Meet Mama Sifuna

My heart broke as I entered her hut for the first time. There was nothing. No mattress. No blanket. Not even a pot to cook in. Yet this empty hut is home to Mama Sifuna and her four children.

But though the furnishing are lacking in this home, the love and joy of the Lord are not. Though her husband abandoned them years ago, the Lord has been their refuge. HE has become the husband and father in this family.

I came to her hut for language lessons. She wanted to learn English and I wanted to learn Swahili. So, she pulled out her Bible as a tool for us to use. I had never seen a Bible like this before. It was a pile of loose, tattered pages in a plastic bag. None of the pages were bound, and none were in any type of order. I sat amazed as she told me that she tried to lead Bible studies for the women in the community by reading these tattered pages. She couldn’t read well, and could only read bits and pieces of stories.

On my next visit I bought her a Bible, a bound one.. The thought of that visit brings such a smile to my heart. As I pulled the Bible out of my bag for her, I wasn’t prepared for her reaction. You would have thought it was Christmas. Mama Sifuna screamed in delight, jumped to her feet, and began dancing around the hut. I have never seen a person celebrate like that. She continued dancing, singing, screaming for joy, and hugging me for quite a while.
Mama Sifuna, thank you for reminding me what gratitude and celebration looks like. Thank you for showing me the simple joy of the Lord!