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God Story

Visiting widows (special ladies as they are called in Karansi) always turns out to be a blessing for our team members. Not your idea of a Mission Trip - think again. While these widows generally walk to church we board a couple of vehicles to drive to their homes/huts. A number of us pile into the back bed of a pickup truck and hold on tight - then tighter. Recent rains seclude the depths of puddles and miniature ponds that extend across the roadway. Underwater crevices remain out of sight. Heff, our driver, skillfully maneuvers through the waters until the right side slips down axel deep. Starboard side passengers jump to the left side of the truck bed as Heff guns the engine and we keep moving forward. The rutted dirt road dries and quickly turns into narrow bands of brown stretched between knee high grasses and thickets. We think the path has ended but Heff keeps plowing forward until we come up to the home of a Massai widow.

This widow lives in a standard size grass topped hut. The sides are constructed of wood sticks with mud and cow dung filling. The dwelling must be about twenty feet in diameter with no windows or chimney. The dirt floor inside and outside of the hut have been swept clean, while a fire still smolders in a central cooking area. The inside large room is separated by short walls or fences, as the dwelling is shared with some of the family animals. This woman cares for a couple of children including one orphan boy that is not from her family. We provide her with a bag of rice, recently purchased from the village market and pray for her health. She has the cough that is so normal for the women who live in these smoke filled enclosures. A somewhat high fever is also revealed as we lay hands upon her, lifting her prayer requests to God.

From there we walk a half mile down a winding rocky path, then up and over a hill. Two huts make up this compound with a stick fenced area for livestock. Large blankets lay on the ground covered with a variety of beans, drying in the sun. This widow currently lives alone as her disabled son is away at a special program. She doesn't recall his age as they don't seem to track birthdates. This lady has a strong faith in the Lord and her joy is evident on her face. When we ask how we can pray for her - she responds that we should pray as the Lord directs, as she really has everything that she needs. She graciously accepts the small bag of rice that we have blessed her with, and then reminds us that being from the Lord - she does not consider it a small gift.

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress - James 1:27

Who am I to argue with scripture.

Tim Neet

Widow Bios