God is described in Psalms as the protector of widows. We see again and again in the Bible an imperative to care for, and protect widowed women. 

In Kazakhstan I went with a team to provide food and a Bible to a local widow. Our team went to the store, picked up some items we hoped could help and headed out to find the house.

The woman we were going to see was named Raigul. She lived with her daughter who was disabled. The two were otherwise alone.

As we arrived she stood waiting for us at the door excited to have visitors and for the help. Raigul was widowed 40 years ago, and has been a single mother since then.

She excitedly welcomed us into her apartment with a big smile.

The apartment was incredibly small, with only one room that couldn’t have been more than 100 square feet. The room was covered with a red carpet. 

A few things caught my eye when I walked in, mainly that there was no furniture. There were no beds for Raigul or her daughter. They had spots to sleep on the ground with one blanket each. There were no couches or chairs for them to sit in. The room had a small sink in the corner and a little table where Raigul kept her camping stove.

They kept whatever extra food and water they had under the little table, but didn’t have a cabinet. Raigul’s daughter was gone to work when we got there.

The apartment was cold, Raigul hadn’t been able to pay her heating bill. Also, the bathroom was not inside the apartment, it was outside in a small wooden shack. It was only equipped with a squat toilet, a toilet without a seat. 

Despite all of this, Raigul welcomed us in and enjoyed hosting us. She had prepared a meal of fried bread and had candy on hand, she set it all up in the middle of the floor and we all sat and shared the meal and cups of tea together.

The culture in Central Asia promotes hosting people and laying out elaborate spreads of food. If all of the food is eaten, that means you don’t have enough.

As we were sitting and eating I was taken aback by just how much effort she had put into this meal and tea for us. We were the ones bringing aid and trying to encourage her, but she still wanted us to feel taken care of.

It reminded me of my grandma, who lives back in the United States. She has suffered through some very severe medical issues during my life, and has days where it’s really hard to get up and move around. It also would tire her out. 

No matter how badly she feels, she would always have food and drink to offer her grandkids or anyone else who comes to her room. 

Over 7,000 miles of distance separates them, but they have that same motherly/ grandmotherly instinct.

It broke my heart to see the way Raigul was living and thinking of my grandma being in that same position. My grandma has had family to take care of her and modern medicine to help. Raigul has none of that. Both Raigul and my grandma are the same age.

We ate and drank and got to share the Bible with Raigul. She received the Bible in Kazakh, her native language. She told us her story and explained how little she was getting from the government that she was living on.

She is not alone in the struggle, many widows around the world have trouble making ends meet and staying healthy. Not to mention that some have people to take care of. In Kazakhstan when the winter arrives things get even tougher for widows like Raigul. The winters can be bitterly cold and it makes it harder to find people to ask for help from.

Bible Mission has been called by God to help support widows in not just Kazakhstan, but also Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Tajikistan and Russia. We help to equip local churches to support widows in these places and to show the love of Christ.

It is the heart of God that widows are taken care of, as we see repeatedly in the Bible. Bible Mission helped with supplies for 400 widows so they could survive last winter.

We help to supply wood and coal for heating, and food so the widows don’t have to pay for/ go get it. The local Christians in these countries are on the ground supporting the people and reaching those who don’t know Christ yet.

We could use your help to equip the believers in these countries and provide widows with aid. If you want to provide widows food, it costs $50 for a winter month or $125 for three winter months. For heating material it costs $75 for a winter month or $200 for three winter months.

Connect with us here to see how you can help at biblemissionglobal.org, or follow us on YouTube and Instagram.

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James 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.