Our partner in Saboti, Kenya standing with some of the widows who received blankets and mattresses in December. Formerly, they have slept on newspapers and rags on the floor.

Blanketed with Love

How you’ve blessed destitute widows this Christmas Season

Dear Family,

I have been thinking a lot lately about being a single mom. Having been recently widowed with one child still at home, I find myself crying out to God more and more for my spiritual needs as well as my daughter’s emotional, educational, physical and spiritual needs.

As difficult as that is, I am so grateful that I live in the United States. With all of its problems, our government still does a better job taking care of its people than most other governments in this world. I live in a warm, furnished home with full-time electricity and running water. My daughter attends school for FREE. We always have enough food. I can pay my bills and all our needs are met every month.

I cannot imagine what many of the widows we care for go through. Not only do they lack most everything I mentioned above, but many have had their homes ripped from them when they lost their husbands, with no legal retaliation available due to cultural traditions. They also have to pay for their children to go to school (the governments in developing countries often supply free tuition, but families must purchase school uniforms, books and other supplies, and sometimes must pay woefully underpaid teachers fees throughout the year—all of which is financially out of reach for most widows) and they work at menial jobs in an effort to bring home enough food daily and, hopefully, pay the rent every month.

This daily struggle for survival trumps the thought and care I afford to my daughter. With all this being said, I am also grateful to be a part of Heaven’s Family, along with you, so that together we can bless those who have far less than we do.

A few of the 240 Indian widows who received food kits and saris in December.

December was a month in which I wanted to bless all of our widows and abandoned women and, with your help, we supplied 240 widows in India with food kits and a new sari for the year; provided mattresses and blankets for 28 Kenyan women; gave a little extra money to our widows in Sculeni, Moldova for food and personal needs; and began building a house for another Kenyan widow. We also disbursed money for a Widow’s Conference,taking place this month, that will minister to Kenyan widows through their grief and difficulties.

Thank you for partnering with us and for your selfless giving this past year. May God richly bless all you do this coming new year!

Blessings,

Dossie Briggs
Director, Widows & Abandoned Women Ministry