One thing I keep thinking about is how much widow care is about presence. Yes, we bring food and help meet practical needs but we also sit, listen, pray, and remind each woman that she is seen and valued. Our team in the DR does a wonderful job at this!
Right now, we have 36 widows in our program. Four widows are currently being cared for but still need a monthly sponsor, and we also have 17 additional widows on our waiting list, women we’ve identified who need help but we can’t bring into the program until we get the 4 current widows sponsored. I’m so grateful for every person who helps us keep saying “yes” to the women God places in our path.
A Sweet Highlight this Month: The widows love getting to ride with Miqueas to visit other communities and spend time with widows in the program. They never had the luxury of doing this before we had a ministry truck. This month Miqueas took a group of widows to La Guazara for Bible study. Afterward, Venecia, one of our newest widows, decided to give her life to Jesus. Praise the Lord!
Below are a few updates directly from our widows (and what you can be praying for). Thank you for being part of this ministry through your prayers, your generosity, and your encouragement.
Voices of Our Community: Updates from 5 Widows
Fredy (Community: Canoa)
Fredy has been worried about her granddaughter, who has needed several surgeries in a short period of time. While she is improving, she hasn’t fully recovered yet. Because her granddaughter lives nearby, Fredy sees the challenges up close and carries a lot of concern. She was encouraged that the most recent operation went well, and she asked us to pray for complete healing.
On a happier note, Fredy shared how much joy her small candy business brings her. It makes her feel useful. She loves selling her products, earning her own money, and saving what she can. She also felt deeply loved last month when her children and grandchildren gathered to celebrate her birthday.
Fredy is very thankful for her sponsor. She says God touched their heart to help her, and because of that support she receives food each month. She’s especially excited to meet her sponsor this June.
How to pray: for her granddaughter’s full recovery and for continued strength and peace for Fredy along with the continued success for her business.
Click the photo of Fredy to watch a video about her candy business!
Júngara (Community: Mena Arriba)
Júngara’s health is improving, though she still has ongoing medical needs. Right now, her biggest struggle is emotional as she feels deeply hurt and undervalued at home. Her daughter and granddaughters often mistreat her, and the granddaughter she lives with speaks harshly to her and doesn’t help around the house. Júngara’s heart is simply longing to feel loved, valued, and cared for by her family.
Every time our team visits, she lights up. She tells us she feels safe sharing what’s on her heart because we listen and she doesn’t have many people she can talk to. She’s also incredibly grateful for her sponsors. With so little support around her, their faithfulness has been a huge blessing. She often says she doesn’t know what she would do without them, and she is excited to meet them in person this July.
How to pray: for healing, peace at home, and for her family relationships to soften and restore.
Última (Community: Pescadaria)
Última shared that overall she’s doing well and doesn’t have any major needs right now. Her biggest concern is spiritual and she asks us every month to pray for her two sons. They used to walk with the Lord, but they’ve stepped away from church, and she longs to see them return.
On a joyful note, one of her sons is expecting a baby, her first grandchild, and she is thrilled. Becoming a grandmother is her greatest joy right now. She also feels peace each time her sons return home safely from work, since they travel far for their jobs.
She wants her sponsors to know how thankful she is for the monthly support. It’s a true blessing, and she also hopes to meet them in person one day.
How to pray: for her sons to return to the Lord and for this new baby to be a blessing to the family.
Antonia (Community: Los Robles)
Antonia has been carrying a lot of worry for her family. In a short period of time, she has lost several relatives, and the grief has been heavy. On top of that, a family member recently had a leg amputated due to serious health issues. Please pray for God’s protection over her family, and especially that Antonia would draw closer to the Lord in the middle of so much loss.
Even with these hardships, Antonia shared that God has been good to her. She had been feeling sick, but her health has improved significantly. She’s grateful simply to be alive. She also told us how happy she feels when we bring food, because daily meals can be difficult to secure. She asked us to tell her sponsors thank you, she truly appreciates their help.
How to pray: for comfort in grief, for her family member’s recovery, and for Antonia to make a decision to give her life to Jesus Christ so she will have the hope of salvation.
Julia (Community: Santa Elena)
Julia’s biggest concern has been her family’s financial situation. Most of her children are currently without work, and it’s been a difficult season. They typically rely on coffee farming, but the harvest has been poor and with so much rain lately, it’s been hard to work consistently.
Still, Julia has been encouraged: one of her sons recently found a job, and it brought joy to the whole family. They are very close, and when one person has a win, they all celebrate together.
Julia is deeply grateful to God for this provision.
She also says she doesn’t have enough words to thank her sponsors. She’s amazed that people who have never met her would choose to support her each month. She prays God’s blessing over them and hopes she can meet them someday.
How to pray: for steady work for her children and for financial provision during this difficult season.
We Need You: 4 Widows Are Waiting for a Sponsor
Right now, four widows are waiting to be sponsored. Would you prayerfully consider sponsoring one of these four widows? Every sponsorship brings a woman out of isolation and into a community of care, love, and the Gospel.
Widows Waiting for Sponsorship:
What does $100/month provide?
- 30 days of food for the widow and everyone in her home
- Monthly in-home visits with prayer and bible study
- Help with essential needs such as medicine, doctor visits, and basic household items
- Home repairs such as repairing leaky roofs, purchasing beds and bedding, and more
- Emergency support when unexpected needs arise
The Journey Ahead: Upcoming Mission Trips
Please be in prayer for our two upcoming trips this summer. We’re excited about what God is going to do through these teams. We are currently building bathrooms for three widows thanks to the generous support of our donors.
June 20–27 (24 participants)
The team will be painting and finishing out two of the widows bathrooms, holding adult and kids bible study in three of our communities, and visiting all 36 of our widows across 10 communities.
June 29–July 6 (Harvest Hill Church: Midlothian, TX | 16 participants)
We are super excited to welcome the Harvest Hill team to be joining us for the first time on a mission trip. They will be helping build Nosilia’s bathroom during their trip, along with evangelism and Bible study in our communities.
Newest Blog Posts
These are some of our newest blog posts on the site. If you haven’t had a chance to read them yet, we’d love for you to take a look and share them with a friend!
Prayer Requests
- For the 4 widows waiting for sponsorship and the 17 widows on the waiting list
- For emotional strength and healing for widows carrying family burdens
- For safe travel and fruitful ministry during the upcoming June/July trips
- For the bathroom projects to be completed smoothly and safely
