People in trauma need our presence and our prayer rather than our preaching. We will bear a much more comforting witness to someone facing deep loss by simply being with them, and in so doing, representing God Emmanuel – God with us – by our being with them. Not by our words, but by our presence.
During Advent, World Renew will post a picture, meditation, and word of the day. You are encouraged to participate and help create the Global Advent Calendar via social media. On Twitter and Instagram, tag your image/prayer #adventword plus the tag for the day. On Facebook go to the AdventWord Page and write on page using #adventword
People in trauma need our presence and our prayer rather than our preaching. We will bear a much more comforting witness to someone facing deep loss by simply being with them, and in so doing, representing God Emmanuel – God with us – by our being with them. Not by our words, but by our presence. – Br. Curtis Almquist
Take a Picture – Tag it | Tire uma foto – Marque com | ஒரு படம் எடுங்கள் – இணைந்திருங்கள் | एक चित्र लें ( एक फोटो लें) – टेग#आगमनसंदेश शब्द& | 選取一張照片 – 標記 | التقط صورة، – الرابط | Tome una Foto – Marcar | Prenez une photo – Tag | Machen Sie ein Foto – das Hashtag #AdventWord #Be
PHOTO – INDIA
The way to Nongladew village in Meghalaya, India is filled with majestic mountains reaching up to the clouds. Amid this scenic beauty lies a small thatched mud house where a strong woman, named Martha Marak, lives with her four children.
Martha moved to this village when her husband abandoned her in 2009. It was a difficult time for her. She had to start over with nothing, but through hard work and strong will power she has managed build a house and prepare some of the nearby lands for cultivation.
“I am working hard to run my family,” she said. “But now I have peace of mind and freedom to grow whatever I want to grow in my field which I did not have at my in-laws house.”
Martha grows banana, broom, pineapple, corn, orange, lemon, pumpkin, watermelon, and chili on her small piece of land. This is not easy. Martha’s lands are about 4 kilometers away from her house and located up in the hills. Despite this distance, she works almost every day cleaning and pruning the plants. When she gets sick, there is no one to take her place. Instead, her fields are left without care which means more work for her when she’s better.
Even with all her hard work, Martha struggles to meet the basic needs of her family. It is difficult to put food on the table every day and to afford school fees. The village of Nongladew, where the family lives, is also nine kilometers from the nearest health center. This means that when someone gets sick, Martha must also find money to pay for transportation to the health center in addition to paying for medicine.
World Renew is working in Nongladew through its partner NEICORD. Together, they are helping families like the Maraks find long-term solutions to poverty. This includes programs in food security, agriculture, child health, improved sanitation, and savings for business initiatives.
“Since my joining with NEICORD, I have learned a lot,” Martha said. “Now my onion and potato plants do not get rotten. Now, I know how to plant and how to take care of them.”
Last year, Martha received orange, lemon and pineapple tree saplings from NEICORD. The orange and lemon saplings are growing well, but the pineapples did not survive. She looks forward to earn a good profit in five years from these fruit trees.