James 1:27

“Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:17)
After reading this scripture, I sat back and thought about the true meaning God seeks to convey through this message. “Look after the widows and the orphans…” In my experience, it seems people are much more eager to help orphans and often forget about the widows. Here at Lifeline, we go above and beyond to help orphans. While we love them dearly and enjoy taking care of the children of Haiti, we decided it was time to apply every aspect of this verse and really seek after the Lord’s will.
No longer wanting the widows to fall through the cracks of love, Lifeline sought to take care of the widows of Haiti by providing baskets of love for each of the wonderful widows of the village. Knowing that few things make a woman feel as good as a make over and a good meal, these lovely and appreciative women were provided with a new dress, laundry soap, bath soap, shampoo, nail clippers, lotion, wet wipes, beans, and spaghetti. Such a simple gift brought tears of joy and appreciation on grateful faces I will never forget. For the first time in maybe days, weeks, or even months, they were receiving the gift of cleanliness and a moment of complete satisfaction. As we watched them dig through their new treasures, however, we realized there was much more to give. Some of the women were in need of medical attention and not able to walk to the clinic. We happily drove them to see the doctor and get their ailments taken care of and then drove them back home to their new treasures.

At the end of the day, we felt blessed to have been able to provide these women with much needed love and care. Not only that, we were humbled by the spirit these women carried. Despite their poverty, they were smiling, happy and grateful for the Lord’s blessings. Their attitudes and appreciation were so inspiring and uplifting it was as though they were the ones blessing us with the gift. After such a fulfilling experience, we are excited for many opportunities in the future to bless and be blessed by the wonderful women of Haiti.