Widow's Might

Breaking ground for Kapila's house

If this matters to you, and you want to team with us to provide help for a widow in Jesus' name, you can give whatever is on your heart to give ~ designate it for Widow's Might ~ and every penny of what you give will go to provide for widows and their families.

Debbie writing ...

God's heart of compassion for widows has been apparent throughout time as evidenced in the Scripture. In Isaiah 1:17 God admonishes His people: "Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless; defend the orphan, PLEAD FOR THE WIDOW." James 1:27 proclaims, "This is pure and holy service in the sight of God the Father, to visit orphans and WIDOWS IN THEIR DISTRESS, and to keep oneself unstained by the age." It is the desire of the Tapestry team to echo the heart of God in regard to caring for Indian widows, many of whom are trapped in poverty and despair.

The loss of a husband is always difficult regardless of culture or other circumstances, but in some areas of the world, widowhood creates nearly insurmountable suffering. It's not uncommon for the widow to be blamed for the death of her husband, (she is bad luck) resulting in her abandonment. Often widows are left with no means of supporting themselves or their children. Elderly widows are frequently left to depend upon the handouts of family or community members.

The more I read about the plight of widows, the more I knew I wanted to do something to address the need of as many as we could. The story of Jesus at the temple came to my mind....

One day, Jesus was sitting in the temple and watching the multitudes put their copper coins into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums of money. Then a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins amounting to a "mite." (one cent) Jesus called His disciples to Him and He said, "truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on." This story sparked the idea for a ministry to widows which I would call, "WIDOW'S MIGHT!" What could we do to transform the widow's "mite" into her MIGHT?

As with every aspect of the Tapestry ministry it is our desire to do more than just "throw money" at the problem. We want to offer long term, sustainable help, not just temporary relief and dependency on others. To that end, we are trying to find creative ways to provide assistance. Our first projects include, a major addition to Kapila's home. (you can see building progress in the pictures above) Far from being "bad luck" or "cursed," Kapila is being blessed with a brick addition to her stick and mud home, complete with what is probably the only indoor bathroom in her village! She and her children, one of whom is a Rose Scholar, will have adequate living quarters and personal privacy and dignity. Surpabai, an elderly widow was asked if we could provide her with a water buffalo. She declined the offer saying she was too old to care for such a large creature! She owned one goat, and suggested that she could use another. We bought her two. The goats are small enough for her to care for and will provide, not only milk that she can use and sell, but baby goats for sale, a sustainable source of income! We want to offer help that not only meets physical needs, but promotes the feeling of being loved and fosters a sense of value within the community.

It's my hope that Widow's Might, would be financed at least in part, by widows here in the United States; women who have suffered the loss of their husbands and who understand the heartache, but who are typically not left without resources or family support. It's my desire to pair up widows here with widows in India that they can reach out to in the love and compassion of Christ; that their common loss will create a common blessing.

It is also our intention to encourage those whom we help to reach out to other widows in their communities themselves. For instance, if a widow receives two goats that breed and produce kids for her, she would in turn over time give at least two kids to another widow, or help in some other way from the proceeds of selling the kids. It's our desire that these women continue to develop the heart to help others, this will become, THE WIDOW'S MIGHT!!!