April Vlog 2026

Apr 1

Written By Linda Smith and Mary Beth Woll

Happy Anniversary!

By Linda Smith and Mary Beth Woll

Mary Beth: Hey, everybody. Here we are at the beautiful Edmonds Beach, where you'll see folks walking by and all the beautiful yachts and the waterfront. We get to live in this gorgeous place in the Pacific Northwest. And I'm here with Linda Smith, who is my co-director with the Widows Project, and we're here for a very special reason today. So Linda, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Linda: Well, the reason we're here is because I am going to have my 50th wedding anniversary April 3rd, just around the corner. Kirby and I would've been married 50 years, but he passed away 13 years ago. This is something that widows have to deal with. We find our joy in the Lord - after we have gone through a period of grieving. But those special days are still special.

Mary Beth: They sure are.

Linda: You know, I met Kirby when I was four years old- ... in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. My family moved there in 1958. My dad was the pastor, and his dad was the elder. And our families were, “buds”. We went to their house, and they came to our house. But Kirby was four and a half years older than I was, and I had older siblings, so I didn't really hang around with him at that time.

But when I was 19, that all changed. I started hanging around with Kirby a lot. And we got married when I was 22, and he was 26. And immediately, we moved to Seattle. We stayed. And we raised kids here. We went to Philadelphia Church for 19 years. Kirby was an elder there. And then we came to Westgate Chapel, and I've been there for 30 years now.

Mary Beth: 30 years, I can't believe it. Wow!

Linda: In 2020, I retired right before COVID. I had heard about the Widows Project, but I knew I couldn't put another thing on my plate until I retired. But when I did, I joined the Widows Project. And Mary Beth and I started writing books - and meeting with widows. And long story short, we became co-directors together. And we're still doing this. God has comforted us, and now we comfort others.

Mary Beth: Absolutely.

Linda: We have a group for men. We have three groups for women, and we just love loving on them - because we know how hard it is to get back on your feet after losing your spouse.

Mary Beth: Well, it's truly devastating. And, and even the word devastating isn't strong enough because, according to researchers, it's the most stressful thing a person can experience. And that's why James 1:27 says that the church is to help widows and orphans in their distress. You know, each of us is called to carry our own burdens, but sometimes there are burdens in life which are too heavy for one person to carry. And that's when we bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

That's what we're all about at the Widows Project because we've been through it. We know what it's like. You helped me early on in my journey. And the Lord is helping us both together to help others in a similar situation.

Linda: So, we are launching a Give 50 Tribute campaign. This tribute is to my late husband, Kirby, and the marriage that we would have had for 50 years had he lived that long. And we're asking you to consider giving to the Widows Project - $50, $500, or $5,000.

Mary Beth: Yes, and that's not too far-fetched. People have done that because of the need and the effectiveness of this ministry. Would you talk for a little bit about the effectiveness of the ministry of the Widows Project?

Linda: The effectiveness? The women that come to us get back on their feet, and they establish a new life. They don't have to go on mourning and grieving the rest of their lives, living under a shadow.

But they can establish a new way of living.

We remember our husbands, of course, but we don't grieve forever.

We get through that valley of the shadow of death, and God has something wonderful ahead for us.

And we get to help women discover what that is.

Mary Beth: We sure do because we have discovered that unless you've been through it, you really don't understand it. But because we have been through it, we do understand it.

Linda: And we can come alongside those who have been bereaved. And then the beautiful thing is they get healed, and they move on to their new purpose in life, which for some of them is to comfort other widows and work alongside us. Others go into their own ministry or their own career or whatever, but there's still life after the loss of your spouse.

Mary Beth: Yeah. So thank you very much, Linda, for sharing your story. And we want to just say to those of you who are watching today, the distress of losing a spouse is like no other. And if you will consider partnering with us today with our Give 50 Tribute in honor of Kirby and Linda, we would be most appreciative. And we promise you, your gifts will go to very good use. God bless you.