Ruth and Naomi: Our Biblical Guides
The Ugandan leaders who invited us understand the Biblical mandate to care for widows. They asked us to do a special training session for the widows from the churches in their region to encourage them in the Lord. African widows are especially vulnerable because when their husbands die, they often lose their homes and properties. This leads to significant challenges for their basic needs: food, housing, and their children’s education.
During our training session, I worked with other Ugandan leaders, and we led the widows through the Book of Ruth. The women observed how God cared for Ruth and Naomi in the midst of their suffering. They also looked at the significant ways God used Ruth and Naomi to bless many people. We divided the women into small groups so that they could discuss ways that they’ve seen God caring for them and providing for them in the midst of their losses. They also discussed ways that God has blessed and equipped them with things that might allow them to be used by God in the lives of others. Most of these women have had very few opportunities for education of any kind, so this was a unique chance for them to engage in structured learning.
In the midst of the teaching and discussion about Ruth and Naomi, we spend some time discussing the stages of grief that typically accompany significant loss. We gave them tools to help them as they process their own grief and as they consider how they might, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, pass on to others the comfort they have received from the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
We established a prayer partnership between the Ugandan widows and a group of widows from a church in Oklahoma. We brought prayer cards with a picture of the Oklahoman women, letting them know that those women are praying for them and asking the Ugandan widows to also pray for the Oklahoman widows. It was a holy and beautiful time as they knelt and prayed for their sisters-in-Christ from the other side of the world.
We are currently exploring ways that we might continue to be involved in the care for and equipping of these Ugandan widows. Please pray for wisdom in how to proceed and please pray for these women – that God will clearly show them His care and provision for them and His desire to use them to bless others.
