When I think of St. Luke’s one thing comes to mind – the widows.

In 2007 I traveled to Kenya with The 1010 Project on a service learning trip. While there, one of the places I had the privilege to visit was St. Luke’s Ministry in Miwani, near the shores of Lake Victoria. St. Luke’s has been a partner of The 1010 Project since September of 2004. While staying with Joshua and Abigael Atieno, The 1010 Project’s friends from St. Luke’s, I was able to spend time with the widows. Even though I did not spend a lot of time with these incredible women, the impact they left on my life was indelible.

After a long and bumpy drive, the group I was traveling with arrived in Miwani well past nightfall. Most everyone there was asleep so we had to wait until the next day to see all of St. Luke’s. Morning arrived and we woke to the sound of the widows singing and praying in the chapel. We learned later that early every morning and every evening the widows gathered in the chapel to pray and sing praises to God. To this day I have never heard anything more precious than the prayers and songs that came from their lips. It was amazing for me to see these women, who had suffered more hardship than most, find joy and hope in life when it would be so easy to be downtrodden. These women, who could so easily let hopelessness consume them, are filled with hope for their country; it radiates from them and is infectious.

While St. Luke’s does a number of things for the community of Miwani, I think the most powerful thing they do is provide housing for these women who would otherwise be cast aside. St. Luke’s partnership with The 1010 Project allows the grassroots organization to continue providing food for the community, education for orphans and homes for these wonderful widows.

My interaction with these women has left me with a hope that one day their beautiful prayers for their country will be answered.

Thank you for joining with me to support The 1010 Project,

Jessie Laigaie
Community Events Coordinator
The 1010 Project