GBIM missionary Barb Wooler is currently in the Central African Republic and sends back this report:
GARDENING SEMINAR for WIDOWS
This is our fifth year of working with widow care providers of PHC orphans. Development is never an easy task because, in order for true development to happen, things have to change between the ears; thankfully God is good at that.
There was a lot of excitement over three years ago when we told our widows that we wanted them to get organized and working together. But when our help was in the form of a small farm and another piece of land on the other side of town for them to farm, well, not all of them were enthusiastic. Some were hoping for a whole lot more assistance. All we did was give them a chance to work together to make their lives better and provide for their families.
But these ladies have changed a lot in their thinking since then; their response to missionary Roy Danforth’s three-day seminar on gardening was proof of this. Not only were the ladies open to learning new ways of farming – pretty amazing since they have been farming all their lives – but they were excited and enthusiastic. They accepted everything with joy and there was a lot of laughing and even a little bit of dancing throughout our three days together.
For me the icing on the cake was the last fifteen minutes when one of the ladies spoke for the group and was full of praise and thanksgiving to God first and to us. Then they learned we had purchased a machete for each of them. It was so touching to see these widow ladies come up one-by-one when their name was called to get their machete.
Some of them danced up, some shook all of our hands before being willing to receive it, some of them literally came forward on their knees and received their machetes with heads bowed in thanks. One woman who did this kissed the machete when she received it.
Well, it was very touching to say the least. I returned home so proud of them for how far they have come through these years. I know many of these women and the difficulties many of them face each day.
I am just so pleased that among the provisions their wonderful Heavenly Father has made for them is the fellowship of each other, that they are not alone as they face the challenges of raising orphans – grandchildren, nieces, nephews, their own children – without husbands to help.