Today I would like to introduce you to 2 amazing widows and a precious orphan. 

This is Thamarie, her husband was killed at the beginning of the war in 1993.  She had 7 very young children at the time and now they are grown.  She has 1 daughter living at home still who is 13 (she did not explain if this child is from rape which happened often during the war, or if this is a child from a family member that she calls her own now). 

During the war Thamarie was bit by a spider and because of the war there was no access to any medical care at all.  The spider bit her thumb but impacted her nerves.  She has nerve pain and damage from her left thumb to her back ever since.  Because of this pain and numbness, she has a lot of difficulty doing many tasks and working.  Her 13-year-old daughter dropped out of school and tries to help earn money by sewing.  They don’t have their own sewing machine though so she can only work when she can borrow a sewing machine which costs also. 

Thamarie and her daughter eat once a day on good days.  One of her prayer requests is that she struggles to have joy, she asked us to be praying that she would do better at having joy in all circumstances.  She also asked us to pray that God would bring her a sponsor.  She has been waiting many years for a sponsor and because she cannot work much, the monthly sponsorship of $40 would change her life.  She could send her daughter back to school, they could eat 2-3 times a day, she could visit the doctor when needed and she could give to her church more.  She wants to give back so bad, because God has provided through her church often.

This amazing woman is Febronie.  Her husband also died during the war in 2005.  She has 7 grown children, 1 of her sons died also and her daughter in law got remarried but the new husband didn’t want to take care of her kids from her previous marriage.  So Febronie cares for her 12, 9, 6 and 4-year-old grandchildren of her late son.  Her 12-year-old granddaughter had to drop out of school to help make money for the family.  The 9-year-old is in school in 1^st grade. 

The children in Burundi get behind quickly in school, often they are too sick to attend school regularly or if a family member is sick or unable to work, they must quit going to school and work to earn money.  If you had to drop out to help your family and you were 9 years old and already a little behind in 1^st grade, if your family is eventually able to send you back to school you could be 11 or 12 years old and still in the 1^st grade.  Some choose never to go back and work instead.  But being able to attend school can help these children, especially if they are able to finish high school and for few continue through college is life changing. 

Febronie and her 4 grandchildren eat once a day.  She asked for prayer because she has had a cough for 17 years, but when she went to the hospital for it the medicine, they prescribed gave her difficult side effects where she struggled more to work daily so she stopped taking the medicine.  She also has stomach issues and a hurt leg, so it is difficult to work, but she hates begging for money or food, so she tries to work.  She requested we pray for 2 other things: that her grandchildren would grow up and be healthy and know God and that she would get a sponsor through Sister Connection. 

Last, but certainly not least, this is a precious orphan named Francine.  Francine does not know how old she is and she has 2 younger siblings that she also does not know their ages.  She knows she was born during the war.  1993/94-2006.  She lives with her siblings in a home built by Sister Connection.  When she was young her dad and their neighbor got into an argument over land.  The neighbor said her dad was using some of the neighbor’s land and the neighbor was mad.  The neighbor pretended to “forgive” her dad and took him to a bar to get some drinks, but he poisoned the drink and Francine’s dad died. 

Francine’s mother was distraught and struggling, she now had 3 children to care for her on her own.  Instead of caring for them, however, Francine’s mother decided to get remarried.  The new husband did not want the children, so the mother left them.  The children had a grandfather who would help, as much as he could, take care of them, but he passed away a few years ago.  Her brother has a bike, and he works as a bike taxi when he can, and the church tries to help as much as possible also.

Usually within Sister Connection the way the staff hears about widows and orphans that need care are from the local pastors.  This local pastor had joy overflowing, his smile and his demeanor was full of joy, yet he also carried the burdens, and the pain is etched on him for these widows and orphans.  He wants to help, he does help to the best of his ability, but he knows he and his congregation do not have the means to provide all they need.  The needs in his congregation are starvation and life-threatening illnesses, and he shepherds them the best he possibly can to the glory of God.  He pulled me aside after Francine had left and he said, “She cannot speak well for herself, but she is in great need.”  His heart for his flock reflects the heart of the Good Shepherd Himself.    

Francine’s prayer requests were for God to heal her, the doctors think she has epilepsy but that has never been confirmed.  She was slower, she spoke slow and had a lack of emotion and lack of ability to express herself.  There is medicine that has helped her, but she couldn’t afford it.  The medicine costs 20,000 Burundi francs, that is roughly $5 a month.  She also asked for prayer for a sponsor.

We were able to give each of these widows some money and tell them our prayer is that the money we gave will help their families until someone sponsors them soon.  We are praying for that and trusting God to provide for these 3 precious women and their families.  We are also hoping to work with the local hospital and the Sister Connection director to see if we can get Francine some proper medical care.  

After hearing these stories, there are probably different emotions and maybe many questions.  It is very difficult for us from the Western world to wrap our minds around such poverty.  There is no local soup kitchen or shelter.  There are a handful of non-profit organizations but they’re working in a country of roughly 13 million people living in poverty, so the needs far exceed their human ability.  There are no government assistance programs, because the government itself doesn’t have money.  The churches and pastors are doing their best, most barely making enough money to feed their own families but they are serving the best they can. 

Maybe a question you ask is, where is God?  If God cares for the widows and the orphans, why are they barely surviving?  Why are they living like this if He cares?  A few thoughts I have on those questions.  He never said we wouldn’t have struggles and trials and difficulties, in fact, He said the opposite.  He said we would have those things and even a lot of them, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart, I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33. He hasn’t promised a world without pain and suffering until heaven and the new heaven and new earth, but He promised something amazing and precious and something I am learning the weight of more and more as I live in Africa… “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20. 

He is present and He is working, He is protecting and providing for these women and children and for the people of this impoverished country.  These widows have a deeper faith than I ever will, because they have been so much more reliant on the hand of God and that faithful hand has never failed them.  He is providing through His people.  We were able to obey James 1:27 and visit Thamarie, Febronie and Francine in their distress.  And God is providing through Sister Connection a conduit for the Western world to give and lift them up out of the pit of abject poverty.  He is providing opportunity for those with money to restore dignity to these widows and orphans.  He is giving us the chance to speak to them in their distress and to say to them, “you are valuable, you are loved, and our God is greater than all our troubles.” 

I know these stories are weighty, but they are necessary too.  I am blessed and privileged to have the opportunity to write their stories and share.  Please, never hesitate to comment, email or text us any questions! 

Because Jesus said they matter,

Josh, Michelle, Josiah, Samuel and Neil