Oil in Jugs

NRSV: 2 Kings 4, vs 1-7
Now the wife of a member of the company of prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves.” Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil.” He said, “Go outside borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not just a few. The go in, and shut the door behind you and your children, and start pouring into all these vessels; when each is full, set it aside.” So she left him and shut the door behind her and her children; they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” But he said to her, “There are no more.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your children can live on the rest.”

Current Socially Applied Version (CSAV)—2 Kings 4, vs 1-7
Now a woman who had just become a widow, losing her husband to AIDS, came to a pastor in a church and said, “Pastor, my husband is now dead. You know that my husband loved God and people with all his heart. You also know that I am a servant of God. You also know that I, too, have HIV. Now that my husband is dead many of the relatives and neighbors have come to my house and have stripped us of our possessions and are putting pressure on my family to move away so they can take the house we are staying in. Some have spoken their interest in taking my two children to become their hired workers or slaves. Some have even demanded that I should give them my young daughter in marriage. I am even afraid that my daughter will be raped or become a prostitute people say it is the only means to make a little money without a good education and no jobs in sight. Right now we are so poor we can’t even buy food. Every day and night I worry about the safety of my children. My landlord is also threatening to evict me because I have not been able to pay rent since my husband’s death. What shall I do?” The pastor said to her “What can I do for you? Tell me what do you have in your house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house, and no food, except a small jug of cooking oil. But I don’t even have a few pieces of charcoal to cook with.” He said, “Go outside and borrow empty containers from all your neighbors, and not just a few. Then go in, and shut the curtain behind you and your children, and start pouring into all the containers; when each is full, set it aside.” So she left him and gathered all kinds of containers—discarded coke bottles, old cans of tea or coffee, broken plastic jugs and anything else she could find. She then shut the shabby curtain in her two roomed house made of sticks and dry cracked mud. Her children would pass her containers under the curtain and she began to pour. When the containers were full she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” And he said, “There are no more.” Then the cooking oil stopped flowing. She then came and told the pastor and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your children can live off the rest.


Last week when we were pouring cooking oil into plastic jugs at the Kikuyu Dispensary to be distributed I remembered this story (actually have a distinct memory of my mom telling this story when she was teaching or preaching at a camp when I was 8 or 9). And then after hearing about the situations and some stories from some women we visited this week, I created a similar story and version. Here are some thoughts on it that I am chewing on, would welcome any feedback; I think there are some important elements: God’s provision, idea of self-sustaining projects, trusting person in action, and an assisting vehicle/person of direction, guidance, help.

This is the message of hope we can know and experience:
1) The provision and power of God happens in every day life and needs. Miracles of healing and provision do occur.
2) The prophet encourages God intervening-self-sustaining income generation projects so that the needs of her family can be met: all their debts are paid, and they can make enough profit so that they can live off the business.
3) The oil stops flowing after all the needs and a bit more were met. God meets the need and filled to the degree of trust or faith (the amount of containers she collected). Although God remains faithful even when we are faithless for he can't disown himself. 4) The prophet of God provides assistance, direction, and guidance: But the person in need takes action, trusting the instruction, showing faith, and God intervenes and provides.
5) Although the woman has very little, she has something which she can offer (some capital—a little oil) which becomes abundance and enables self-sufficiency. It doesn’t matter what you have, God can use it.
6) Even in exile of sin, injustice and economic bondage—God provides, openening up new doors or sometimes in ways we dont expect. In times of drought, God can bring sustenance. In times of disease and suffering, God brings healing.

Saturday, October 8, 2005
A woman came to our house today who knows my housemate Jane. She was asking for help because she has no money and is finding little work. Her name was Rose Joan, and I told her those were important family names in my family…Joan is my grandma, and Rose was my great-grandma, and I was named after great grandma Rose, and great-grandpa John: therefore Johanna Rose (and my mom and dad just liked those names)…

Joan lost her husband to HIV last year and has three children. She is not positive because they had separated before he became infected. Now they are living with her parents because she needs help. They have little food, but her parents are helping to send the kids so school (secondary). So she was asking if there was any way we could help her. I am going to talk to the pastor today. We might be able to give her some food each month from the church. She is strong and healthy, and makes most money washing clothes if she finds people to wash for. So since we were about to wash our clothes this morning we had tea with her and then gave her some money to wash our clothes. She was overjoyed. At first she wouldn’t take any tea knowing that her children didn’t have any food, even yesterday, but when we told her we would pay her to wash today she was happy to take tea because she could go and buy food today. I hope we can help her find more means of employment.

Thursday, October 6, 2005
“Ruth” came in today, after receiving the news this morning, she was devastated. She had been crying a lot Mrs. K told me when she heard the news from her at the hospital. She came to the church so that she could be counseled some more. She had said that her husband had mistreated her. Her husband passed away last year I believe, and she said people had come and taken things from her house after he died so they were left with nothing.

I think although she may have suspected she was positive, it came as a huge shock. The reality of the impact on ones state is hard to grasp. So we are assisting her with some testing, and medication fund, and a bit of rent money. But she needs prayer. She does not want to tell her mother because she is afraid it would add to her own anxiety, because her mother would be so worried and devastated if she found out. They are so poor right now and struggling to find work even just to pay rent.

Visit to Regisla’s project…
I finally went to visit Regisla’s project today. She is one of my Swahili teachers. She assists 6 widows and 6 orphans from AIDS. She trains them in tailoring so that they will be able to sell clothes and make money. She as well had some sad stories about the women. The 6 orphans are the heads of their household now, and are struggling to buy food. Some have even prostituted themselves to get money to feed their siblings, or some were raped and given nothing. It’s just horrible. But now many of them have a place they can come and learn some skills and also be with people who love them, and hear the word of God.

Provided Regisla’s project gets more funding, they hope to increase their tailoring training and generate enough to live on. Regisla is amazing. She is a devoted Roman Catholic committed to helping orphans and widows. She has been trying to build this building in her backyard to house some of the orphans and create a training center so that others will come and pay for training (increasing her funds) and then she will train the other orphans and widows for free. She is inspiring, and we hope that we can figure out a way that the church ministry can support her ministry in the future…