The orphan and the Widow – More present today than ever!           

The orphan, the widow and the alien! All three are in the heart of our merciful God. That is how is captured his purpose that we also become we become merciful as He is. The vulnerable is defined by the Word as these three faces.

When I think about the widow, I know that today is not necessarily the woman that lost the husband in the war to conquer or defend their land. That was possible the more frequent scenario of the Old Testament. But today, you see the virtual widow: The women abandoned by the husband. The role of the father/husband is absent from home.

I joined Compassion International ministry in Dominican Republic 5 years ago. At the beginning of my time as a servant in the ministry, I remember I was in Shore of Ozama River in Santo Domingo. At least 1 million people in extreme poverty and violence are living in that shores.  

I asked the pastor of a children ministry what are their main challenge. Her answer was “The children are raised only by the mother. The figure and support of the father is absent”. This situation makes even worst the poverty they already have. The mothers need to work outside of home all day and their Children spend the day alone, taking care of one another in neighborhoods full of risks!

This pastor runs a project that receives around 300 children at a church facility during the week, providing care and love for their spiritual, physical, cognitive and socio-emotional development. This model is also replicated by a network of 170 churches in Dominican Republic, reaching more than 40 thousand children and youth.

The mandate of God to minister to the poor is more present and prophetic than ever. This children and mothers are the virtual widow and orphan of our days. They are in communities where poverty wants to rule, but the ministry of the church can be the difference by the power and mercy of our God!