“The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." – 2 Kings 4:1
After losing her husband, Tinashe Butau of Zimbabwe was now a single mother with four children to feed, and she needed to find a way to provide. When a friend told her about a savings group through a local church, Tinashe saw an opportunity. "I was tired of living from hand to mouth," she says. "The group provided a means out of poverty and beyond living hand to mouth." Hope International shared more about her story on their blog:
Tinashe began putting aside $20 each month. In a group made up of mostly widows and single mothers, the group quickly became a source of deep community and growth for Tinashe.
With a loan from the group, Tinashe was able to grow her peanut butter business by purchasing a peanut processing machine, eliminating the cost of paying others to roast and grind her peanuts. As her business has grown, she's been able to employ one of her sons and his wife. Tinashe also used a group loan to purchase a welding machine from South Africa to start a welding and steel fabrication business in partnership with her other son, who was previously unemployed.
"The Lord has really taken care of us," she says. "He is our husband. And we have each other."
In all that we do, we need to remember and be kind to orphans and widows. Today, in prayer, praise the Lord for His loving-kindness and seek to be kind to others.
“The greatest thing a man can do for his heavenly Father is to be kind to some of his other children.” – Henry Drummond
God’s Word: “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” – Psalm 82:3-4
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