Visit with Alla and Ludmila
Irina D. and Sasha A. visited two homebound widows, Alla Y. and Ludmila S.
Visit with widow Alla Y.
We knew that Alla could barely walk, so we were quite surprised when Alla opened the door to greet us.
She lives in a one-room apartment that she received from the Ministry of Culture. Alla has no husband and no children, only a cat that keeps her company. Alla told us a lot about her cat. She found it, started to feed it, and later decided to take it home. She also added that we should pray for her to have a long life so she can continue to take care of the cat.
Alla is 96 years old and has been with our mission from the very beginning. She was a concertmaster in the National Opera. She shared so many memories with us—including one story about when she was a guest of Fidel Castro. Alla was 80 years old when she last performed and became a retired pensioner.
She told us that her health is not good and she doesn’t have much time left to live. We began to speak with Alla about eternity and faith in God, and we read Psalm 121. She said she did not always understand God’s ways, and wonders why He permits wars. Alla remarked, why didn’t He stop Hitler, even though many people were praying? We spoke a lot about faith and trusting God even when we don’t understand everything, prayed, asked for God’s forgiveness, and glorified Him.
Alla was very grateful for the visit and our care for her—we are a great support for a lonely woman like Alla. She said that all of us (the Mission) are God’s people. Glory to God!
Visit with Ludmila S.
Ludmila is a homebound widow and has been part of our mission since 1993. She was a Stephen Minister before where she delivered food packages and cards to homebound people. Now she needs help too—her legs hurt, she is 82 years old, and she walks with a crutch so she cannot go far. She has no husband and no children. Ludmila has a sister, but she needs help too.
Aida, another widow who serves as a Stephen Minister, used to bring Ludmila food. However, because of quarantine, Aida is not permitted to leave her house and Ludmila has been without help. Glory to God, that we can do this with our team. Sasha and Irina went to buy her all the food she needed.
She was very grateful that we remembered her and it was interesting to hear about her spiritual state. She reads God’s Word and prays. We spoke with her about God’s care, His help, and our grateful hearts. Ludmila was very glad when Irina proposed to pray for her. After the prayer, she said words that Irina has heard many times, “Thanks, it feels like I went to the church.”
Praise the Lord for our Mission and for people who work for God’s glory.