John Hearn shared this story about Maria a number of years ago. I share it with you in hopes that it will connect you with the heart of God. Why? Because God wants to break our hearts with the things that break his heart. My prayer is, “Lord, may I never be too busy to care about the Marias of the world.”
It was like any other day of ministry with my comrades of T-Squad – the air was hot, I was smelly, and orphans were tugging on anything and everything that was attached to my body.
I saw this old Swazi woman pushing herself ever so slowly down that long and dusty road to nowhere accompanied by only a malnourished puppy.
She was in a wheelchair that looked like it had been fashioned in the early 19th century. She looked hopeless and tired.
There was no telling how long she was on the road by herself in the hot African sun struggling to get herself home. My squad mate and I ran over to her with the translator to see if we could help her out.
We introduced ourselves. Her name was Maria.
“Could we push you home?” We asked.
“Yes please,” she politely smiled.
When we finally arrived at her home, Maria gingerly climbed out of her wheelchair and onto the step of her doorway. We asked her if she needed prayer.
She said yes and began to tell her story through heartfelt tears. As she spoke, I could feel her words touching my spirit.
“I live by myself. I have no water, no food, and no community. But I once had a good life. I had eight healthy children and a husband who loved and supported me. And then my life changed.
“My husband and I helplessly watched as all eight of our children passed away from sickness of various kinds. Then, three years ago, my husband died, leaving me completely alone.
“One night while I was sleeping, three men broke into my house to rob and kill me. I tried to escape. The men beat my legs with hammers so I couldn’t run away. And then they left me to die.”
As she told her story, tears poured down her wrinkled Swazi face.
Miraculously, Maria survived, but only after losing one of her legs. For three years, she had been living on her own, simply existing. No joy, no happiness, and no one to take care of her.

How do you pray for a woman who has nothing? How could I possibly tell her that God loves her when her life reflected something completely different?
I learned that Maria was in fact a believer, and despite everything, KNEW that God loved her. She didn’t feel like a victim and death did not have a hold on her.
After we prayed, Maria didn’t ask us for money or a handout. Instead, in the midst of her sobs, she told us she just wanted a little bit of food – she was hungry.
She was a 65 year-old orphan with no family, no place to call a home, and nobody to love her. She managed to get around in her wheelchair in the dirt with only a sock on her foot. We promised her that we would bring her food and a pair of shoes the next day.
I’ve fed orphans and seen the homeless living in cardboard boxes in the worst of slums, but I have never met someone like Maria. Someone surviving alone and forgotten about by the rest of the World. It made me reflect upon my own life back in Kentucky.
I live my life overlooking the Marias in my own world. I’m busy worrying about ME, living for ME! The truth is, I didn’t have to come all of the way to Africa to find my Maria. I could have simply looked out my back door. The question is, why don’t we even notice?
Why don’t we intervene when we see an injustice in the world? Why don’t we become a voice for those who can’t speak?
Thank you, Seth, for focusing us on life and it’s essentials. Now the ball is in my court: how will I see & assist the “Maria’s” around me in the name of Jesus? Fortunately, a path is becoming increasingly clear.
Hi Seth
We must pray that God will break our hearts for people like Maria. Too often we get numb or unresponsive to the real situations of others people. About 20 years ago I was driving out of an extremely poor Invasion Colonia. We had been ministering there all day and I still remember telling Adolfo, “I pray that we don’t ever forget what we’ve seen today”. We must continue to pray about this all the time or we’ll become cold hearted.