Kerusomen Gospel Ministries: Christian Widows Movement Serves Jesus at Home and Abroad

Friends Needing Friends: Turning Tragedy into Hope for India Widows

Dorothy Ackerman is a champion for widows. When Dotti lost her husband in 1986, she was discouraged to discover that there were no growth groups for widows - anywhere. Not even at church. Out of her tragedy, in 1988, Friends Needing Friends was born.

At first, Friends Needing Friends was a small group of 10 women, bonded by their desire to love, support, and encourage one another during this new phase of life called widowhood. Thirty-one years later, their message of God's special love for widows circles the globe, impacting the lives of over 50,000 widows in 20 different countries through its FNF blog. God also uses this sisterhood in a very tangible way to bring His message of hope to widows in India...

A Special Project and Heart for India Widows

For many years, local Friends Needing Friends members from its Florida and New Jersey Chapters, have financially supported 17 orphaned widows in India. The plight of these Indian widows is truly pathetic. These women suffer extreme poverty and have no family to help support them. Many of them are disabled. In India, when her husband dies, a woman no longer has a place in society. She is tossed to the fringe where she suffers extreme forms of dishonor, abandonment, discrimination, isolation and hopelessness.

Meet Esther: FNF's Sister in India

One of the widows FNF helps is a Hindu woman they call "Esther". She is 65 years old hailing from a very poor Hindu family. She has two daughters who are married and live far away from her. She sometimes works in a cashew nut company as long as her health is good. Her 63-year-old mentally disabled brother is living with her. There is no one to care for these two people and seeing their pathetic living conditions, KGM adopted her into their Widow Project. The FNF sisterhood adopted her into their hearts, as well. Each month, they supply funds to help Esther with food and medicine.

Caring Hearts Christmas Project

This year, as every year, Dotti raises extra funds to prepare a special Christmas celebration lunch, complete with gifts, for the widows rescued by Kerusomen Gospel Ministries in India.

The Caring Hearts Christmas Project will kick-off its giving campaign at their monthly meeting in September. If you are a widow in Palm Beach County, Florida, why not attend the FNF meeting and experience the bond of love these women share first hand? There you'll have an opportunity to learn more about the India Caring Hearts project, the widows in India, and the many ways you can be a blessing to them. Click the meeting link above for time and directions.

Kerusomen: FNF's Hands & Feet for Jesus in India

Kerusomen's Mission Team will once again deliver the gifts and serve the widows, personally on behalf of Friends Needing Friends at this year's party. Kerusomen is blessed to have Dotti and the FNF members as partners who sacrificially and generously support these needy widows every month plus go the extra mile to bless them at Christmas. To learn more about FNF, check out their new brochure New Hope For Widows. You can participate in this special project through Kerusomen's paypal button below or by check c/o Tom Caprio at the address on our contact page (designate FNF Caring Hearts on your donation).