Hope in the Waiting
“There is no joy like the joy of reunion, because there is no sorrow like the sorrow of separation.”
kah-VAH
Hope in the Waiting
Most people try to spell it with a U. English speakers just cannot accept a Q on its own.
Hebrew has roughly twenty-five words for wait. This one is different. Qavah means to wait actively, with anticipation, craning your neck to see what God is about to do.
A friend once described it this way. A man he knew had twin boys. Whenever their father walked down the hallway toward their room, a certain floorboard would creak. Both boys would stand up in their cribs, grip the railing, and stretch toward the door to see him come through.
That is qavah.
You will find it in Psalm 40, the passage U2 famously set to music. You will find it in Isaiah 40, where those who qavah on the Lord mount up on wings like eagles. And you will find it in the name of this ministry, because the families we serve are living it every day.
The Problem
When a parent is hospitalized, the church mobilizes. Meals appear. Rides are arranged. Someone mows the lawn. These flywheels spin almost automatically.
When a parent is incarcerated, nothing spins.
The family is still there. The needs are the same. But the stigma is different, and so is the silence.
Our Story
From 2012 to 2016, Delton was incarcerated. During that time, the church showed up for his family in ways neither of them could have imagined. Meals. Car repairs. Hotel points. Birthday gifts mailed from a P.O. box.
When he came home, he and Pam kept saying the same thing.
We had an exceptional support structure. That should not be the exception.
What This Looks Like
Church care for these families is not a program. It looks like a neighbor who starts washing your car on Saturday mornings because he is already washing his own. It looks like a CPA who does your taxes for free. It looks like someone booking a hotel room with their points so you do not have to sleep somewhere terrible on visitation weekend.
It is practical. It is personal. It does not require a budget line or a committee.
It just requires someone to decide to show up.
What We Do
Today, Qavah Ministries does two things.
Pam ministers directly to the temporary widows. Delton tries to encourage the widowers, the husbands and fathers whose wives are incarcerated. He will be the first to tell you Pam is better at her job than he is at his.
Our story is not one you can easily un-hear. Once you understand what a temporary widow faces, the next time someone in your congregation is incarcerated, you will see their family differently. That is where it starts.
For Churches
One conversation with your congregation about the temporary widows and orphans already in your community tends to change things.
Start the ConversationFor Donors
This ministry runs on prayer and generosity. Your gift keeps Qavah in the field with real families.
Give Now“There is no joy like the joy of reunion, because there is no sorrow like the sorrow of separation.”