The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.– Psalm 23

While few of us have experience with shepherds and sheep, we can still identity strongly with the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. This Sunday’s Psalm 23 is a familiar and much loved prayer. In the image of the Good Shepherd, we know we’re protected and cared for by a loving God. The shepherd’s job is to protect his sheep. In some ways, mothers are like shepherds, providing unconditional care and protection for their children.

It’s our privilege and our joy to serve and celebrate mothers through our work each day. The women we meet in the field are desperately poor and are overcome with challenges but they always put their children and families first.

In South Sudan, Dita is a widow and a mother of three young children. Her family has been living on church grounds with thousands of other refugees since they were violently driven from their homes and villages in January. She remembers it clearly.

“I heard gun shots and we ran to the bush to hide.” Days later, when she thought it was safe, she and her children returned home. But on January 1st, armed men came into her village, killing people and burning down homes. “We all ran to the church.”

The church has become a refugee camp. Thousands of people are sleeping in the open, there is no food. Many families are eating leaves from trees to stop the pain of hunger. Dita says, “Even though my children are starving, even though I know we might die, I will not leave the church grounds until there is peace. I have to try to keep my children safe. What lies outside is torture and pain.”

CMMB is working tirelessly to get food and healthcare to these people. To bring light and hope to people shrouded in darkness and despair.

Please join us as we pray for all mothers, especially those living in despair. Mothers are the steadfast and familiar Good Shepherds who remind us of God’s love each day.

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