Death Touches Tabitha House

On Monday I was told that husband of one of our women had died.  He had been very ill so they took him to the hospital and soon after he passed away.  Because the house they live in is rented, his body could not be returned to the house for proper mourning, but was immediately taken to the cemetery and buried.

This morning before we started our activities at Tabitha House, we all went to visit and mourn with her.  She is a young woman from the Muslim faith.  When we approached the house, there were two elderly men sitting on a bench outside.  Following the lead of the women, we all knelt down and in unison the women paid their respect to these family elders.

We walked inside the small courtyard.  Only several could fit in the small house.  Suzanne (the pastor’s wife) motioned that I should go inside with her along with one of our older women, Tene.  We took off our sandals and entered a tiny room.  On the left side a mat was laid out and two women were sitting on it.  On the right side of the room, there was a piece of cloth on the floor and I was invited to share it with three other women.  We filled the small room – it would have been difficult to get another person inside.  Across from me sat the woman who lost her husband.  She covered her face with her pink headdress.  As soon as she could contain herself, she got up to greet the three of us.  When she came to me I stood to give her a hug.  African women show little emotion and hugging is certainly not part of their culture.  So it was to my surprise when she hugged me tightly and didn’t let go, her body shaking with sobs.  I prayed quietly in her ear that God would hold her close and take care of her little family.  We stood for a long time – hugging, praying, crying.  It was heart rending to hear and feel the pain she was going through.  We gave her a gift of money from Tabitha House and left.  

As we walked back I thought about what her life will now be like.  She has two small children and they will be alone in the small hut.   It will be up to her to find a way to feed them, and she doesn’t have a job or income.  She will find out if there is a relative that will take them in and perhaps return to her home village.  She might stay, but it will be very, very difficult for her as it is basically impossible for a woman in Sector 30 to find a job.  

In our devotion this morning, we talked about Nicodemus and his quest for a “new life”, an eternal life free from death and pain.  Living in Burkina Faso has given me a whole new perspective on the importance of that promise.