It was hot and we were surrounded by school kids that just got out of class which meant no breeze flowing. It was difficult, but we were focused on these precious and valuable women sitting by us. Josh would walk around the church building and a swarm of the children would follow the white man so we could hear the widows easier.

Rebecca was the first widow, I could tell she had trouble seeing, but her daughter was beside her to help. Rebecca had a soft look about her and a smile that just pierced my heart.

Rebecca birthed 8 children, but now has only 3. The other 5 children died due to sickness or war. She spoke quietly, but boldly too. Her husband passed away of sickness in 2012, that same year she became a widow of Sister Connections which built her a home. Her 3 children have tried their best to help their sweet mother, but they too are in poverty and struggling to feed their own families. Rebecca is 80 years old and so precious. Her home that was built 12 years ago has had some recent problems because the rains have been very heavy this season. She is praying her home will be okay and she asks for prayer for her eyes and she has stomach problems. Somedays she eats once a day, but she is reliant on neighbors or someone being generous to give her anything because she cannot work at all. Rebecca has been waiting 12 years for a sponsor.

This is Daphrose, she has 5 children and all of them are married. Her husband left her in 1993 at the beginning of the war. She has problems with her eyes, knees and her legs and she is not even able to lift anything. She said she eats if someone has pity on her. If she does eat it is an ibitumbura, which is a Burundian donut of sorts. It is about the size of a typical roll in America. Her prayer is also that her house would be okay as it is beginning to deteriorate because of the heavy rains recently. She is also praying that she could get medical care. She wants to work and provide for herself, but she is physically not able. She is a widow in a society that doesn’t think much of widows or orphans. The church she attends tries to help, but again, it is an impoverished country so who can provide for her?

This is Marguerite, I felt I could see the worn life she has had just by looking in her eyes. Her husband was killed at the beginning of the war in 1993. She has 5 children all are married except 1 daughter who is disabled and the husband recently left her with two children ages 1 1/2 and 5 years old. Marguerite is the sole provider for herself, her disabled daughter and these two precious grandchildren. The church tries to help and other people may sometimes give her a tiny bit of money or food, never enough to truly provide. She has eye problems and actually has stomach problems due to parasites the doctor thinks and she has high blood pressure, but she cannot afford any medicine. She has been waiting for 12 years for a sponsor.

This sweet woman is Emeliene and she is actually the daughter of a widow named Gloriose. Emeliene came to meet us because her mother physically cannot, she has a leg problem and cannot walk. They also recently found out that Gloriose has a liver problem. Emelienne and her 3 siblings try to help their mother, but they struggle to be able to provide much. Emeliene said she hates it because her mother often goes hungry and she wants to help her more. She is praying her mom can get the help she needs.

This widow is named Petronie, she has 4 children ages 28, 24, 11 and 7. Her husband decided he wanted to be with another woman and left her. Her older 2 children make brooms and sell them at the market, her 11 year old child is in school in 3rd grade and her youngest child had to drop out of school because she couldn’t afford to send both younger children to school. Her prayer request is that she would be able to see a doctor because she get terrible headaches sometimes. The headache gets so bad she isn’t able to remember things or focus on what people are saying to her. She is praying God would heal her.

This is Sephanie, she married a man who had 2 children from a previous marriage and she gave birth to 6 children, so she has 8 altogether. Her husband was killed during the war in 1993. Her 28 year old just graduated high school, during the war schooling was disrupted and many children took years to be able to get back to school. She would love to send her child to University because she sees it is important for their future, but it would cost roughly $300 a year so she is asking God to provide a miracle so her child could attend University.

This is Jenaida and she is 72 years old. She has 4 children and she was pregnant with the youngest when her husband was killed during the war. Her youngest child is 28 years old. She struggled to speak of this time in her life. Her legs have been hurting her very bad and she can no longer lift anything. She is struggling because she cannot work and now she is struggling just to get around. Because of the recent storms her home had part of it blown away and damaged and she is afraid it will collapse soon if bad storms come. Her church helps her as much as they can, but usually she doesn’t eat, maybe one meal a day.

This is Therese. She gave birth to 5 children, but 2 of them died along with her husband of disease in the late 1980’s. She has a son who is 28 and lives at home because he is crippled from being shot in the war in 2003. He needs a wheelchair, but he uses a cane because it is all the can afford. She is often sick and has trouble with her lungs. Her home is also needing repair, because of the recent storms. She is doing her best to provide for her and her son, but she knows she cannot provide all they need with her health and battles with sickness.

These 8 widows we only got to meet briefly. We prayed with them and told them we would continue praying for them and trusting God to be their husband and provider. If you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring one of these widows feel free to contact us at joshandmichelle@proton.me and we can help you get connected to the widow you feel led to sponsor. I know these stories aren’t easy to hear and it is a struggle for me to not be overwhelmed by the needs surrounding us sometimes. It all reminds me of a story my dad would tell me, I may get details wrong, but the gist is there. It’s about a little boy on the beach after a storm walking with his grandpa and there were starfish all over the sand. The little boy stopped and picked up a starfish and put it back in the water. Then stopped and did it with another one. His grandpa said, “Son, look at all of them, you can’t save them all.” The boy replied, “No, I can’t, but I made a difference for that one” as he splashed another back into the water and walked to another one and said, “And that one.”

I have to be reminded of that so often here because we are surrounded by great need. We pray and seek the Lord to guide us to the next one. We may not be able to do a ton, but we can do something. We are constantly asked for money or food here, and I have been thankful and praying our boys would learn to listen to the Holy Spirit and be cheerful givers. If we are in the car and someone comes up and one of the boys says, “Mom and Dad, I think we should give them something.” We don’t hesitate and we let them give it. The other day Neil gave a woman about .50 cents and she smiled and began singing and dancing when he gave it and said, “Imana hezagira.” -God bless you. The level of poverty is difficult to grasp, the struggle of daily life is near impossible to fathom, but I hope we are always listening and ready to give whatever we have to help make a difference for the one.