Hello, my name is Lawrence, I work for the Partnerships team at Tearfund, a charity that Judith was a committed supporter of for many years throughout her life.

It is an honour for me to be able to share this short story as a tribute to Judith. I first came into contact with Judith on 13th November 2020. She had just made a significant gift and I phoned her to thank her, but there was no answer, so I left her a voicemail…

This all took place right at the time between the two devasting Hurricanes, Eta and Iota, that had hit the Central America region in 2020 and we had launched an appeal to support our partners there, who were helping the most vulnerable and affected people.

I was also about to go into a meeting with a colleague, to discuss an urgent funding need that had arisen in a region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I had not long organised an online event with a focus on DRC and so I had felt like I had exhausted all the supporters I could ask… and so I prayed quickly: “Lord, please can you provide for this somehow?”
Moments later…Judith phoned me back. 

We chatted and she explained that she had felt prompted by God that we needed the money now, which is why she had given the donation. 

I explained about DRC and Central America situations and she kindly agreed for us to allocate her donation between these two places. I also invited her to attend one of our team’s virtual events, which involved chocolate tasting…little did I know at the time that Judith was isolating at home and shielding due to Covid and poor health.

This conversation was the beginning of a relationship with Judith which grew and lasted the next year. After getting to know each other a bit she eventually explained that she was ill and she had been given a terminal diagnosis. Before any mention of herself though, she took a sincere interest in my own family, as my wife and I were expecting our third child at the time.

Judith went on to give us another two significant gifts in 2020, supporting our work in Burundi, our Crisis Response Fund, and also the Haiti Earthquake appeal. The latter was supported from contributions from her friends from her final birthday, when she invited losts of people to a party at her home, where she brought everyone Chinese food to eat. It sounded like a brilliant time of celebration, from what Judith told me. Her friends wanted to pay her back for the food, but she suggested they could give to Tearfund instead. She was so generous to us. 

We stayed in touch over email and we corresponded for the last time over email a few days before she died. Her dear cousins notified me when the time came, that she had peacefully died at her home on 22nd September 2021, surrounded by them, who I know were actually more like siblings really.

In her last email to me, she thanked me for being: “so much more than a Tearfund contact” – something that completely validated the call to my role because building relationships with our amazing supporters is something that gives me purpose in the role I do. Judith made that so easy and was so kind and gracious.

I was privileged to attend her funeral virtually and it was amazing to hear more about her life. By all accounts, she led a quiet life with unshakeable faith, and did not like a fuss, but oh what mighty woman of God! What struck me was her amazing faithfulness to God and those around her, as well as her unwavering generosity and care for others. Even in the midst of her own battle with cancer.
I thought it was lovely what one of her friends described her as on this memorial website: “Kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity personified” – something that I was privileged to experience...even for a relatively short time.

I am so thankful that I was able to get to know Judith a little, and that I was able to update her on the work she had supported during her last year. She even took part in an event where we showed some recent videos and stories from people whose lives had been so impacted and transformed from the work she had kindly supported in Burundi. This work continues to grow, praise God.

Like so many of our supporters, Judith was prompted by the Holy Spirit to give when she did, and I am proud to honour her obedience and generosity with this post. 

I was also able to share her inspiring story this week, in our weekly internal staff prayers meeting online. Close to 500 colleagues from across the organisation and around the world got to hear about her amazing faith and generosity. People were deeply moved, and this was evident in their comments.

Judith’s story has not ended with her death…not only is she safe in the arms of her saviour in heaven…but earlier this year a colleague from our Legacy team contacted me to let me know that Judith has left a bequest to Tearfund in her will. I was not surprised, because it was so characteristic of Judith, who was so generous in life and committed to helping those living in poverty around the world.
Judith’s life has deeply inspired me.

In closing, I would just like to share my prayer of thanksgiving for Judith, that I prayed yesterday:

Father God,

Thank you for Judith’s life. Thank you for her unshakable faith in you. I thank you for her amazing generosity and for all the seeds that she has sewn into Tearfund’s work around the world. The legacy of this generosity will be felt in the lives of thousands of people and I pray you would multiply this again. Let your Kingdom come in the lives of many through her life lived in obedience to you.

In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray.

Amen