Martha Calvert became a widow when her children were 5, 7, and 8.
Her husband’s malignant brain tumor was both a cause of death and a path by which Jesus brought them life. His diagnosis prompted him to bring the family to church at South Hill Christian (now South Hill Bible), where they placed their faith in Christ and received the certain hope of resurrection.
In the meantime, though, Martha was a single mom in her mid-thirties. “I thought, ‘What am I going to do with three little kids?’ I didn’t know, but God has taken care of us incredibly.”
Martha’s in her eighties now, and still she depends on God’s special care for widows and other vulnerable people who take refuge in Him (see Psalm 146). She’s spent most of her life alone, but she isn’t lonely or afraid. “I’m confident in the Lord that He’s going to protect me. He’s got a track record.”
Shortly after her husband’s death, church friends introduced an opportunity to do meaningful work while being a good mom. Martha sold most of their belongings and moved to serve at the New Tribes Mission Bible school in Jackson, Michigan. She had enough survivors’ insurance to be able to work there as a kitchen supervisor without drawing a salary.
She and her kids lived in the same building as the school, a converted hotel in a rough neighborhood. She remembers putting her two sons to bed in one hotel room, locking their door for safety, and then locking herself and her daughter into the next room every night. Nevertheless, they loved where God had brought them, and they stayed there nine years.
“We were never without food. The kids always had decent clothes. We always had a car that ran as well as any car on the road, and a place to live. That’s incredible.”
Most summers, Martha drove the family car back to Spokane for a visit with “three kids, a dog, and a great big stick on the dashboard” for keeping those in the back seat under control. The family also drove to Pennsylvania, San Francisco and other distant places in whichever vehicle they had over the years: a Chevy station wagon, a Pontiac two-door, a Chevette.
Martha sees those trips as providential. She drove thousands of miles without ever being stranded on the road. If the car made a funny sound, she would pray, “Lord, keep the car running to the next town,” and He did. Sometimes they arrived at 11:30 when the mechanic closed at noon.
“God was with us, always with us. He protected us, and He kept me from killing the kids, when you’re in a car cooped up with them and there’s no AC.”
They moved back to Spokane at the right time for Martha to be able to care for her ailing mother and protect her from other family members who were mistreating her. Martha was thankful to have lived far away during her kids’ childhood so that they were protected from the same family members, who were “not nice people.”
But even though she lacked helpful biological family, the Lord sent other people to her aid, such as the attorney who helped her protect her inheritance when her mother died. She was never really alone.
Martha has good friends at Faith, where she has been since the church began in 1992. Even though many of those friends have now passed away, Martha still isn’t lonely. She has a wonderful Growth Group, has served for decades as a greeter on Sundays, and enjoys time with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She lives with her dog in a neighborhood that can be sketchy, but God answers her nightly prayers for protection.
Martha questioned God at first when she lost her husband, but ultimately she learned to trust His wisdom. “He doesn’t have to explain to people why He does what He does.”
She’s also seen how He has grown her in ways that wouldn’t have happened if her husband had lived longer. He was a strong person who liked to take control, and if he had been making all the decisions, she would not have developed in her own faith. “I realized early when he was gone, I was responsible for what I did before the Lord.”
God has been faithful and generous to her all along the way. Martha confidently quotes Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Lynn and her husband, Doug, lead a Growth Group. Lynn serves as a writer and editor for Living Faith magazine and other church communications.
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