Bible Study with Widows

I arrived to the sound of rhythmic clapping and was surprised to find a church full of women waiting to welcome me. The front of the church was set with chairs and a table and the rough benches were packed with women and their babies. Apparently this small Bible study time with widows and mothers would be more formal than I anticipated.

Before stepping into the church, David and the pastor greeted me along with piles of children who rushed out of their classrooms to lay hands on the mzungu. Rebecca, Joanne, and Jessica were also there to greet me – women whom I’d met either in June or earlier on this trip. Something wonderful happens when people make you feel so welcome and wanted.

Following a time of worship, our time together was supported by a Bible study called A Mom’s Ordinary Day: Entering God’s Presence. If I may brag for a moment, my aunt Jean Syswerda edited this Bible study series and she gave me enough copies for all the women…except that the weight exceeded what was allowable in my luggage…so I could only bring a few.

Together the ladies and I discussed the idea of prayer and then we looked at Ephesians 2:1-10. I said, “Get out your Bibles” and then it dawned on me that many of these women did not own a Bible. Sad sigh. We talked about being dead in our sin and alive in Christ because of God’s great love for us. Then we moved to Hebrews 10:19-25 and learned about how we can enter God’s presence through Christ and that because of his death we are no longer separated from God. Tying the study back to prayer we acknowledged that because we can come close to God we should, and that if we try, he will come near to us. Prayer is one way we can be with him. The study time was closed by talking about ways to teach our children to enter God’s presence.

Once I got the proper sense of the level of knowledge most of these ladies had for Scripture and the stories contained within, I was able to adjust the teaching method and content accordingly. Although I cannot answer for these ladies, I believe the study time was helpful. I encouraged the women to work through the remaining five sessions in the book before I return with the next study guide.