PUEBLO, CO — International ministry World Challenge recently helped build houses for 60 impoverished widows in Guatemala, reported Christian Post.^[1] As part of World Challenge’s widow ministry program, which seeks to fulfill the biblical directive to care for widows, local partners meet practical, daily needs of widows, such as food, medicine and shelter. Partners also encourage widows through God’s Word and offer training to help them become self-sufficient.^[2]

The home-building project in Guatemala began in 2018 after World Challenge leaders encountered a ministry in the area wanting to build homes for local widows but lacking enough resources to make a significant impact. Many widows in rural Guatemala, as in other developing regions of the world, are marginalized and considered burdens with little worth. World Challenge’s widows’ ministry, according to global director of mercy ministries Mark Buzzetta, seeks to give these widows “value and dignity of life.”^[3]

Buzzetta said,

“Our mission is to help the poorest of the poor, so we came alongside this local mission and have since accelerated their program by 100 percent. I’ve visited all of the homes that we’ve supported and provided for and met the people and heard their stories. And it’s just unbelievable. So many of these women were just scraping by for a living. The transformation they were able to experience was truly incredible.”^[4]

Simona, a 90-year-old widow who received a home from World Challenge ministry partners, experienced such a transformation. Illness and starvation had taken her children. She had no one to help care for her in her old age, and her health was failing. Initially, Simona thought the ministry’s effort to build her a house was futile—she didn’t consider herself worthy. But as she received her new home, Simona’s joy spread across her face.^[5]

Buzzetta said,

“It was like we’d taken her out of a horrific condition and given her a palace to live in. Someone who had struggled for so long received a miracle. We were able to share with her that Christ loved her, that God had pointed her out to us, lifted her out of anonymity, and we had the privilege of giving her a new home.”^[6]

About World Challenge

World Challenge, Inc., founded by Reverend David Wilkerson in 1971, shares the message of the Gospel through mission outreaches and literature distribution. They reach out to the poor through orphanages, an overseas widows’ fund, emergency/disaster relief, health care, clinics, community development and feeding centers. According to their website, “The vision of World Challenge is to evangelize the lost; empower, equip and encourage Christians in their daily faith; and bring biblical solutions to poverty within reach of every poor community around the world.”^[7]

Read more news on Non Profit / Faith Based Organizations, and Widows.