The Grieving Giver

A team of Black Forest Academy students and teachers accompanied me to a worship service at the Kimokoa Baptist Church, a Maasai churches in one of our ministry areas.  The praise and worship was lively as usual with the singing, jumping, and "Parade of Praise" in and outside of the church building.
Introductions were given, announcements made, the main offering received, and then the preaching/teaching time began.  As the pastor spoke, I heard a wail followed by load crying, sobbing and moaning coming from outside the main entrance of the church building.  I ask the Maasai pastor next to me what we should do.  He said he would investigate and bring back a report.  He left the church to check out the situation.  I began to visualize different scenarios -- a sudden death in a family, bad news about other family members, loss of animals and/or property, or demon possession manifesting itself at this worship time.

The Maasai pastor returned in 15 minutes and reported that this particular woman was indeed in deep sorrow and remorse, so much so that she refused to even come into the service even though she was a faithful member of that church.

She had not lost a family member.
There was no bad news concerning her family.
Her animals and property were fine.
There was no demon possession manifestation today.

The cause of her wailing, crying, moaning and deep sorrow --- she did not have anything to give
as an offering for that day.  She had set aside some items and money to bring but other family members had taken her offering items and money to use for their own purposes!

After the service, a special offering was taken to buy supplies for the church's pre-school and to rebuild the doors on the church building.

We saw different members go outside and bring the grieving woman into the service.

She eventually came forward and gave something for the special offering.

The service concluded and we stayed and greeted all the members that day, especially since I had "special guests".

I asked the Maasai pastor about the women giving to the special offering since he had earlier relayed that she had nothing to give.

He said that other church members had combined their resources and gave them to this grieving women so that she would have something to give that day.

She said she would return the "loans" to her fellow church members over time.

Have you ever been so overcome with grief like this "grieving giver" because you had no offering to give to God?
Do you have friends/fellow believers who would help you out in the way this women's friends helped her?

This "grieving giver" is truly blessed.
Are you blessed in this same way with friends/fellow believers?
Would you be a blessing to someone else in this or other ways?