Give us this day… God is answering her prayers through your generosity
- Apr 21
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
“Please, Lord, let it rain today,” Margaret prays quietly aloud as she looks towards the heavens in search of clouds. She slowly scans the horizon from west to east across the south. She has a good view of the small valley from atop the hill that is Gichagi slum in Ngong, Kenya. “It has been many weeks,” she reminds herself.
Like so many across the country, she relies on the rain to nourish her tiny garden. It’s only 20 square feet, but it produces all of the greens she will eat. Margaret’s prayer, however, runs deeper than the need for crops. Rain is her lifeline. She collects and stores it for drinking, cooking, personal hygiene, and cleaning. Every drop is critical and without rain her health will fall into jeopardy.
Her storage tank has been empty for a few days and the sky is clear once again. She can’t wait any longer. Margaret needs to collect water today. The trip will be difficult for the 75-year-old suffering from severe arthritis in her knees and ankles. She hasn’t had money to purchase the medicine she needs for several months.
The journey takes many hours as she slowly hobbles hundreds of yards down steep, uneven terrain to the nearest collection point. Returning with nearly 40 pounds of water back up the same route is even more challenging. But there is no other way. She’s thirsty and hungry and satisfying both needs requires this water. Every step is brutal and pushes her weakened frame to its limit. She returns home exhausted.
Margaret pours out just enough water to clean her hands, then carefully calculates the exact amount needed to cook a single helping ugali and boil just a handful of greens. As she eats, she looks at the battered jerry can beside her door. “I will need to make the rest of the five gallons last at least a week,” she thinks to herself.
“Lord, I need medicine. Without it, I really need rain.”
••••••
Margaret ended up in Gichagi after fleeing from an abusive husband many years ago, bringing her three daughters with her. Life in the slum was difficult, but at least in the most challenging seasons she had her family.
Over the years, that joy and comfort slowly and painfully faded. Her oldest daughter and a granddaughter passed away from HIV, and her second oldest lost a battle with stomach cancer. But it was the separation from her youngest that proved the most devastating.
“The last time we spoke she was living in this area with her own children,” she said through hurried breaths as large tears welled up in her eyes. “It has been three years since I have seen them. I believe they have now abandoned me.”
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” - Galatians 6:2
It’s easy to see that while a lack of rain and medication are her physical daily burdens, it’s the loneliness that’s the heaviest weight she bares. This was echoed in the deep whispers she muttered as we arrived at her home today. “Jesus! Jesus! Yes, thank you, Jesus!”
At first, we thought it was an expression of gratitude for the food and supplies we were bringing her. It wasn’t until after we heard her story that we realized her words were praise over having company for the first time in a great while.
Because of her age, Margaret does receive some government assistance - a small home that eases one burden, and a monthly stipend. But that stipend amounts to less than 50 cents per day, placing her more than six times below the international extreme poverty line. She can easily spend a third of it on flour alone each month.
Medication is simply out of reach. Margaret needs treatment for arthritis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and ulcers. Even basic drugs to address all of her needs would cost more than her entire monthly allotment. So she chooses: sufficient food, or pain relief? And if the latter, which pain gets treated this month?
In months when her ulcers flare, her arthritis and blood pressure pills must wait. If she needs a doctor visit or even a simple blanket when the temperature drops, all of her medication may have to go. Each day narrows to a single greatest need.
“The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” - Psalm 147:3
Thanks to you, however, Margaret no longer has to choose between food and pain relief. Your generosity ensures that her prescriptions are filled and supplemental food is brought to her door. And every time your compassion shows up, her loneliness subsides as she welcomes Vapor team members into her home.
God is using your giving to impact hundreds of thousands of lives like Margaret’s every day by providing free clean water, spiritual discipleship, childhood education, food, and health services across Africa and Haiti.
“May the Lord continue to bless the well-wishers who are supporting Vapor,” Margaret said with a wide, infectious smile. “May He bless you abundantly and may you prosper and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.”
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