On Saturday, May 14, our team put on a tea for a group of widows from Chikankata. In one of the buildings in the seminar centre we welcomed them, washed their hands, and served them all tea and scones. After getting to know one another a little, through the aid of translators, the group split into two. Half of the widows stayed in one room with a few of our team members who provided them with teaching on some topics that might apply to them, such as menopause, caregiver role strain, and some common health challenges associated with aging. (Apparently many of them had never had menopause explained to them, and were quite relieved to hear that there was an explanation for the changes they were experiencing!
Meanwhile, the other half of the group joined the rest of us in another room. There, we washed and lotioned their feet and painted their fingernails and toenails. Many of their hands and feet were very tough and dirty - testimonies of the hard labour that many of these women carry out each and every day so that they and their children can survive without the support of a man. Many of them are quite alone in the world, aside from their group, as not all of them have the support of their late husbands' families. It was so neat to be able to serve them even in such a small way, and they were so grateful. We gave them a little of what we had... our time, a few supplies, and small gifts to each of them as they left. In return, they gave us their stories - a chance to see a little bit of life through their eyes, to see the strength that they show in living every day with the loss of their loved one and in trying to survive in a highly male-dominated culture which places little value on widows. More, they showed us what it means to be joyful in suffering. Their lives were wrought with many hardships and heartaches, yet they bore witness to Christ's goodness and sang of his support even as they shared their heartbreak with us. They left telling us how much it meant to them to have been served by us, but we could not begin to express to them what it meant to us to have been given even that brief interaction with the power of the witness of their lives.
Washing the feet of the women
Each woman got her feet washed, lotioned, and painted, and her fingernails painted.
Sometimes both at once.
At the end, we gave each woman a little gift bag with a few things to take home: lotions, shampoos, deoderant, and the like.
This is so lovely. What a blessing for both you and them. (and again: I love the way you write!) <3
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