Mission Moments: Malawi

Widows celebrate the New Year

Damson Samson opened the widows’ celebration of the New Year by sharing the parable of the great banquet found in Matthew 22. “Even when wealthy people refused to come, the owner invited the poor and the crippled,” he explained. “God is willing and ready to invite all of us to His kingdom and it will be up to us to accept or refuse.”

More than 400 widows, village chiefs and pastors from various churches attended this particular great banquet on Jan. 3.

“It was a great time and many lives saw Jesus feeding them what they ate,” Damson said.

Widows eating food provided through a financial gift from Climbing For Christ. They also took home food when this blessed evening concluded.

Village heads gave thanks to God for what Climbing For Christ has been able to do through Damson. Not just addressing physical needs – from food to clothing and houses – but also spiritually.

“Most of our widows still have sons who are staying in town, but they do nothing to take care of them,” one village leader said.

1 Timothy 5:8 states: “People who don’t take care of their relatives, and especially their own families, have given up their faith. They are worse than someone who doesn’t have faith in the Lord.”

Fanny White speaking at the New Year’s celebration.

Fanny White, a village representative who has known Climbing For Christ since we first began working with women involved in the Mothers & Babies Clinic, talked about the widows who visit the sick with gifts and prayers. This is something Damson has encouraged. 1 Timothy 5 says we should take care of widows in need, but that these widows should “be well-known for doing all sorts of good things, such as raising children, giving food to strangers, welcoming God’s people into her home, helping people in need, and always making herself useful.”

Fanny said “since this project started there are good relationships between the widows and their relatives. (This is) a good sign of the transformed life. Their smiling faces indicate the peace of mind and heart they have. We are really blessed to be under this project.”

Damson continues to teach the widows about giving and the celebration included a time of sharing soap, salt and other small, but meaningful items with one another. “They were dancing while giving their gifts,” he said, recalling for us the time on Mission: Malawi 2017 when our team received from those we’ve been blessed to help.

“Every person is entitled to give and receive,” Damson said.

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Luke 6:38 (NIV)