Our Mission

Why Gleaning the Harvest?

Through different events over the past several years, we have become burdened for our dear friends who are living without a husband or father for their children, either through divorce, bad choices or widowhood and still keeping to the Titus 2 admonition to remain a Keeper at Home and home school Mom. We have also felt a burden for those who wish they could stay home and home school but see no way to do so.

In Spring of 2008 we were very saddened to find a post on a blog that the dear husband and father of some of our friends had been tragically killed in an accident. This loving husband and father, grandfather, Believer, friend to many, had been taken away by a drunk driver. It was heart-breaking.

In addition to the unbearable pain this family was experiencing missing this wonderful father and provider, my friend, who is in her fifties, still had two daughters at home to care for, a home to pay for and the desire to keep her home, home school and train her daughters to be keepers at home, and be a Grandmother. She did not want to send her daughters out to the workforce, but rather, she desired to start a home business and stay home.

We had the opportunity to meet them and visit with them in the summer of 2008, and at that time, she asked if we could think of anything that they could do to earn money to live as Yah- God desired them to. We promised to do anything we could to support them and help them if we could. They continued to see his hand and the community of Believers pull together to help them.

We have felt for some time that it is the Body’s responsibility as much as we are able to help these moms financially, physically, and by encouragement, remain in the home, continuing to keep their home and train their children up as a home school mom. We understand that sometimes the burden is so great that moms must go out and get a job, but, as a wife and mom who is staying home, following what we believe to be Yah’s plan for women, we asked ourselves why it should be different for a single mom. Why can’t we lessen the burden?

In searching Scripture, we found that Yah’s people are to take up for the fatherless, the widow, and the stranger. (Deuteronomy 24) Though there are several classifications for widow, we do believe we are to help these moms – these children- and save them from a life without mom at home and them in the public school system. Many times, that is the only option these moms see.

There are also single mothers who home school their children and desire to bring them up in the Scriptures, keeping them home to school, teaching them the ways of life as she walks with them and talks with them. It isn’t that they don’t want to work for what they have or get, it is that they desire to keep their children home and keep their home, working in their homes, training their children.

Many young moms, single and married, honestly have not been taught how to do this.

In addition, the world does not agree with that philosophy. It is said to be so much easier to get a job and put your children into the government schools rather than stay home with your children, no matter what situation you are in, single or married.

Some single moms desire to bring their children home from the government schools and see no way of doing that. As a wife and mother, I am so thankful for a husband who works to support his family, allowing me to stay home with our children. I desire for other moms without that opportunity but the same desire to be able to do so. I agree with Scripture that it is where a woman lives best – in her home, caring for her husband and/or her children.

Since buying the domain and setting up this site, even before its release to the public, we have seen several more families who have become widowed or fatherless families where the mother desires to stay home, keeping her home, training her children up in the Scriptures, keeping them home to home school. This is not a rare thing, and it is not too much for us to support them in any way we can.

We have also learned the importance that Yah placed on his people to remember and care for the widows and fatherless and strangers. It is very important for us, his people, to keep this in our hearts. The Scriptures speak of nations who forsake their widows and fatherless as those who are not doing as they should.

Real-Life Support

For some families, there will be a great need of support and for others, there may be only some small things they need, such as home school resources or just advertising for their home businesses. We also expect there to be one time needs for some families, but we hope to be there for any of these needs as we are able and the Believers support them.

Even a few dollars sent will be abundant when Yah multiplies it to his people. A caring word on this website to say you are praying for these moms means a great deal to them. It is not too much for anyone to give.

We invite you to catch the vision that we have here at Gleaning the Harvest to fulfill what James calls “pure religion”.

James 1:27
“The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world. ”

Our Mission

Our mission at Gleaning the Harvest is two-fold.

Deuteronomy 24:17-22

“You are not to deprive the foreigner or the orphan of the justice which is his due, and you are not to take a widow’s clothing as collateral for a loan. Rather, remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and ADONAI your God redeemed you from there. That is why I am ordering you to do this.
“When harvesting the grain in your field, if you forgot a sheaf of grain there, you are not to go back and get it; it will remain there for the foreigner, the orphan and the widow, so that ADONAI your God will bless you in all the work you do.
When you beat your olive tree, you are not to go back over the branches again; the olives that are left will be for the foreigner, the orphan and the widow.
When you gather the grapes from your vineyard, you are not to return and pick grapes a second time; what is left will be for the foreigner, the orphan and the widow.
Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. That is why I am ordering you to do this.”

The first part of our mission is to fulfill the blessing of Deuteronomy 24 to allow the strangers, widows and fatherless to glean in the fields after the harvest. Though this is not a real field or vineyard to glean in, we want to give you the opportunity to “leave some of your harvest in the field”. Our focus is not on the work for the widows to do in gleaning, but to focus on the condition of the heart and attitude toward giving and caring for the widows as God desires His People to do. This is an opportunity to open up your virtual harvest and offer gleanings to families in need.

The second part of our mission is to aid families in fulfilling Deuteronomy 6 within their families as much as we are able. Being a home school family ourselves, we understand what God is telling us when he says to teach His commandments to our children: “6 These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; 7 and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (vv6-7).

When a family bears the burden of a single parent, whether through widowhood or by another means that ends in her children being “fatherless”, we believe it is the duty of the Body to come to their aid so that the burden of life’s responsibilities does not keep them from fulfilling this commandment.

Deuteronomy 6
1 “Now this is the mitzvah(commandments), the laws and rulings which ADONAI your God ordered me to teach you for you to obey in the land you are crossing over to possess, 2 so that you will fear ADONAI your God and observe all his regulations and mitzvot that I am giving you – you, your child and your grandchild – as long as you live, and so that you will have long life. 3 Therefore listen, Isra’el, and take care to obey, so that things will go well with you, and so that you will increase greatly, as ADONAI, the God of your ancestors, promised you by giving you a land flowing with milk and honey.

4 “Sh’ma, Yisra’el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad [Hear, Isra'el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one]; 5 and you are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. 6 These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; 7 and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, 9 and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates. 10 “When ADONAI your God has brought you into the land he swore to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov that he would give you – cities great and prosperous, which you didn’t build; 11 houses full of all sorts of good things, which you didn’t fill; water cisterns dug out, which you didn’t dig; vineyards and olive trees, which you didn’t plant – and you have eaten your fill; 12 then be careful not to forget ADONAI, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves. 13 You are to fear ADONAI your God, serve him and swear by his name. 14 You are not to follow other gods, chosen from the gods of the peoples around you; 15 because ADONAI, your God, who is here with you, is a jealous God. If you do, the anger of ADONAI your God will flare up against you and he will destroy you from the face of the earth. 16 Do not put ADONAI your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah [testing].

17 Observe diligently the mitzvot of ADONAI your God, and his instructions and laws which he has given you. 18 You are to do what is right and good in the sight of ADONAI, so that things will go well with you, and you will enter and possess the good land ADONAI swore to your ancestors, 19 expelling all your enemies ahead of you, as ADONAI said. 20 “Some day your child will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of the instructions, laws and rulings which ADONAI our God has laid down for you?’ 21 Then you will tell your child, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and ADONAI brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. 22 ADONAI worked great and terrible signs and wonders against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household, before our very eyes. 23 He brought us out from there in order to bring us to the land he had sworn to our ancestors that he would give us. 24 ADONAI ordered us to observe all these laws, to fear ADONAI our God, always for our own good, so that he might keep us alive, as we are today. 25 It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to obey all these mitzvot(commandments) before ADONAI our God, just as he ordered us to do.’”

The internet has opened up many opportunities to Believers online to give a gleaning of their harvest to those who are living in such circumstances. We pray that Yah will bless you as you give of your own harvest to these families. We pray that He will bless Gleaning the Harvest for His Glory.

For a better understanding of our standards and guidelines, please read our Standards of Ministry.

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