Good relationship with self, others, environment God.
Bible text From Micah 6:8
My encounter with the poor widow occurred during one of our community development training sessions in Cambodia.
As I recall the events, participants were asked to note when and how the widow experienced loss of shalom.
Gist of sharing
I have been involved in community development in Cambodia for the last four years.
My work is effected through a local partner, Transworld Radio Cambodia.
Transworld Radio Cambodia broadcasts in national language five tracks of programmes
1 Women programme
2 Children programme
3 Youth programme
4 Pastors programme
5 Orality programme
Listeners are invited to form listener groups and communicate with TransWorld Radio Cambodia.
Every two weeks a ministry team from TWR is on the road for a 50 km to 200 km round trip to visit listener groups. This may be a day trip for closer destination, and a 4 day trip for a further destination. Two to six listener groups may be visited per trip. The two vans they use are more than twenty years old, and frequently breakdown. sometimes in the middle of nowhere. they are praying for a new vehicle to help them in their face to face ministry. at each of their visits they utilize community development lessons to facilitate capacity building for the people.
On one of our trips we were sharing about home economics. It was to be a two part lesson, shared over two mornings. We had a class size of 18 community leaders. We had 6 medical students from Singapore who were learning about community engagement.
By their own estimate the community members said the average family income was $120 USD per month.
There were 18 major items they spent on.
Average monthly expense was totaled at $350.
They needed help in learning how to budget.
We facilitated the learning process.
The next day we were supposed to work with the class to transform the content of day 1 training into a teaching pamphlet, that volunteers would use to share with their neighbours. But when our training team arrived at the classroom, there was only one participant.
During the preceding night there was a tremendous storm, a storm so ferocious that 50 houses were blown down, and many people injured (one death). Our training team was prompted to cancel the class and do a site visit.
At the storm stuck village we visited we saw teams of locals plus the police, civil defense and army using their brute strength to clear the rubble. no machinery was deployed: Hammers, axes, crowbars and muscle power.
Then we heard about Mdm Kheang, the poor widow. We visited her. we found her shell shocked. in an emotional state that said "I cried till I have no more tears to cry."
The current issue was that during the storm her roof broke: there was a big hole in her roof.
Her upstairs floor had long gave way because of timber rot and she had no money to repair it.
The rain had come though the house and soaked her only sack of rice. she was distraught beyond measure.
As we talked to her we found that her miseries began 10 years ago when her husband died from tuberculosis.
Before that she had a comfortable lifestyle and many friends. Neighbours would come to visit.
But after her husband died she had no source of income. she sold her land to get some money, but that money was soon spent. With her poverty neighbours stopped visiting. she lost all her friends.
In fact for the last 10 years she never left her home.
She waked a meager subsistence by weaving palm leaves into mats.
She had two children, a son and her daughter.
Her son became a drug addict and had a long jail sentence for theft. After he was released from jail he committed suicide.
Her daughter had married but was divorced and had a little girl.
From that tale of woe, participants helped suggest ideas for the following chart.
These were some areas in which the poor widow experience loss of shalom.
The next part of the story was less gloomy: elements of how shalom was partially regained.
A collection of funds $150 USD for material to rebuild her house.
Labour provided by neighbours.
He willingness to accept an invitation for lunch, and how that first outing in 10 years brought a smile to her face.
Her willingness to work to better her life; building a chicken coup and raising 10 chicks.
Follow up visits over the next few months: the chicks grew and she intended to buy more baby chicks,
She intended to buy some netting fir fencing so that she could begin a vegetable garden.
The NGO extended a gift of $30 USD worth of netting. her kitchen garden is up and running.
She was demo-ed a solar powered home light, and planned to buy one when she had saved $15. One unit was donated to her. The pastor who showed her the lamp also had opportunity to tell her about the teacher who said he was "The light of the world".
