Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless
is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world. James
1:27
There are many “good” works we can do, but God designs “greater” works for us; works
where He is glorified.
Walking down the dirt path, we hear the neighbors and children whisper, “CuCu, (show-show) they are coming to visit, CuCu.”
Meet Hanah Njeri – you can call her CuCu (show-show) or grandmother,
in the Kikuyu language. CuCu Njeri is one of
the widows we are visiting today.
As we enter the one room wooden structure, which is her
home; she quickly shoves a plastic dishpan of soapy water out of the way; she
has been washing her clothes, she explains.
Looking around the room, I realize how poor this woman is –
the room is clean and tidy to be sure, but there is nothing beyond the very basic
essentials needed for life – no extras.
She lives without electricity, water, or plumbing of any kind, which means
she still carries the water she needs.
Notice on the floor the charcoal burner with the pot on it where she cooks her meals and the oil lamp hanging on the wall above it, her
only light at night. The tin cup on the
table is the only cup she owns and we all sit on stools, she has no chairs. Do you see the light coming in through the
gaps in the wall?
In her younger years, Hanah had only one child which survived, a girl. After her husband died, Hanah was tasked with raising her daughter alone. This daughter eventually married and had three children, but the daughter, too, died. Now Hanah lives alone. The grandchildren, now 15 – 19 years of age, come and visit on Saturdays every once in a while, not often.
She has seen much disappointment and grief in her 74 years.
We have a small gift for CuCu, some corn meal, sugar, rice, a loaf of bread, some soap and Keki (pronounced cake-ee, which is any baked goods with sugar in it) -- homemade banana bread.
While she is grateful for the gift, I believe what is most enjoyable is the visit -- the short time spent together talking about the Lord.
While she is grateful for the gift, I believe what is most enjoyable is the visit -- the short time spent together talking about the Lord.
Margret Atieno is the other widow we visit. She has seven children, the youngest of which still lives at home and is in high school. Her eldest son is currently without a job, it appears he is living with her now as well.
When the suggestion was raised to visit some of the widows of the church and time constraints became an issue, it was suggested that money be put in an envelope and sent to the chosen widows – now before you gasp in horror you must realize the people in our small service are in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. They have full days of school or work and were looking only at the financial help they could provide – surely everyone could use a bit more money – a “good” work.
“Now I see”, said John, a member of the group who participated on the visitation, “I didn't realize how important the 'visit' would be to these ladies. I can go and just spend some time talking with them about Christ, I don't have to take anything to give them, the gift is my time."
Many times in the busyness of life, we forget there are CuCu's (grandmothers) or grandfathers or other home-bound people who need a visit from us. God can use us to demonstrate His care and concern. It could be the difference between a "good" work and a "greater" work.