Welcoming the Women to our Home

All of the women, rich and poor, were invited to come to our house on Sunday afternoon. Talk about a diverse group!  Some families on this hill are wealthy, and some are very poor.  Would the rich women sit with the poor women? Would they have the same health needs?  I wasn’t sure, but they were all invited. So, Sunday at 1:00 PM they all began to arrive. 

George and I have always waved and smiled as we passed them along the way here on the mountain. We have seen them carrying firewood down from the mountain and washing their clothes on the rocky slopes of their back yards. The back door of each little house opens to an enormous flight of steps down to the back yard, and many times I watched their little ones standing in those open doorways.  I have seen them, but I didn't know them. This would be my first opportunity to meet the women, and hopefully, start building relationship with them for the sake of the Gospel.

George and I thought about this meeting and prayed about it all week, but I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew we would start with introductions and attempt to assess their health concerns, but beyond that, I didn’t know. The meeting began with my telling the women who we are, where we came from, and what we are doing here in Malawi. They learned that God called us to Malawi with a mission to provide clean water and to offer sanitation and hygiene training in the rural villages.

I told the story of how God used my friend, Marie, who went to Kenya on a medical mission to help me learn about the need for clean water in rural Africa. Four years ago, she had told of women walking many km to see the doctor, thirsty and needing water. She described how the women lay on their faces and drank water out of a puddle.  Although I never witnessed it with my own eyes, God used that mental image to move me to action on behalf of the women in Africa. I told how we sold everything and moved here in November, and although we are not rich people, God has provided the means for us to repair 30 water wells and to teach the women out in the villages, ways to keep their families healthy. They thought this was good. 

As I was speaking, more and more women trickled in by ones and twos, and by 2:00, it was Helen, my interpreter, and I and eleven of the poorest women from the mountain.  Now, it was time for them to introduce themselves.  I learned their names and the names of their children. I called each one’s name and asked where on the mountain they live.

Then it was time to know their greatest health concerns. They told me that their children suffer much from malaria, diarrhea, and respiratory disease. I told them that I would be happy to teach them how to make their families healthier. I asked about other concerns, and some shared that they work in the big houses on the mountain, cooking and cleaning, but they struggle to provide for their own families.

One said she had been abandoned by her husband for another woman, whom he married. She asked him to provide for his child, but he refused to do so if she would not sleep with him. She said she resisted him and is working hard to provide for her child. I told her how much I respect her resolve to do that. Another said her husband abandoned her, and she does not have enough income to provide for her children, and now they are living in the village with relatives. She said, “Of course, I want my children with me, but I cannot. “

My heart was so moved with compassion.  It was obvious that better health is not the only concern in this community.  Their needs are also spiritual and physical.  I shared with the women some of the struggles of my life and the pain of divorce. I also told them that when I felt crushed by disappointment, God is the one who lifted me, caused me to stand on my feet, and healed me. He gave me the grace to forgive and bless people who had disappointed me.  I encouraged the women to not focus on finding a man who will meet their needs, but to surrender their lives to God and to trust Him for provision.  “It is the God who made all of heaven and earth who has all of the resources and all of the answers, and He knows each one of you by name,” I said. I asked that they not look to me but to put their hope in God. I quoted Psalm 25:3, “None who wait for you shall be disappointed.” I told them that men may disappoint them, but those who put their trust and hope in God, He will never abandon.  Helen and I prayed for the women and blessed them.

I told them that I would like very much to have them meet again in my home and that it be a place where the women in the community can regularly meet to discuss issues and concerns and pray for one another. I learned that Sunday afternoon is a good time to meet, but some asked if we could meet at 3:00 PM because they are away at church earlier. All agreed. We will meet next Sunday. Over time as we build trust, there will be more opportunities to share God’s love and to bless these beautiful women.