Our mission is to engage, inspire, educate, and equip God’s widows to step into their sacred and set-apart Biblical calling, and to encourage The Body of Christ to do the same.
They are the most abused and marginalized people group in the world, but God's Word tells us that how we care for them is a litmus test for our Christianity. Their average age is 55, with 1/3 of them under 45. I was 47 when I was widowed.
Worldwide, there is an estimated 258 million widows, but that is just an estimate.
most widows in other countries are not thought worth counting, or given an address.
Out of the 13 million widowed people in the United States, over 11 million of those are women.
statistics say that between 65 and 75% of all married women will be widowed at least once.
I had never heard a message specifically about them,
nor knew of any ministry specifically for them.
My husband Bob Ortega was a Los Angeles City Firefighter for almost 25 years when he died from duty-related causes in 2005. Many months later, and in the midst of our grief, I heard God clearly whisper to my heart: "Speak for those who can't speak for themselves." Several years after that, I found out the word "widow" means "unable to speak." Fourteen years later, God, Who is rich in mercy, has brought me here to this place, speaking for those who can't speak for themselves, and asking you to come alongside His widows and to help them walk in their sacred, Biblical calling.
Many of you walked with us through that darkness, and because of your love, we still stand.
Many of you have walked through your own darkness, and if statistics are right, many of you will in the future.
But, what if we can change the statistics? What if the statistics are connected to obeying God's Word? It wouldn't be the first time! What if The Body of Christ stepped into its sacred calling to make sure God's widows step into theirs?
Now…after two protocols, a book, nine widow's retreats, an inaugural event for widows and their church leadership, a booklet with Our Daily Bread, and with much more ahead, we're our own (God's own) non-profit, and I'd be honored if you joined us.
“For pure and holy ministry (“worship”*) before God The Father is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their affliction, and for a man to keep his soul without defilement from the world.”