WarriorSample

The Warrior’s Cause

Our church, Life.Church, partners with local churches in places all around the world like Malawi. I recently got to travel to this beautiful, but economically impoverished country known as “the warm heart of Africa.” 

The entire trip was incredible, but I just have to tell you Leah’s story. She lives near Chitipa, which is so remote many organizations don’t bother to go there.

Four years before we met, a friend from her church invited Leah to join a small group called “Light.” But Leah was reluctant to join. 

To join the group, she’d have to contribute a little bit of money to a group savings fund each week. Her family could barely scrape by, and they didn’t even have money to educate their kids or make repairs on their thatch-roofed house. Still, her friends convinced her to give it a try, so she did. 

After the group savings accumulate for a few months, any group member can borrow money, use it to do something valuable, then pay it back. After a year, the savings are shared out equally to the group, and it all starts over again. 

First, Leah borrowed a small amount from the savings pool to buy sugar cane in bulk. She sold it, paid the loan back to the fund, and had money left over. 

She began to believe she could do this.

She started to dream again. She’d always wanted to learn how to make clothing, but paying for the training had never been possible until she borrowed from the savings pool. With the money, she was able to pay for training and buy a sewing machine. 

She grew confident again. Leah again borrowed from the group to buy cloth, which turned into clothing and a nice profit. With her profits she purchased livestock for her family, replaced their roof, and bought a bicycle that her husband used to provide a taxi service.

I’m still not sure any of us realize how much of a fighter Leah must be. Let me tell you something you won’t forget.

In Leah’s village, clean water was a two-hour, back-breaking walk away.

Then, about two months before we met, Leah took her hard-fought earnings and personally paid to have a well drilled in her own back yard so that more than 100 neighbors could have unlimited access to clean, life-giving water.

We all need a cause to fight for. Leah’s story inspires me to start with my family but not just stop there. I want to fight to give people near and far access to what they need for life. 

Challenge: What cause are you fighting for? Are you fighting for anything beyond yourself? Anyone beyond your family? How can you team up with others?

-Jeff, fighting for others