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.
Yesterday morning Agnes lost her battle with AIDS and cancer, but regained her freedom from pain and is now in eternal peace. Agnes had been sick for many years and in the last year her pain had become unbearable. She had multiple ulcers in her stomach from the cancer drugs which caused a great fire in her belly anytime she ate anything. Her head ached daily from lack of food and her digestive system either was blocked or would cause her to have diarrhea for hours at a time. She had become bone thin and finally could no longer take care of herself. For the last 2 months she has been bedridden in the hospital. Her daughter who is 15 has been taking care of her. She slept on a mat below her mother's hospital bed wondering which day she would see her mother die. It has been a painful road for both of them, but God has held them close every step of the way. The day before Agnes died, she was in pain but full of peace...a strange combination...one only possible when you are in the palm of God.
Her daughter was at her bedside crying...begging her mother not to die...asking her what she will do with her body...how will I get a coffin? how will I transport your body? pay for the burial? Calmly, Agnes looked into her daughter's eyes and said, "Don't worry about any of that. Jesus told me that he will provide the coffin, that a car will be sent with petrol already in it and there will be nothing you have to do." Her daughter just shook her head and thought that her mother was talking nonsense.
The next day Agnes died. Shortly after her death, Meeting Point (another NGO that helped Agnes with her HIV treatment) paid the bill for everything in the hospital including preparing the body for burial and the coffin. Another woman from Agnes' church was prompted by the holy spirit to give her family's truck free of charge in order to transport her body to Northern Uganda. And like Jesus promised the woman put a full tank of fuel in the truck before handing over the keys to Agnes' family. The only thing that remained was to find a beautiful dress to bury her mother in...as the girl looked in her mother's things, the only nice dress Agnes had was the Gomesi given to her last Christmas by Dorcas Widows Fund. Just like Jane, Agnes was buried in the beautiful dress we provided for her at Christmas. She looked so beautiful...mostly because she was at peace...no more pain...no more sorrow...now only the joy of heaven. Dancing with the savior at the wedding feast in the most beautiful dress....
Her daughter was awestruck to see the miracles God provided...to see how much he loves the widow and the orphan. Now the girl will stay with a priest who was close to the family. She will be taken care of and loved by the family of God. Isn't it amazing to watch God keep his promises???
In loving memory of Agnes Oyio...a widow who was dearly loved by God.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12
I know what it’s like to hope for something for not just months, but for years…to spend over 20 years hoping that God will fulfill my deepest desire. My desire has yet remained unfulfilled and I can attest that my heart has been incredibly undeniably sick. It is a pain only fellow ‘wait-ers’ can understand. Your heart literally hurts every day all the time. There is no relief…no comfort until that longing is satisfied. Maybe that is our human nature or maybe that is the curse of hoping for something that may never be ours. Those of you who long desperately for a child…or to be married…or to have a stable job…or to have peace in your family…know what I am talking about.
Since, I know what it is like to be nearly 40 and unmarried, I know what it feels like to be heartsick over a hope deferred. Maybe that is why I connect so deeply with the widows…I know that pain of longing for something to be different…I know how hopeless life sometimes feels. Most of our widow meetings, we focus so much on what it feels like to have our hope deferred that we sometimes miss the second half of the proverb…”but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” It is the hope that Jesus will provide a “tree of life” for our deepest longing that keeps us hoping in the first place. I mean isn’t Jesus called “the tree of life?”
Last Thursday, Rosemary got her “tree of life” and it was spectacularly beautiful.
Around this time last year, I received a frantic call telling me that Rosemary had tried to kill herself. I was heart broken to hear that she had felt so alone and so discouraged that her only option seemed to be to end it all. Several of us went to see her after she was discharged from the hospital. Her suicide attempt was unsuccessful, but it was clear that her pain was still real and overwhelming. Her oldest son had fallen into the wrong crowd and had been stealing money from her. When he came home drunk, he was beating her up. The aunties on her husband’s side had kidnapped her first-born daughter and she hadn’t seen her or heard from her in 25 years. All her attempts to find her daughter after all these years had ended in heartbreak. One of her young nieces had just been raped while staying in the village. Her other daughter had gotten pregnant by her boyfriend and now her and the new baby were living with her. Not to mention that her own diabetes had been causing her much pain and discomfort. All these intense problems were just too much for Rosemary. She had long since stopped coming to the Dorcas Widows Meetings, as she just couldn’t get the energy to come. Fortunately, several widows had taken to visiting her. They tried to encourage her as best they could, but that fateful night she just lost hope…her heart became sick and she just gave up.
After the suicide attempt, we all became very involved in Rosemary’s life. We helped her keep food in the house, we helped find a way to keep her safe from her son, and we tried to help her find a place for her niece to receive treatment. We also encouraged her to get back involved with her church and with the Dorcas Widows Ministry. She did both of those things and slowly by slowly we saw Rosemary come back to life. The overwhelming spirit of despair that hung over her life was sent away and replaced again with hope…the hope that Jesus would stand beside her…that he would comfort her…that he would begin to unravel all her problems.
So, it was that Rosemary stood in front of the women on Thursday…stretched her hands toward heaven and just cried. At first, I was concerned that her heart had become too sick again, but when she began to talk I realized that these were now tears of overwhelming joy. She said, “Ladies, God had done a miracle…something I never, never believed possible. What I wanted most has happened.” Then she put her head in her hands and cried. We all sat there dumbfounded wondering what had happened that had made her this happy. She looked up again and said, “My long lost daughter is alive and has been found.” All our mouths dropped open…all eyes became wide…then almost all at once a loud cheer erupted from all of us. She just stood in the midst of us looking up at the sky with huge tears rolling down her cheeks.
After we quieted ourselves down, she began to tell us what had happened. “My pastor encouraged us to spend 3 weeks fasting and praying. So I decided to fast and pray, but the only thing I asked God for was my first-born daughter. I haven’t seen her for 25 years and I just wanted to know where she was and if she was fine.” At the end of Rosemary’s fast, the pastor’s wife came to her house. She had rushed there and seemed out of breath when she arrived. Rosemary invited her in not knowing what had caused this sudden visit. The pastor’s wife smiled and shook her head, her eyes filling up with tears. Rosemary asked her what was wrong. The pastor’s wife then said, “You daughter contacted us and wants to talk to you, but we had no way to reach you as you don’t have a phone.” Rosemary said she felt immediately weak and fell into the chair behind her. “Please, please don’t tease me about this. I am not strong enough. Are you sure? Are you really sure she is MY daughter?” The pastor’s wife then confirmed the name of her daughter and several other details that would indeed leave no doubt that she had found her long lost daughter. Rosemary couldn’t believe it.
Then the Pastor’s wife gave her a phone and told her to wait, as her daughter would call her shortly. A while later the phone began to ring. She was so overcome with emotion, she had her other daughter answer it. It was her long lost daughter calling from Sweden as that is where she had been finally found. Rosemary took the phone and just wept calling her daughter’s name over and over. Her 30-year-old daughter also wept saying “mommy, mommy, mommy” over and over again. After they had cried with each other, they began to unravel what had kept them apart.
Twenty-five years ago Rosemary had left her then 4-year-old daughter with her sister while she went into town. A group of men showed up at the sister’s home and kidnapped her daughter by gunpoint. The sister almost died at their hands trying to protect Rosemary’s daughter, but it was no use. They took her and that was the last time anyone had seen her. Her daughter explained that it was the aunties of her father that took her immediately to Sweden. The aunties then used her passport to kidnap other children and bring them to Sweden. The aunties mistreated her and kept her drugged most of the time. Whenever the daughter would ask about her mother, the aunties would tell her that they had no idea who her mother was and no contact information for her. Finally at 18 years old, the daughter ran away from the aunties’ house in Sweden and was found by Swedish social workers. The daughter was incredibly sick when they found her. She had sickle cell anemia and needed immediate intense treatment. These social workers probably saved her life. They helped her get educated and find a job. Now in the last few years they have been helping her find her mother. During the time when Rosemary was fasting and praying in Uganda, one social worker in Sweden asked if she could send her name to a pastor she knew in Uganda on the outside chance he might be able to find a woman named Rosemary Amony. The pastor that Swedish woman sent the daughter’s name to was in fact Rosemary’s pastor.
As Rosemary finished telling this incredible story, we all had big tears rolling down our cheeks. It was unbelievable…after 25 years God had managed to connect a widow without a phone with her daughter living thousands of miles away in Sweden. I watched Rosemary as she cried…it wasn’t a defeated cry, but one of incredible power. As she reached her hands to heaven and smiled through her tears, she really did look like a tree of life.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.” Ephesians 6:12
When you think of a warrior…you think of bulging biceps and of a menacing face. Someone you could count on to protect you in any and all situations…someone fearless and aggressive. To a warrior fighting is just like breathing…as natural to living as eating and sleeping. They are born to dominate and to never take no for answer. Hollywood reinforces this definition of a warrior, but I am beginning to think that it isn’t really who a true warrior is. This week God showed me a different kind of warrior…maybe the truest kind of warrior there is.
A couple weeks ago, Nancy came to the widows meeting and sat near the back. During the meeting she didn’t say much, but her face spoke volumes. The stress and pain in her eyes was screaming out her trouble. After the meeting, she pulled Suzan aside and told her that she had not eaten yesterday and that she would not be able to feed her children that night either. In an instant Suzan put her arm around Nancy and without any fanfare or many words, she gave her the equivalent of $15. Nancy stared speechless at the money in her hand for a moment and then started to cry. Not a sweet cry, but one of incredible shock and relief. Big tears streamed down her face and she buried her head in her hands. That $15 gave her relief from the agony of not being able to feed her children and of not eating herself. You see Nancy is HIV positive and taking the drugs on an empty stomach causes her incredible discomfort and pain. Not the mention the pain a mother endures as she watches her children suffer. As I watched her hold Susan and cry, I cried too. It was beautiful to see someone in pain be comforted.
I met Nancy again last night. This time she entered the widows meeting with her mouth twitching as if the words were just fighting to come out. After greeting each other, she immediately asked if she could share a story with the group. Nancy began to speak very quickly in her language and with great expression. She said that about a month ago an elderly woman had been chased from the home she was renting because she had fallen sick and could not pay the rent. The old woman walked out of the little room she could no longer afford and sat in the dust and cried while the neighbors looked on. Nancy broke through the crowd and asked the woman what had happened and tried to comfort her. The woman told her that although she was 65 she had started to bleed again. She tries to keep herself clean, but she seems to weaken every day. Nancy immediately wondered if the woman had cervical cancer. Nancy lives in a two-roomed house with her children, as it is they live on top of each other and they struggle to eat every day. But that never entered her mind.
“I follow Jesus,” Nancy told the woman, “So you can stay with me and I will take care of you.” She then picked the woman up and helped her into the house. After entering into the house she realized that the woman smelled of dried blood and urine. With her daughter helping her, she bathed the woman and washed her clothes. Now for the last month and a half, she has been caring for this woman every day…all the time. She has tried to get some little extra money to bring the woman to the hospital to get tested for cancer. So, here she was at the meeting begging the Dorcas Widows Fund to help this poor woman. Nancy looked at us and said, “This woman is the one who is truly suffering.” I wondered how she defined suffering…Nancy gets sores from HIV and is sick often, she struggles to feed her family, pay house rent and take care of her children. She continued to plead of this woman. She told us that as of now the woman’s only health care is her prayers over her at night; which, as I was about to find out are as powerful as any medicine any doctor could give.
After we agreed to help her help this woman, Nancy said, “Oh, I have one more prayer request.” She said as if it was a commonplace prayer request…something people always ask for. “At about 9 o’clock last night I heard a commotion outside my home. It was so loud that my daughter and I decided to find out what was happening.” As Nancy, stepped outside she was horrified to see two men beating a 15-year-old girl with their rosaries. She ran to the girl and asked the men why they were beating her. The men said, “Stay back. This girl is possessed by demons. She is talking in many different voices and is trying to hit, kick and bite other people. Just let us handle it.” Nancy stood her ground and calmly said, “Gentlemen, please let me handle this for you. I am born again and I can rid this girl of the demons.” The men shook their heads, but allowed her to take control of the situation. At that point Matilda, another Dorcas Widow, joined Nancy and they began to pray in full force. The demons first laughed at her and told her that “We are 30 and you are only two. What can you do to us?" She responded by saying that Jesus had given her full authority over them and that the blood of Jesus was enough to battle them with. Matilda and Nancy prayed and battled for this girl’s soul until midnight. Finally, all the demons left the girl and the girl came back to her senses. At that point both Nancy and Matilda shared the love of Christ with the girl and her mother. They both decided to become followers of Jesus. “So, please pray with Matilda and I as we continue to share Jesus with this girl and her mother.”
I stared at her in complete amazement. At first I didn’t even know what to say. Then I asked her if she was scared when she encountered this demon-possessed girl. She looked at me strangely as if my question was completely bizarre. Then she said, “No, Kari, God told us that we have power over demons. There is nothing they can do to us. Isn’t that what Jesus told us we should do?” I just nodded my head.
I spent the rest of the meeting looking at this HIV positive woman wearing old worn out clothes realizing that this is what a true fearless warrior looks like. She battles hunger in her house…sickness in her body…sadness in her inability to provide for her children and demons in the community…but the key is she doesn’t go into battle alone. Jesus…her protector, her lover, her friend, her powerful ally goes with her everywhere she goes. With human eyes she is only wearing a faded blue skirt, a blouse missing a couple buttons and shoes that barely fit, but in God’s eyes she is covered in the full armor of God. She has a beautiful belt of truth buckled around her waist, a shiny golden breastplate of righteousness and a solid shield of faith, which will extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil one. She is one of the most beautiful warriors I have ever seen and also one of the most fierce.
“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.
