I met them after a four-hour refugee church worship service in Kakuma refugee camp (Kenya) as I stood at the doors with the pastor greeting people as they left.

A Widow's Handshake

When I took the hand of an elderly widow (right in the photo), she looked at me with a big smile and a lingering glance. She didn’t let go of my hand until she was sure I understood that she was secretly giving me something.

When I opened my hand, I found a 100 Shilling note - worth about 80 cents. In the world of Kakuma, where food and water rations are never enough to get through a month, this was a lot of money. I feared it was all she had. It was the widow’s mite.

Never has it been more difficult for me to receive a gift.

I told the refugee pastor (Amos) what had happened and asked him what I should do. He encouraged me to keep the gift.

He told me that the widow’s name is Imelda and that her family name means, “God is my Protector” in her language.

He went on to explain that she was among the 600+ people IAFR helped with emergency food assistance during the height of the Covid pandemic when life became nearly impossible for people on the margins.

It was a thank you for helping her survive the pandemic.

The gift was her way of saying thank you for helping her survive the pandemic. Amos said it was important for me to honor her by receiving the gift.

Five other widows from his church also received assistance. Pastor Amos sent someone to bring Imelda and some of the other widows to meet me. There were big smiles and so much joy. They were so grateful. Before we parted, we prayed together, thanking Jesus for being our Faithful Provider.

What did I do with Imelda's gift?

I took Imelda’s precious gift home and placed it in the frame of one of my favorite artworks that our daughter created many years ago. It is of The Widow’s Mite. It hangs immediately across from our front door, so it is the first thing people see when they enter our home.

We know each other by name.

As partners who support missionaries like Tom, you are strengthening refugee churches, like the one Pastor Amos serves in Kakuma. You are also providing life-giving assistance to extremely vulnerable people, like Imelda.

Most importantly, you are rehumanizing those who have lost everything, including their place in the world. They often feel forgotten, as if their lives don't matter to anyone. But we know each other by name.

Missionaries are our greatest asset.

Relationship is at the center of God's plan to rescue the world. That's why we celebrate Christmas - the day that the Creator of all things and the source of Life itself chose to be born into the human family and live among us.

And that is why missionaries are our most valuable asset. They are like shepherds, waking up every day to walk alongside of people who have lost their place in the world and are in need of hope and refuge.