed a rescuer and I remembered that God said he would turn my mourning into dancing. So, without any eloquent words or big gestures and with tears running down my face, I mouthed the words, “Help me.” It was then that those that love me most put their arms around me, fed me, sent words of encouragement, prayed with me and over me, took me to grief counselors. They were literally the hands and feet of Jesus. They picked me up and carried me into the light. It was hard for me to adjust to the light of their love at first, I was so used to the dark. But slowly, the despair began to fade. The world again had moments of love and joy. I have not forgotten Jane or Idah, but I no longer live overwhelmed by grief.
As I emerged from the valley of the shadow of death, I began to look around for the other widows. Now that I was on my feet, I wanted to rescue the others. In our first meeting after I returned from the States, Widow Ruth told me that she had called the ladies to a day of prayer just before Christmas. The women had fasted and prayed and asked God to lift the deep sadness and despair that had settled over the group. They asked God for healing and to restore their joy. They also asked God to provide for them as a husband would…food at Christmas and something new to enjoy. Before I left the Dorcas Widows Fund gave each widow 3 kilos of rice and 2 kilos of beans (thanks to 3 special donors!). Ruth said this was the beginning of the miracle of joy. I looked at her and said, “I don’t know what you mean.” She smiled and then announced, “Let the testimonies of what God did to give you back your joy begin.”
Beatrice stood up first. “Praise God!” she shouted. “I was unsure how I was going to make a feast for my children on Christmas Day, but God prepared one for me. First I received the rice and beans, then my relative came with 5 kilos of beef and another neighbor gave me a chicken. We ate and ate and ate. We even had enough to share with our neighbors. Imagine a widow feeding a family on Christmas day!” She shook her head and laughed.
Then Justine stood up, “Praise God!” she shouted. At this point we were all getting excited…something joyful and electrifying was in the air. Justine told us that she had also received beef, chicken and millet flour to go along with the beans and rice. “Do you know that someone who used to know me 10 years ago came to my home with milk from his cow? You know how expensive milk is in Kampala…well my friends we drank milk all day! “ Then her eyes began to fill up with tears as she explained that a relative showed up with new clothes for her children. Big tears rolled down her face as she said, “My children have never had new clothes. Imagine these are clothes no other person has worn before. God is so good.” My eyes welled up with tears too, but not heavy tears filled with despair, they were light happy tears.
One by one, each of the 40 women at the meeting stood up and told miraculous stories of how God had fed them on Christmas day and how he had given gifts to them and their children. It was then that I realized that God had rescued all of us. We had made a mass exodus out of the valley of despair into God’s love and protection. We decided to meet again the following week to have a time of prayer and fasting in order to thank God for his great love and mercy. We stood in a wide circle and all began to pray at once. About 50 women spoke with passionate voices in their own language. It sounded like a chorus of angles. It was our love song for a savior who didn’t leave us in the valley of despair…who saw our need and provided for it…who gave us back our joy…who turned our mourning into dancing.
A Personal Note from Kari: As you may have picked up 2009 was a difficult year filled with a lot of sadness, but because of God’s great mercy…the ladies and I are looking forward to God’s new blessings in 2010. The reality is that 2/3rds of our women are HIV positive and it is incurable, so death will most likely always be a part of our ministry. Even though it hurts more than words can say to lose a friend…a member of our group, it is an incredible gift to be able to love these forgotten women. Widows are truly at the bottom of society, so it is an honor to give them the respect and love they deserve. I wouldn’t want to do anything else! I can honestly say with full conviction that the pain is worth it…the blessing far, far, far outweighs the despair.
It was a joy to be able to help feed the widows at Christmas, but the reality is that we need help all throughout the year. Widows need help feeding their families. They need help paying hospital bills. They need capital for their businesses. They need the widow’s community to become a reality. Therefore, we need some of YOU to help keep this ministry of loving widows going by becoming a monthly DONOR. Our love for the women is strong, but our budget for helping them is weak. If you are a faithful follower of this blog or if you support our work with widows then please consider becoming a financial supporter of our ministry. We cannot do it alone…We need you! Please go to our website www.dorcaswidows.org for more information.
