ruth, as a young widow, left absolutely everything had and everything she knew to travel with her mother in law, to a new country, to a new faith and a new religion. it's important to know that at the time, israel and moab were deadly enemies. these were not friendly nations. and for ruth to be from moab marks her as the ultimate outsider. she's also an outsider in that she has no husband, she has no male family. so in that sense, she is really cut loose from any kind of community at all. although ruth was well aware of the sacrifices she was making, she and naomi arrived in bethlehem just as the barley harvest began. ruth struggle is a very basic one. she needs to find a way for herself and her mother in law to survive. these are women without an income and without any real way to support themselves.