Prayer Calendar Archive

By Lyn Burnett, TWR Women of Hope, Eastern Cape, South Africa

A local pastor spotted Zandi* as she walked along the dusty road in a large township outside of Gqeberha tapping her white stick to help her find her way. He was preparing for a TWR Women of Hope meeting at his church and stopped to invite her to come along. This pastor knew that TWR Women of Hope distributes audio devices to women’s groups.

Well, not only did she come, but she brought two of her visually impaired friends along with her! There she shared her story with us. Ten years ago, she became blind. Then, last year, her 20-year-old son, just out of school and looking forward to studying at university, suddenly got very ill, was diagnosed with kidney failure and needed dialysis. She struggled deeply with this devastating news.

We had only one audio device with us and gave it to her. How excited she was to be able to hear the Word of God being read and to receive teaching and encouragement from the Women of Hope messages – and all this in her heart language of isiXhosa!

IsiXhosa is spoken predominantly in Eastern Cape, a beautiful mountainous region. There, the homes in the countryside are scattered, and the hills make access very difficult. To effectively reach the women in this part of the world, audio devices are used. These have selected program content together with the Bible. These devices become teachers not only to the women who come together to meet and pray but also to those in their homes and families.

We distributed devices through a pastor who is responsible for 15 churches in a rural area. He reported back to us that one Sunday when he visited one of his churches, he heard what sounded like a radio playing. The elder said they use the audio player every Sunday – listening to a Bible passage and a Women of Hope program. It has become like a pastor to them!

In a different remote area, another pastor was so pleased to be able to use her audio player with her group of illiterate elderly women who walk a long way to meet each week.

Jesus said in John 8:12; “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” May God’s Word and the Women of Hope programs bring light to all who hear them, but especially to the three visually impaired women we encountered that day.

*Name changed to protect privacy