The Lord has Heard My Cry

"...for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer." Psalm 6:8 NIV

I want to share Hannah’s story and how connection to a Care Point can literally save a family in so many ways. Hannah lives in one of our new communities and her family was discovered by Care Workers who saw the seriousness of her situation. For many of our children the meal at the Care Point maybe the only food they eat that day but I had never seen children eat as fast and ravenously as Hannah’s four girls. No sooner had they finished their plate than they were going back for more and more.

The youngest of the girls was the real proof that the children were starving. Prudence was 16 months old and incredibly tiny and unable to walk and crawl. She was carried everywhere by her eldest, 12-year-old, sister. Prudence is the most malnourished child I have ever seen. She was eventually hospitalised for malnutrition. Without a doubt, if this little one had not been adopted by the Care Point at this time, she would have died.

Every time I saw the children at the Care Point, I wanted to know their story. Many were blaming the girls’ mother for neglect. Suggesting that they were in such a bad way because she was a drinker (brews are made locally and have a very high alcohol content). When the Care Workers and Service Centre went to visit the family on Holy Home Visits their mother was never there. So, I asked for a community stay with the family. It's a good opportunity to meet everyone and see how they really live by staying overnight with them.

This is when we met Hannah and really got the chance to begin to know who she is. Hannah was happy to see us but embarrassed that she couldn’t feed us and hadn’t collected firewood, as they weren’t going to be able to eat that night anyway. We came with a food parcel, so that Hannah and girls could eat. We bought some sweet potato for ourselves, so that we wouldn’t eat from their parcel. Hannah hadn’t eaten at all, whereas the girls had at least one meal at the Care Point. This was a blessing for the family but the true power of a community stay is for someone to feel seen and heard. Hannah got to tell her story. Her husband left her before Prudence was born. She struggled to take care of the family and would offer herself as casual labour in someone’s field. Cruelly, people could see her desperation and take advantage by refusing to pay anything but a pittance. Less than a dollar for a hard day’s labour in the hot sun on an empty stomach. It isn’t enough to even feed the family for that day. This is why Hannah, so often could not be found at home. Toiling in little more than slave labour to try and feed her girls. Hannah would lie awake at night in tears and fear. Knowing full well that the children were hungry and Prudence had not enough food to live. She prayed that her mud house wouldn’t fall in on her in the rains. There was no hope, only deep despair and Hannah openly shared that it is then she would sometimes drink to try and numb the pain.

We spent a cold night in Hannah’s home. Too cold to sleep. In the early hours of the morning, someone tried to break into the house by climbing through a hole in her wall. I am sure someone saw me that evening and thought I might have given Hannah something and so he or she had come to steal food or money in the middle of the night. They could not have imagined we were still there asleep in the house. Fortunately, our presence disturbed them and the person ran away before they got inside. Sadly, people have stolen from Hannah before and taken the little she has managed to work for.

After, our visit I had the chance to make it personal. I was in a position to help Hannah lift herself out of despair. Now, that I knew, I couldn’t leave her that way. I had been given money from a friend for vulnerable families. The first thing was to secure the house and fix the whole in the wall, so people wouldn’t steal from the family anymore. I also bought a larger food parcel to last some months. The next thing was to fix the grass roof of the hut. It was a miracle the roof hadn’t fallen in and the mud walls collapse. Hannah had built the house for her and her children herself. She was definitely a woman trying her hardest to provide for her children but pushed down in every way. An iron roof was built onto the hut and the walls strengthened. Hannah with new strength replastered the walls with mud to strengthen them more.

I was deeply troubled by the hard work, for so little, that Hannah was forced to do. We had discussions about what Hannah might do instead. She already had a business idea and Care Workers present spoke up to say that Hannah had been very good in business. In the area is a huge commercial farm owned by one of Zambia’s largest agricultural companies. Hannah could go there and buy chicken feet, chicken intestines (yep, they are a delicacy!) or small fish and sell them in the villages in her area. With a gift of capital, Hannah took to this easily and the small business is still going strong after some months.

After this success, the next time I saw Hannah, I saw a woman walking straight, with her head up. Strong, confident and energetic with the new hope that had come into her life. Hannah is full of praises to God. This intervention cost little more than $500. So little, when you consider how it can begin to change a family’s life. Sure, life is still very tough and the family are not yet out of poverty but the edge of despair is receding. Prudence is starting to grow and is out of danger. She is part of the Care Point under 5 porridge programme and has a meal for lunch.Bit by bit, Hannah's new earnings should begin help meet the rest of the needs of the family. It is wonderful to be part of something that can truly transform lives for the better. The next thing is to get Hannah’s girls into school.

The Lord answered all of Hannah’s prayers beyond what she could ever imagine. She sings praises to the Lord who she knows the One who has saved her. She also doesn't drink anymore. The Lord healed her despair.

Please pray…

• for Hannah’s business to continue to be successful and that she will be able provide for her family

• that the health of the family remains good and that little Prudence begins to grow and develop as typical of her age group

• for all our Care Workers who see the desperate need in the community and need the strength and commitment to act on the behalf of others

• to be led by the Spirit when the Lord is asking us to bring blessing into someone’s life

• for this busy time of year when our teams prepare all the planning and budgets for next year and push hard to complete all activities for 2023.

Hannah with Prudence on her lap sharing her story with us for the first time.

Hannah's house BEFORE ........................................and AFTER

Hannah Praising God for his goodness.