Widow's Retreat 2009: "Stand Firm in the Lord"
"The voice of God kept insisting that if I would simply trust him, he would take care of me." Sister Connection widow, Daphrose, shared her story of physical and spiritual healing with the 364 widows from all over Burundi who were gathered for our 2009 Widows' Retreat. For a long time, she resisted God. A case of sudden-onset partial paralysis sent Daphrose on a futile quest for help. After numerous hospital visits and even treatments from the witch doctor, Daphrose continued to suffer.
"Finally, I decided to trust him. I committed my life to his service," she said. As quickly as it came, her paralysis left her! Everyone who knew her was amazed, and Daphrose promised God she would share the story with her widowed sisters at the retreat.
The theme of our retreat was Stand Firm in the Lord, based on 1 Corinthians 10:12-13. The first step in standing firm is to commit to live for Jesus, as Daphrose did.
Sister Connection National Director, Joy Buconyori, reports, "Our prayer partners, the sisters and everyone who prayed for the seminar have a reason to rejoice and praise the Lord because He heard their prayers."
Retreat Sessions:
- HIV/AIDS basic information on the disease
- Income-generating projects
- Encouragement for single moms
- Health/hygiene (particularly the spreading of germs and the importance of water)
- Perseverance
Sister Connection widows were thrilled to be together again. Their joy was spilling over in their laughter, their singing, their dancing, and their hugs. Through the retreat sessions, God spoke to them about purity and generosity, gentleness and courage as mothers, and many reported that they were encouraged and determined to continue standing firm in the Lord. Most of the retreat sessions were taught by widowed leaders among Sister Connection!
Joy Buconyori, the National Director of Sister Connection, gave praise, "Glory be to God for providing the needed funds for the seminar, and for everyone who served the Lord through giving so that the lives of the widows could be touched!"
