By Meredith Chase, Executive Director of For the Widow Ministries
Hello Friends:
We’ve had an incredible start to 2025. Each week, we are seeing God work in different, incredible ways. Early in March, we added 9 new widows from 4 new communities, all of whom have been sponsored, purchased a new truck with help from generous donors like yourself, and took a team to the island to spend time with all of our widows.
After returning from the trip, we added another 9 widows in 2 more communities, which means we now serve a total of 29 widows in 10 communities…Praise the Lord! These new widows are now available for sponsorship. Learn more about sponsoring a widow here: https://forthewidow.org/sponsor-a-widow/.
Additionally, we have released our 2024 Annual Report that provides all of the details and information about an amazing 2024 at For the Widow Ministries. You can read the full report here: https://forthewidow.org/2024-annual-report/.
Our most recent team had a wonderful week visiting the widows and you can read a full report below from one of the participants, and For the Widow board member, Beth Childs.
Thank you again for your continued support through prayer, financial contributions, and partnerships. It is truly a blessing and allows us to support the widows in the best ways possible.
Sincerely,
Meredith Chase
Trip Report from Beth Childs
On March 1st, a small mission team of three ladies flew to Santo Domingo and were greeted by Meredith, Miqueas, and a shiny black four-door pickup truck! Meredith had flown ahead of the group to purchase FTW’s BEAUTIFUL new mission truck. How exciting it was for the team to use the truck throughout the week to serve our widows! Many thanks to everyone who generously donated money, to Edward in the DR who sold FTW his wonderful truck, and to our faithful Lord who guided Miqueas, Meredith, and Peter every step of the way to FINALLY procuring this greatly needed vehicle!
Not only did the team celebrate the new mission truck, but we also welcomed nine new widows into the ministry who live in four new communities! The addition of these precious new ladies brings the current number of widows FTW is serving to 21 in eight different communities! The team visited all 21 widows in their homes delivering their monthly food, assessing any changes in their physical needs, listening to their stories, discussing and encouraging their faith in Jesus Christ, singing, praying over each one of them, and, of course, hugging them!
Special Moments During Our Visit
Even though each day was packed with widow visits, the team was able to carve out three hours of R&R to soak in the clear aqua sea and enjoy a fish lunch on the beach. The beauty of God’s creation and His power are certainly seen and felt in the Dominican Republic despite the prevalent abject poverty.
The team would like to extend great thanks to the entire Julian family for the wonderful meals, translation, comfort, guidance, and love they showed each team member, making this a truly memorable week.
Worshiping with our Dominican Republic brothers and sisters is always a highlight on every mission trip…truly a taste of heaven! The team worshiped with two churches in Barahona on Sunday and had the great privilege to worship on Tuesday evening with two of our new widows, Braudila and Fredy, at their church in Canoa.
The team’s highlight of the week was the evening when the widows joined them at the mission house for singing, sandwiches, lots and lots of laughs and conversation, and prayer. What an evening of fellowship that was! The widows loved meeting each other, sharing their life stories, and feeling connected to other ladies who were also navigating life after great loss.
Perspective from our mission team members
Libby Crews: “Our mission trip to the Dominican Republic was such a testament to the faithfulness of our Amazing God. To say that I was nervous when God began to prompt me to go would be a huge understatement! But God met my every fear with His assurance that He would not only sustain me, but He would give me a heart filled with love for the widows. They had so little, but their faith and hospitality amazed me! Meredith was an absolute great leader and her compassion for the widows and their love for her was so touching.”
Beth Childs: “Meredith asked each widow ‘how they hoped to see themselves physically and spiritually in 10 years.’ Many of the widows had difficulty answering this question. So much of their thoughts and energy has been consumed with daily survival, allowing little focus on the future. It was interesting to see that some of the widows who had been in FTW ministry for a while were able to more quickly and concretely answer this question. I think it is the relief of having assistance with food, shelter, medicines and the loving support of Miqueas that is enabling them to plan for their future.
Antonia stated, ‘I want to engage in Bible studies that will help me learn more about God and His Word so that I can lead a Ladies’ Bible Study in my community. We only have worship once a week at my church.’ Antonia became a believer just a few months ago and has already led two of her sisters to Christ! Another response that deeply touched me was Carmen’s. She replied very quickly, ‘I would give thanks to God for giving me 10 more years of life and I want all my children and grandchildren to be followers of Jesus Christ. I praise God that my 45-year-old son became a Christian a couple of weeks ago! I am praying for and talking to my daughter now about Jesus.’ Her gratitude toward God and her desire to spend the next 10 years of her life sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with others greatly inspired me.”
Barbara Seeds: “It is difficult to put into a few sentences the impressions of a full week visiting 21 precious widows. Our visit with Antonia opened our eyes to the importance of recognizing the spiritual gifts given to each widow. We talked about ways to assist them in expressing their gifts to encourage and support one another as the Lord works in and through them to reach the lost in their communities. This is my fourth trip with FTW, and it is wonderful to see how the widows have become more open with sharing about themselves – their cares and the things that most concern them.
It is encouraging to see the hope they have for their future. They are sharing thoughts and ways to provide for themselves and their children, and for some even their grandchildren who live with them. As on previous trips, we had the widows come to the mission home on Wednesday evening. Meredith arranged them in groups of 4-5 widows from different communities. It was wonderful to watch them share their individual stories and lives with one another, chatting and enjoying their small group time together. I left again with tears and a heart full of joy at the work the Lord is doing in the lives of these ladies.”
Give Hope and a future to a widow in need!
A $100 monthly sponsorship will provide:
- Monthly food deliveries so they don’t go hungry
- Essential home repairs and medical care
- Regular visits so they know they are not forgotten
- Bible study materials to encourage their faith
These widows need a sponsor before May 1 to receive immediate assistance. Will you make a difference in a widow’s life?
