International Missionary Fellowship - The Widows Home

IMF has long had a vision for helping the widows in the community of Bombardopolis. The first way this was done was through helping them by helping their families. Food supplements have been given to them through the assistance of Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), as well as giving them free or subsidized medical care as needed.

In 2006 we partnered with Truth Evangelistic Ministry (TEM) in building the Widows Home here on the compound. The widow's home is supported by TEM, as well as churches and individuals. We have seen it expand over the years, and we have been able to have a front row seat of God's provision for these women.

Front row (L-R): Erilia Etienne (YaYa), St Annie Polidor
Back row: Mercelie Cherilus, St Therese Fabien, Ernilia Nelio, Marie Yolande Celius

We have seen some ups and downs. Though it was very hard to have Docelia & Mme Tison pass away while living at the home, it was a blessing to know we were able to help them in their final years.

We see first hand the ins and outs of the widows' lives and we wanted to share a bit of that with you. From incapacitated and incontinent to out-of-sorts and outlandish, they keep it interesting.

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  St. Annie

  was the first widow who came to us before the home was even built. At times she is incapacitated by a chemical imbalance which prevents her from sleeping, eating or conversing. We have medicines available and are generally able to help her maintain a good quality of life. Her extremes run from not being able to eat anything white and thinking everyone is out to kill her to teasing with Mr. Steve about how little work he is doing in the garden. The garden in the courtyard is a source of joy for them to watch things grow and people work.
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  St Therese

  would have to be our most outlandish resident. She is the most active and loves to tease the other widows. One time when called to task for her teasing she said "I worked hard all my life. Now I'm going to have a little fun"." She does give the others a hard time but she also helps them out or runs for help when needed. She's the one who keeps track of the Faith Cometh by Hearing player. She makes sure it stays charged so the widows can listen to God's word being read in Creole everyday. When it gets run down, she tells us her 'bourik' (donkey) isn't working. We haven't figured out if this is a reference to the hard life of a donkey in Haiti or a reference to Baalam's donkey speaking.
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  Ernilia

  is blind and the home opened a whole new world of independence for her. As she got older and lost her sight, her world became very confining. Her children have now all died and she has no one else. Not only does she have care at the home but she is able to do for herself within the confines of the home. She can even walk to the house with someone else when they go for water - though St Therese is likely to run her into a tree if she's not careful.
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  Erilia (Yaya)

  is also blind. She was bedridden and in very bad shape when she came. She now gets around the home well on her own and ventures out to church when she has assistance. She is timid and keeps to herself but enjoys keeping up with all the goings on at the home. She's always willing to pitch in to shell beans or peanuts, which is something they all help with when they get a chance.
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  Marie Yolande

  was also very sick when she came to the home but she is doing well now. She is very independent and can get out of sorts but has come a long way in learning to get along with others. Living together, they are all becoming a family, and loving and caring for each other has been good for them all.
  
  
  
  
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  Mercilie Cherilus

  is a sweet Christian lady and a good influence on the others. When they get to complaining or bickering, she'll just smile, shake her head and then go pray. It's good to have prayer warriors in the home who we can share prayer requests with and know they're lifting us up to the Father.

We have several staff working at the widow's home:

Mme Severe (left) is the cook and Wilna does the cleaning and washing and stays at night to help the widows, if they need it, and to give them medicine.


Macciana helps out on the weekend nights, giving them medicine.

Most of the widows were Christians when they came to the home, though not all were active in church due to illnesses. It has been a joy to see Ernilia come to have a personal relationship with Christ since coming to the widow's home. Marie Yolande, though she was a Christian when she came, has since come to realize that she wasn't really living for Christ but was just going through the motions, and is growing more in her relationship with Him. Several of the widows have been able to become more active in attending services, as well as participating in women's group activities and even assisting with cooking during retreats.

These women are all very thankful to the mission and the supporters who make their Home possible. There have been other women over the years we would have liked to have come live with us but they have chosen not to come; even in dirt poor situations, they prefer to stay with what little family they have. We have been able to assist them some in this effort as well.

Please continue to keep this work in your prayers.

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