Monday, August 15, 2011

Eviction


“…He sent me to bind up the broken hearted…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. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61: 1, 3

My July 4th was very different from most of yours. Instead of picnics, parades and fireworks, I watched as one widow's house after another was demolished by large graders. These massive machines came without warning early that Monday morning and ran over house after house without any care as to who or what was inside. As the concrete walls fell large swells of dust and concrete particles filled the air. It was suffocating. People were running to get as much out of their homes as they could before the whole house was destroyed by these large unyielding machines. The military in full riot gear surrounded the quarters machine guns in hand making sure the people had no choice but to watch as their house and most of their belongings were crushed and buried in large piles of rubble. I held widows as they cried and wailed. In that moment all I could do was cry and stand in that terrible pain with them.



That night many of them slept outside on the street...homeless...without water...without food...without anything. I received call after call from them...their voices trembled...they asked me what to do...where they should go. If it was only one, we could compensate them, but our ministry had 46 families homeless overnight. For us it was a devastating disaster of monumental proportions. Suzan, Annet and I cried...large tears rolling down our cheeks for these women we love so much. It just seemed so overwhelming...how do we find housing for that many people in one night? We felt as helpless as they did.

On Tuesday, July 5th we contacted the US office of Dorcas Widows Fund and told Lisa about the massive disaster in Nakawa/Naguru Quarters. She was as shocked and saddened as we were, but we formulated a plan. She quickly let the donors know about the widow’s homelessness and they responded. Immediately she sent $5,000 USD, which DWF used to pay 3 months rent on temporary houses for each of the women who were evicted. It took about a week, but eventually all 46 of the women were in some type of structure and no longer on the street. The women were amazed that our little ministry was able to love and support them...all of them, not just some. We rescued them in their darkest hour of need. We filled a gap that no one...no one was willing to fill for them. We saved them from being homeless...we loved them when they felt the most unloved...we stood with them in their pain and helped them find a way out of it. I can’t tell you how awesome and beautiful it is to love like Jesus loves.

The following week, my parents came to visit the widows for the first time. Emotionally, the ladies had been to hell and back, but they remained determined to welcome them with all the love they had left to give. So, they came early that day to cook for them…to make a feast for them. They dressed in their gomesi’s they received from Dorcas Widows Fund last Christmas and greeted my parents like they were royalty from another place. They knelt and hugged them…kissed them and told them that they loved them. Even though the pain and heartache of the last week was still fresh, they chose joy. It was hard for them…it ached at times to choose joy over this painful sorrow, but they did it. They sang and danced and ate. It was an incredible display of courage. Inside my head, I was hearing the words of a chorus I used to sing in Sunday school…” WhenI am weak and he is strong, Yes, Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me.” I am convinced it is only God that gave them the courage to love and give and dance and sing in the midst of the great pain they were feeling. I knew because at that moment they were displaying his splendor and it was glorious.

As the party came to a close, I gave my parents some of the money you donated and asked them to give 50,000 Ugsh ($24) to each woman. As they announced your gift, some widows screamed…some ran around…some danced and some just fell to their knees and cried. They could not believe it. They could not believe that anyone would notice their pain and be so willing to give them so much money at one time. It was a rejoicing I will never forget.



The next week, we met with the widows again. They came ready and excited to share what that 50,000 Ugsh meant to them.

One woman, Jenifer, started her testimony by shaking her head and crying. She then told us that as she was cooking potatoes for the feast her mouth began to water as she had not eaten in a couple of days. So, she took some of the potatoes and ate them. As she ate them large swells of guilt came over her as her children were at home with nothing to eat and here she was eating potatoes. She was feeling so unworthy…as a mother, as a provider…in fact she was beating herself up inside all during the party. Then when my father announced that she would receive the 50,000 Ugsh she almost fainted. She ran to my father and put her arms around his neck and cried. She left that meeting and bought enough food to feed her children for a month. God had heard her cry and lifted her out of her pit of despair.

Another woman, Justine, told us that her daughter had been abandoned by her husband and was about to give birth. Before receiving the 50,000 Ugsh she had no money to pay for the birth of the child. In fact the daughter’s due date was the date of my parent’s party, but her daughter was still feeling no pain, so Justine went to the party. In receiving that money Justine knew it would cover the birth of the child at the government hospital. So, a couple days later a baby girl was born in a local hospital, but with no outstanding debt. Justine was so happy and so grateful that she named the child after my mother. When she finished testifying she danced and sang and marveled at how God provides.

Each widow has her own story and I could write for pages if I told them all, but please know that God is using your dollars and donations. Real lives of real women are being rescued and loved. Thank you so much for all you have done for these women. However, we are not done yet, we are still hoping to build a more permenant widows community for these women. If God so moves you, please consider donating to the Dorcas Widows Fund and make this a reality.

May God continue to bless you…God is using you to change the lives of those he loves!