Do you remember the first time you bought new clothes with your own money? Mary will probably never forget when this happened for her.

You may not notice it on their faces, but Stella Nkantha and Catherine Atambo, both from small villages in Kenya, have something to crow about! That's because they now have wonderful testimonies about how God has given them renewed hope.

In January, each of Heaven's Family's 21 Focused Ministry Directors gave a short, 10-minute presentation about their accomplishments in 2015 and their upcoming goals for 2016. We're excited about what the Lord has done, and what He has in store for the remainder of this year!

Growing up together in an orphanage in Myanmar, Mary and Win eventually fell in love and married as adults. Win became a missionary to people in his own country, and God blessed them with three children—Reuben, Nancy and Macy. Life was difficult without an extended family to lean upon, but they managed to get along.

Have you seen the movie The Good Lie? It's a sad glimpse into what some Sudanese people have gone through due to warring in their country. Some women have lost their husbands and all of their children. Others go through devastating traumas that can either take them down a path of despair or one of courage.

In August of 2014, we traveled to Mexico to meet Jason and Nicole Fitzpatrick and to see the amazing work God has led them to do. Since then, we've kept in touch with their ministry through emails and social media, but since we became directors of the Widows & Abandoned Women Ministry earlier this year, we've been even more watchful of their efforts. Having met firsthand many of the widows and abandoned women they love and encourage, we looked for an opportunity to come alongside them.

Back in the 1950s, appliance manufacturers promised that their machines would "Change Your Life!" We've since grown skeptical of advertisement hype, but in the remote village of Tongaren, Kenya, the promise is very real for a group of poor widows.