The James 1:27 Mandate

James 1:27 includes these words, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after ophans and widows in their distress...". We've struggled at times to know how to best look after the orphans, widows, and the needy in the Dominican Republic. Let me give you an example of a situation we are currently working with.


Maria is a young Haitian woman, a Christian, living here in Jarabacoa. Early in 2006, Maria lost her husband, leaving her widowed and her two young children fatherless. Immediately she found herself in a place of financial crisis. There aren't many job opportunities for Haitian women in the D.R., and if she did find work, what would she do with her children.

We walked with her during her time of grief. We periodically brought her groceries when she had no food in the house to feed her children. Little five-year-old Jerrison recieved a scholarship to attend a private Christian school, and we covered the expenses that weren't covered in the scholarship. But we felt, there has got to be a better way to minister to Maria's need. If we could only help her find a way to sustain herself.

During this past summer, one of our summer interns really connected with Maria. She raised $250.00 to help meet Maria's needs. We have been praying about how we could best use these funds. We could give Maria the money to pay rent and groceries, but in several months, the money would be gone. However, if we could help Maria start a small business with these funds, it would provide a sustained income.

Last week, when Nate visited Maria's home, she told him that her neighbor had a used refrigerator that she would sell for $75.00. Maria felt that if she had the refrigerator, she could prepare little cups of jello, natural fruit juices, and cups of ice cream to sell in her community. We felt that it was a great idea and used monies from the "Maria fund" to make the purchase.

Yesterday, Nate sat down with Maria and began to help her create a list of supplies needed to start her small business and went into town to check prices. He wants to help her to plan well, making sure that she earns a profit on the items she will be selling. He also wants to help her develop a simple system of accounting. It will be important that she always sets back enough money from the sales of her products to continue to buy the supplies she will need. Pray for us as we work with Maria and others who have similar needs.